Mike Kelly, head of Living Wage at KPMG comments on the news that Business Secretary, Vince Cable, is set to announce plans to give the lowest-paid apprentices a £1.06 an hour pay rise at the Liberal Democrat conference. He said:
“Most apprentices already earn more than the minimum wage but about 31,000 people are expected to benefit from the move. Though, meeting minimum wage shouldn’t be the final stop, pushing for a Living Wage should already be happening.
“Over 900 employers have already voluntarily endorsed the Living Wage Accreditation Scheme. This has helped more than 50,000 families escape the trap of working poor. If more employers followed their leadership we could see an end to poverty pay.
“The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission drew everyone's attention to the fact that more than two thirds of children living in poverty were the children of working parents. It is time this was consigned to the history books.”