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Apprentice meaning

What does Apprentice mean?
In legal practice, an apprentice is a worker engaged by an employer to learn and practise a trade or occupation through structured on-the-job training and off-the-job learning, while performing paid work. The term is used across employment and skills law. In England and Wales, the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 introduced the statutory apprenticeship agreement (a contract of employment with specified training). The common law contract of apprenticeship also remains; its primary purpose is training and it affords stronger protection, with dismissal generally limited to serious misconduct or frustration, and greater wrongful dismissal exposure if ended early. Scotland and Northern Ireland run devolved apprenticeship schemes (e.g. Modern Apprenticeships/ApprenticeshipsNI). Most apprentices are employees under training agreements; the common law contract of apprenticeship is recognised. In Ireland, apprenticeships are regulated under the Industrial Training Acts and SOLAS, usually via a registered training contract; Irish case law treats contracts of apprenticeship as training-led, with narrow grounds for termination and potential liability for premature dismissal. Across all jurisdictions, pay, working time, training standards and registration/funding rules are set by statute and scheme terms. The choice between a statutory apprenticeship agreement and a common law contract has material implications for termination, remedies and risk.
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View the related News about Apprentice

NEWS
UK employment law weekly: unfair dismissal reforms, NMW/NLW 2026 rates, public sector severance guidance, and key EAT/CA rulings on equal pay, whistleblowing and capability (4 December 2025)

In this issue: Horizon scanning Recruitment Public sector Pay Tax Protected characteristics Equality of terms (equal pay) Whistleblowing Employee duties and restrictions on competition Unfair dismissal Employment Tribunals Dates for your diary Trackers New Q&As Employment resources on Lexis+® LexTalk®Employment: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts Horizon scanning Government U-turns on day-one unfair dismissal rights and announces compensation cap ‘will be lifted’ On 27 November 2025, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) confirmed that, following a round of ‘constructive conversations’ with trade unions and business representatives, the discussions settled on a ‘workable package’: shortening the unfair dismissal qualifying period from two years to six months, while preserving existing day-one protection against discrimination and for automatically unfair reasons for dismissal. To reinforce these safeguards, the government further pledged that any alteration to the unfair dismissal qualifying period will only be possible through primary legislation,...

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NEWS
UK and EU environmental law weekly update—planning, ETS, energy (Sizewell C), waste, water, ESG and case law (24 July 2025)

In this issue: Key developments and materials Air emissions and climate change Brexit Contamination and pollution Energy efficiency of products Energy for environmental lawyers Environmental disputes and proceedings Environmental enforcement and prosecutions Environmental information Environmental taxes, reliefs and incentives ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Sources of environmental law (UK, EU, international) Waste Waste producer responsibility regimes Water, flooding and drainage Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Key developments and materials The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy 2025 Simon Colvin (partner), Luke Davies-Foo (solicitor) and Melissa Dixon (apprentice solicitor) at Pinsent Masons explore the environmental ramifications of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy 2025, covering consequences for the electricity market and clean power, pathways to decarbonisation, tackling planning obstacles and speeding up infrastructure delivery. See News Analysis: The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy 2025. Planning and Infrastructure...

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NEWS
Budget 2025 to fully fund SMEs’ under-25 apprentices; 2026 Level 7 age cap (16-21) risks two-tier solicitor route; Law Society urges England scheme’s extension to Wales

Budget 2025 The plan will be financed through £725m set aside for the government’s growth and skills levy over this Parliament. According to Budget papers, the package backs apprenticeships for young people and brings in a reform that fully covers the cost of apprenticeships at small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) for eligible candidates under 25... The levy, introduced in 2017, requires large employers with an annual payroll above £3m to contribute 0.5% of their wages bill. These funds support 95% of training costs for organisations that do not pay the levy (including SMEs) but wish to take on apprentices, with SMEs contributing the remaining 5%... On 26 November 2025, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told Parliament that the decision to fully fund SME apprentice recruitment followed lobbying from the Federation of Small Businesses and Small Business Britain. She confirmed funding that will make training for under-25 apprentices entirely free for SMEs. A government spokesperson told Law360 on 27 November 2025 that additional details on the new £725m package will...

