Wages and employment terms as apprentice and trained

One of the good things about the education is that you earn money along the way. When you have a training agreement and are taking the main course, you're employed in a company and get apprentice wages – so you're working while you learn the trade. The pay follows the agreement that applies in the workplace, typically in the industrial sector.

The principle in vocational educations is that apprentice wages rise as you progress through the program. The further you progress, the more you can, and the more you contribute to the company — and this is reflected in your wage, which is stepped up according to which year of education you are in. The specific rates are set in the collective agreement in the field. You do not need to negotiate the increases yourself; they are agreed between the labor market parties and regulated at each collective agreement settlement.

If you lack a training position you can in some cases continue with school training at a practice center. Here you receive a school allowance instead of ordinary apprentice wages while you continue to seek a position. This is a safety net not the goal — aim for a real training agreement both for the wages and for the learning.

If you are 25 when you start, you may be covered by adult apprentice wage rules. Adult apprentice pay is typically higher than ordinary apprentice pay and takes as its starting point a minimum wage level in the collective agreement. Whether you are entitled to adult apprentice pay and what it specifically amounts to depends on the collective agreement and your background — so it is worth getting clarified before you sign.

Pay and conditions are regulated by an agreement negotiated between employers and a trade organisation. The agreement determines, among other things, the wage level, allowances, working hours, pension and holidays. In plastic production, many companies run shift operations around machines that cannot stop, so there may also be allowances linked to shift or evening work if you are part of such a duty.

• 01Wages are negotiated collectively, not individually from scratch.
• 02The rates increase automatically when you advance in your education.
• 03The agreement also covers pensions, holidays and other terms.
• 04Shift work can trigger allowances on top of the basic salary.

When you are fully trained and thus skilled you go from apprentice conditions to conditions as a trained employee. You go from apprentice wages to regular wages for skilled people in the field and you get full responsibility for the tasks you previously performed under training. Wages as a trained employee still depend on the collective agreement your workplace is covered by and on what responsibility you have – e.g. whether you drive into machines control quality or get extra responsibility for an entire production area.

Wage rates and allowances change over time and vary between employers and collective agreements. The only way to know your precise terms is to ask to see the current collective agreement and your employment contract – and ask your trade union or school adviser if anything is unclear.