I recently had a discussion with someone about apprenticeships and decided to ask the North Devon District Council (NDDC) how may apprentices they employ. I received the answer today following a Freedom of Information request.

Q: How many apprentices does the Council currently employ?
A: Two

Q: What type of apprenticeship are they (e.g. Business and Administration, Local taxation, and benefits etc.) and at what level (Intermediate, Advanced, Higher) using the definitions employed by the Skills Funding Agency?
A:  Both are Business and Administration apprentices. One has just started Level 3 (Advanced) after successfully completing Level 2. The other has recently started Level 2 (Intermediate).

Q:  Are the apprentices paid the national minimum rate for apprentices or are they paid at a higher rate?
A: The apprentices are paid £10,000 per annum, which increases to £11,159 per annum in year two. [Difficult to convert to the apprenticeship minimum wage but it would appear that the apprentices are being more than the minimum rate for apprentices.]

Q: For non-apprentices, is NDDC’s minimum wage the national minimum wage or the Living Wage?
A: Staff are paid on the National Joint Council for Local Government Services (NJC) payscale.  This is above the national minimum wage and, for most staff, is above the living wage also.