Commenting on the publication of the Education Select Committee's report on Apprenticeships, City of London Corporation Policy Chairman Catherine McGuinness said:

"The government’s aim of addressing skills issues through apprenticeships is welcome.

"However, the apprenticeship minimum wage £3.50 per hour is simply not sufficient to live.

"Nearly half of apprentices are over 25 and low pay excludes older people with families and young people not living with their parents.

"And while larger firms often have the capacity to offer quality apprenticeship programmes, smaller firms can lack the resources, knowledge and expertise required.

"Our work with SMEs has revealed a real desire for smaller firms to work together to access training and share knowledge.

"The government should support these employers to collaborate and incentivise bigger firms to open-up their apprenticeship training to smaller firms."