Yes – you do! Just like any other employee, apprentices should be given information on their rate of pay, working hours including how many hours are to be dedicated to off the job training (which is currently a minimum of 20% of working hours), holidays and any other benefits they are entitled to.
The contract should also state the start and end dates of the apprenticeship.
Apprentices are also entitled to statutory maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and sick pay.
You should treat individuals working on apprenticeships like any other employee, for example, you should assess the performance of apprentices using your appraisal process and deal with any issues using a Performance Management procedure. In the event that dismissal is required, the same procedures apply as they would for an ordinary member of staff.
Please note that some apprenticeship programmes in specific industries have enhanced protection against termination so employers should check these terms when considering a dismissal. Newer agreements and approved English apprenticeships do not have these enhanced protections against termination. If in doubt, please check with a HR Consultant.
Finally, all employees, need to be given access to disciplinary and grievance procedures, this is required by law.