‘I was left with nothing.’ Why apprentices are being pushed into the informal economy

In the UK, apprenticeships and training schemes are often seen as a gateway to skilled careers, providing invaluable hands-on training for service trade professions as varied as plumbing, engineering, accounting and hairdressing. But for many trainees, the financial realities of these programmes are driving them into the informal economy.

Recent research that we conducted with service sector business owners revealed a troubling trend. Low wages during training push...