Apprentice Cost Calculator UK
Calculate the true cost of hiring an apprentice after government funding. Apprentice rate: £6.40/hour (under 19) to National Minimum Wage.
Apprentice Details
Age affects minimum wage after first year
First year gets apprentice rate (£6.4/hour)
Typical: 37.5 hours/week (includes training time)
College/training provider days (typically 20-40 days/year)
Small companies get 95% government funding
Common Scenarios:
UK Apprentice Wages 2025/26
Apprentice Cost
Total Annual Cost
£13571
After £4750 government funding
Good Value
Cheaper than hiring experienced staff
Verdict
✅ EXCELLENT VALUE — HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
£13571/year after £4750 government funding. Cheaper than hiring and you're training future skilled staff.
At 50% productivity, they contribute £6785/year value. Invest time in training - productivity increases as they learn.
Annual Cost Breakdown
Productivity & Value
💰 Government Funding
Small companies (<50 employees) get 95% of training costs paid by government (up to £27k over apprenticeship). Large companies: use apprenticeship levy.
⏱️ Time Investment
Budget 2-3 hours/week for supervision and training. First 6 months they're 30% productive. By year 2-3, they're 70%+ of qualified tradesperson.
📈 Long-Term Value
After 3-4 year apprenticeship, you have qualified tradesperson who knows your systems. Retention: apprentices stay average 5+ years vs 2-3 for external hires.
👨🎓 Make Apprenticeships Work in Your Business
Use this calculator to understand the real cost of an apprentice, then put a simple system in place to track how they're developing over time.
Track apprentice hours
Keep a basic log of hours worked and training time each week.
Training notes
Capture what they worked on and where they still need support.
True cost per job
Roughly compare apprentice cost to revenue from the work they helped on.