Kieron Green

The STUC will demand that Modern Apprenticeships are made available to young people who don't go into further or higher education.

It will also campaign for the £2.50 rate to be put up to the minimum wage and for fair employment for those on the schemes. It will also support unions in recruiting young people on Modern Apprenticeships.

Supporting the Youth Conference and CWU motion, UNISON's Kieron Green valued the Modern Apprenticeship scheme but urged that "Young workers should not be a treated as a source of cheap labour, or as naïve workers to be exploited.

"The National Minimum Wage has been a great success in improving wages for many workers. We now aspire to a Living Wage for all workers. So it is wrong that young workers on Modern Apprenticeships have been left behind. Congress, the rate of £2.50 per hour is scandalously low", he said.

"Apprentices do real work - after all they are training on the job, and employers get real value from them in that way. But we as a society should be investing in our young people, not exploiting them.

"By ensuring that apprentices are paid the full minimum wage, and are recruited and organised in trade unions, we can make sure that young people are not taken advantage of by employers, are are instead seen as important to the future of their businesses.

"That's why we believe the Scottish government - of whichever flavour after the 5th of May - should make a commitment to guarantee apprenticeship opportunities through the procurement process for publicly funded projects", added Kieron.

"Our Scottish government has the power to do these things. We cannot let a generation of young people fall by the wayside".