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View the related Practice Notes about Apprentice

PRACTICE NOTES
Statutory Apprenticeships in England under ASCLA 2009: Agreements, Standards, Funding, National Minimum Wage, NICs, Termination and Flexi‑Job Apprenticeships

At common law, the hallmark of an apprenticeship was a binding bargain to receive training and instruction in a trade or vocation: the apprentice undertook to serve the employer so as to acquire the trade, and the employer, in turn, undertook to train, teach and tutor them. Such common law apprenticeship contracts rarely now arise, chiefly because the Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (ASCLA 2009) makes it an offence to label any course or training as an apprenticeship unless it is a statutory apprenticeship. For information and guidance on common law apprenticeship contracts, see: Contract of apprenticeship, set out below. This Practice Note addresses the requirements of the statutory framework as it operates in England. For information on the position: in Scotland, see Practice Note: in Scotland in Wales, see: frameworks below and Practice Note: Employment law in Wales— An apprenticeship agreement that satisfies the statutory criteria of ASCLA 2009 is to be treated as a contract of...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Scottish Apprenticeships: contracts, capacity, SDS scheme, employment protections, NMW and working time, termination, remedies, redundancy, levy, and contrasts with England

This Practice Note explores the legal issues involved in taking on an apprentice in Scotland, setting out the context and key distinctions. Introduction to apprenticeships in Scotland The apprenticeship contract has its roots in Scotland’s Middle Ages, where it served to control and often monopolise the craft or business carried on in certain trades. By the early nineteenth century, courts were already being asked to separate apprenticeship agreements from other, usually employment, contracts, and that inquiry has persisted ever since. Today, the Scottish Modern Apprenticeship system is markedly different and widespread. It is largely state backed, aiming to align skills with the needs of business and industry across sectors. Modern Apprentices learn in the workplace as well as through colleges and universities, combining practical experience with formal study. Training providers supervise and oversee the apprenticeship throughout. Contemporary arrangements are frequently tripartite, bringing together employer, apprentice and trainer in a single framework. Legal framework for common law apprenticeships An apprenticeship agreement, while it may include working for...

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View the related Precedents about Apprentice

PRECEDENTS
Precedent apprenticeship agreement (old English frameworks) — employment contract under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 s32 (England and Wales) [Archived]

apprenticeship agreement dated [ insert date ] Parties [ Name of Employer ] [ of [ insert address ] OR a company incorporated in [ England and Wales ] (registered number [ insert number ]) whose registered office is at [ insert address ] ] (we or us); [ Name of APPRENTICE ] of [ insert address ] (you). 1 Appointment 1.1 This agreement constitutes an apprenticeship agreement for the purposes of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, s 32, and is entered into and made in connection with the Framework. It is a contract of employment and must not be regarded as a contract of apprenticeship. 1.2 We shall employ you as an apprentice on the terms and conditions set out in this agreement as stated herein...

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PRECEDENTS
Precedent Contract of Apprenticeship (Scotland) — Fixed-term employment with training, pay, hours, leave, disciplinary, confidentiality, data protection and termination provisions

apprenticeship agreement dated [ insert date ] Parties [ Name of Employer ] [ of [ insert address ] OR a company incorporated in [ Scotland ] (registered number [ insert number ]) with its registered office at [ insert address ] ] (we or us); [ Name of APPRENTICE ] of [ insert address ] (you). 1 Appointment 1.1 This agreement constitutes a contract of apprenticeship. It lasts for a fixed term of [ insert the duration of the fixed term, eg four years ], and is governed by the provisions of this agreement. When that term ends, we are under no duty to keep you on. 1.2 You are engaged in line with the terms and conditions contained in this agreement...

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View the related Q&As about Apprentice

Q&As
Apprentice NMW in year one of a second apprenticeship contract

An apprentice qualifies for the lower apprentice rate of the national minimum wage (NMW) (currently £3.50 per hour) This entitlement applies where the individual is a worker who either: Is employed under: A contract of apprenticeship An apprenticeship agreement (as defined by section 32 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (ASCLA 2009), since repealed but subject to transitional and saving provisions) An approved English apprenticeship agreement (as described in ASCLA 2009, s A1(3)) Or is regarded as employed under a contract of apprenticeship by virtue of taking part in one of these government schemes: England: Apprenticeships, Advanced Apprenticeships, Intermediate Level Apprenticeships, Advanced Level Apprenticeships, or Trailblazer Apprenticeships Scotland: Modern Apprenticeships Northern Ireland: Apprenticeships NI Wales: Foundation Apprenticeships, Apprenticeships, or Higher Apprenticeships Where any of the above apply, the worker meets the conditions for the...

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