One of the big advantages of a vocational education is that you earn money while you learn. As soon as you have a training contract with a company, you receive apprentice pay. Here we look at how pay is structured, what a collective agreement means, and what conditions come with holding your journeyman's certificate.
§Student wages vs. SU.
As an apprentice you receive wages from the day your training agreement comes into force. It is not state educational grant — it is real wages that your employer pays. A consistent principle in vocational apprenticeships is that apprentice wages increase in steps through the course. The further you are in your training the more you can do and the greater value you create for the company — therefore the rate typically increases for each new training year.
- 01You get paid from your first day in your training agreement.
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- 04You are not dependent on state educational grants during training in the company.
§What is a collective agreement?
A collective agreement is an agreement between employers and employees about salary and working conditions. On the green sector it is the employers' association for horticulture agriculture and forestry and the trade union 3F that negotiate terms for among others greenkeepers and their apprentices. The agreement describes among other things wage scales working hours allowances and other rights and it gives you a known framework to lean on instead of having everything negotiated individually.
§Terms as skilled
When you are fully trained and have your journeyman certificate you go from apprentice wages to skilled wages. As skilled you have a recognized competence that typically provides better wages and conditions than unskilled work in the same area. Many greenkeepers are employed in golf clubs stadiums and sports facilities and here collective agreement terms often apply with fixed wages pension and allowances according to the agreement on the area.
§Adult students
If you take the training as an adult, special principles apply. Here the employer must typically pay a wage that at least corresponds to the minimum wage that applies to an unskilled employee in the area. This helps make the adult route realistic if you have a daily life and finances that need to work together.
“Becoming a skilled tradesperson is not just a certificate — it is a key to better pay and more secure conditions for the rest of your working life.”