A report, by the Greater Manchester Low Pay Unit, which analysed 3,000 job vacancies, states that the average hourly rate for 16-year-olds was 2.76 and 2.86 for 17-year-olds.
However, for 16-year-olds on a modern apprenticeship course working towards an NVQ Level 2 for three years, the average wage was around 2.11.
Claire Faichnie, report author and researcher, said: "We are particularly worried about modern apprenticeships because they are exempt from the national minimum wage. A 16-year-old can be training for two or three years on the same low wage - in some cases as little as 40 a week - and the employer is under no legal obligation to offer any annual increase."
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