Apprentices at Powys County Council will be paid the Real Living Wage in a move the cabinet described as the “right thing to do.”

The agreement was made by the cabinet this week, coinciding with National Apprenticeship Week. The deal will mean the hourly rate for apprentices will increase to £10.90 per hour from April 2023.

In the past 12 months, the council has taken on 10 apprentices across a range of services, including engineering, education, childcare, ICT and property and a spokesperson for the council confirmed that is plans to provide more in the future.

Councillor Jake Berriman, cabinet member for a connected Powys, welcomed the news and said: “Apprenticeships can offer a fantastic career path for individuals and enable our organisation to develop a talented workforce with future-ready skills.

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“Paying the Real Living Wage is the right thing to do for apprentices, who face the same living costs as everyone else, and we are delighted to make this commitment.”

The Real Living Wage is an hourly rate based on the cost of living and is set independently. It is voluntarily paid to employees by over 10,000 employers in the UK.

The Council has been paying the Real Living Wage as a minimum for all directly paid staff over 18 for some time and this commitment was re-confirmed this week. It will now develop proposals to become accredited as a Living Wage Employer in the future.

Anyone interested in an apprenticeship at Powys County Council can join the Apprenticeship Talent Pool and register their interest for future opportunities. Visit www.powys.gov.uk/jobs for more details.

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