Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) from Modern Apprenticeships: 2020/21: Scotland

Age

Table 3 shows the median total earnings of MA completers five years after completion split by age and sex. The age grouping in the LEO data reflects the age of the modern apprentice when they started their apprenticeship, rather than their age on completion.

It shows that MAs who were aged 16-19 when they started their apprenticeship were earning £20,900 in 2020/21, five years after completing their MA in 2015/16. This compares to £21,500 for MAs aged 20-24, and £27,100 for MAs who were aged 25 and over. Older MA completers typically earned more than younger MA completers, with the exception of male completers aged 20-24, who earned on average slightly less than male completers aged 16-19.

For female completers from 2015/16, those aged 25 and over earned on average £1,600 more than those who were aged 20-24, and those aged 20-24 earned on average £1,000 more than those aged 16-19 (£20,300 for those aged 25 and over, £18,700 for those aged 20-24 and £17,700 for those aged 16-19).

For male completers from 2015/16, those aged 25 and over earned on average £4,800 more than those who were aged 20-24, and those aged 20-24 earned on average £100 less than those aged 16-19 (£29,700 for those aged 25 and over, £24,900 for those aged 20-24 and £25,000 for those aged 16-19).

The earnings gap between female and male completers is consistently large across all age groups, with the youngest male completers earning more on average than the oldest female completers.

*2015/16 Modern Apprenticeship (MA) completers in Scotland
(1) Hours worked are not taken into account.
(2) Age groupings represent the age that MA completers were at the start of their apprenticeship.