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One of the big advantages of a vocational education is that you earn money while you learn. When you have entered a training contract with a company, you are employed as an apprentice and receive apprentice pay — not state education grant. This makes the profession attractive for you, who want to get going with working life and an income rather than sitting at school full-time.
§The apprentice wages increase through the program.
The principle in apprentice wages is that they start at a lower level and rise stepwise as you progress through your education. The logic is simple: the more you can contribute to production, the more your labor is worth. You start as a new apprentice and end close to journeyman level, just before you finish.
§The agreement sets the framework
The apprentice wages are not something the individual company just makes up. They are set in the collective agreements that employers and trade unions in the industry negotiate. The agreement describes minimum rates supplements working hours vacation and pension — and it ensures that you as an apprentice have proper conditions regardless of which foundry you are in.
If you want to know the very latest rates, you should look in the current collective agreement for the area or ask your union and your employer. The rates are adjusted on a regular basis so it is wise to have them confirmed directly from the source rather than calculating with old figures.
§Terms as finished skilled
When you have passed the journeyman exam you go from apprentice wages to skilled wages. As a skilled foundry technician you are a specialist in the job market and your wages reflect that you can both operate advanced equipment and understand the metallurgy behind a well-cast piece. Many skilled workers also find that their experience and any further training over time lifts their wages further.
- 01You move from apprentice pay to skilled pay after your journeyman exam
- 02Pension, holidays and working time follow the agreement
- 03Supplements may come into question for shift work, overtime or special functions
- 04Specialization and further education can increase your value even more
Remember that wages are more than the hourly rate. Pension contributions, paid vacation, any shift premiums, and access to further training are all part of the overall package — and it's worth having in mind when you compare jobs.