Student wages and employment conditions as a port and terminal student.
How pay increases through the course, what the collective agreement means, and what conditions follow as a trained worker
One of the big advantages of a vocational education is that you earn money while you learn. When you have a contract with a company, you are employed and receive apprentice pay from the first day of your apprenticeship. Here we look at how the pay is structured, and what conditions apply, so you know what to expect.
§Why you get paid during your training
The model behind a vocational education is that the company hires you as an apprentice and pays you wages while you work and learn. So you are not a student in the same way as in a higher education — you are employed with an apprenticeship agreement. Therefore you also receive wages in the periods when you are at school, not just when you are in the company.
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The apprentice wages are not the same all the way through. They increase typically in steps the further you get in the education. The idea is simple: the more you can and the more you contribute to the company the more you earn. An apprentice late in the program can do more and earns more than one who is just starting.
§The agreement sets the framework
Your salary and conditions follow a collective agreement that is an agreement between employers and the employee organization. The agreement sets among other things the minimum wage for the field allowances and a number of other matters. When you are covered by a collective agreement you know your conditions are negotiated collectively and not just set case by case.
§Adult student — different rules
If you are an adult when you start, the conditions may be different. For an adult apprentice, it often applies that the wage must be at least equal to the minimum wage for an unskilled worker in the area. If you take the education as a vocational education for adults, both wage and course may look different from a young student — it depends on your background and the agreement with the company.
§If you don't have an apprenticeship agreement yet
If you lack a company to learn with it does not necessarily mean stop. There are schemes that make it possible for you to continue in education while you search and during school stays without a training agreement there can be other forms of benefit than ordinary apprentice wages. The rules here change so get current guidance at your school.
§Terms as skilled
When you are trained your situation changes. You are now skilled and are employed on the terms that apply to skilled workers in the field – typically with higher wages than unskilled and as a full member of a professional community. Being skilled also gives a stronger foothold in the job market: you have proof that you can do your trade.
“You don't pay to take the education — you get paid for it, and your pay grows as you get better.”