Report reveals females are paid less on apprenticeships

UNESCO’s tenth Education for All Global Monitoring Report shows that young female apprentices earn a fifth less than their male counterparts.

Aside from pay, the report suggests that discrimination is also prevalent in the labour market with jobs more likely to go to men, even though women have exactly the same qualifications.

On average, the data shows that female apprentices in the UK earn about 21% less while doing training, while the wage benefit for a woman’s apprenticeship with the exact same qualifications as the male equivalent currently stands at 4% compared to the male figure of 20%.

The figures from UK data echoes worldwide, with similar figures being the trend.

But why, when so many companies focus on specialist women programmes concerning apprenticeships, is there still such a significant pay gap between males and females?

Perhaps it is down to schooling and how active a role schools actually play when it comes to school leavers securing a place on an apprenticeship programme.

Almost 60% of all secondary school leavers arrange to get onto their a apprenticeship programmes themselves, with 10% of that sector going through personal connections and the rest applying directly to the employer. Schools and career advisors only represent 10% of the overall figures.

This data which came out of this report shows that although there has been some “significant progress” in some parts of the UK, much of the country are scores behind.

In today’s current economic climate, having the skills and not being able to get a job is something too many young adults are experiencing.

If discrimination still does exist in the labour sector, matters are automatically made worse for women who subscribe to apprenticeships, as they are already few in numbers.

The report recognises this issue and states that there is an urgent global need to invest in skills for young people, not only so they can feel like they are a functional and needed part of society, but also to ensure they have the confidence and self belief that they are worthy of attaining a job in the first place.

As it stands, globally, one in eight young people are unemployed. In light of the economic crises’ hitting many countries around the world, a lack of youth skill could be further damaging to the economy and recession.

UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova said: "As a reaction to the economic downturn and growing youth unemployment, some governments are creating jobs, but neglecting to ensure that all young people learn the most basic skills they need to enter the world of work with confidence.

"Many, and young women in particular, need to be offered alternative pathways for an education. Unsurprisingly, we are now witnessing a young generation frustrated by the chronic mismatch between skills and work. These young people should not be seen as a threat. It is to everyone's benefit that we quickly start realising that they represent an opportunity."