SNIPEF

The Low Pay Commission is currently consulting on future National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates, including the Apprentice Rate and the rates that apply to younger workers.

SNIPEF will be submitting a formal response to the consultation, highlighting the concerns members have raised about the impact of rising wage costs on apprenticeship recruitment in the plumbing and heating profession.

Over recent months, SNIPEF has engaged directly with the Low Pay Commission to ensure it better understands the realities facing employers who recruit and train apprentices. This has included employer evidence sessions in Aberdeen, where members shared first-hand experience of the costs, responsibilities and risks involved in supporting a four year, safety-critical apprenticeship.

The message from employers has been clear. This is not about opposing fair pay. Qualified plumbing and heating professionals are paid well above National Living Wage rates. The concern is that the current minimum wage framework does not sufficiently recognise longer apprenticeships, where apprentices remain in structured training, attend college and require extensive supervision before they can work independently.

For many micro and small employers, the cumulative cost of apprentice wages, supervision, college attendance, tools, young person insurance and reduced productivity is making recruitment harder to sustain. If fewer employers can afford to take on apprentices, there is a real risk that opportunities for young people will reduce and the future skills pipeline will weaken.

Stephanie Lowe, SNIPEF Deputy Chief Executive said: "Apprentices should be properly rewarded for their contribution and progression. However, apprenticeships differ from standard employment. They involve long term training, time in college and significant cost for the micro businesses that deliver most apprenticeship places.

"If wage increases move faster than training economics can sustain, the unintended consequence may be fewer apprenticeship opportunities and reduced entry routes for young people, ultimately weakening the future skilled workforce."

Add your voice to the consultation

SNIPEF is encouraging all members to submit their own response to the consultation. Individual employer evidence is important and helps demonstrate the practical impact of wage policy on real businesses. We are also encouraging other trade bodies to respond through the Construction Industry Collective Voice, helping ensure this issue is raised across the wider construction and building services professions.

To support members, SNIPEF has prepared model answers to the key consultation questions most relevant to our profession. These can be copied, pasted and adapted to reflect your own business experience.

You can download the model answers here

Members may notice some duplication across the model answers. This is intentional. The consultation questions overlap in places, and repeating the central points helps reinforce the key message: longer, safety-critical apprenticeships need to be recognised properly within the statutory minimum wage framework.

Members do not need to answer every question. The Low Pay Commission has made clear that respondents should focus on the areas most relevant to them. The consultation closes on 26 June 2026. Members are encouraged to respond before the deadline and ensure the voice of plumbing and heating employers is heard.

Members can e-mail their consultation responses to lpc@lowpay.gov.uk