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Skills research

Apprentice pay in the specialist trades: a research programme

The specialist trades cannot recruit their way out of a skills shortage without understanding what they are offering. This is the research programme we intend to run.

Published
10 February 2026
Reading time
4 minutes
Category
Skills research
Author
People & Skills
An experienced installer setting out metal stud framing on a construction site

Why this research

Recruitment into the specialist trades is discussed constantly and measured rarely. Robust, published data on what apprentices are actually paid — by trade and by region — would benefit employers, colleges and the young people deciding whether to enter the industry.

This article outlines the intended programme. No findings are presented here, and none will be presented until the survey has been conducted and the methodology published alongside the results.

Method

Survey design, sample size, fieldwork period and the analysis approach are to be confirmed. The commitment is that any figure Stanmore publishes will carry its source, its sample and its date.

Author

Content required from StanmorePeople & Skills

Programme outline only. No survey findings exist yet; nothing in this article may be presented as data until fieldwork is complete and approved.

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