Work in Progress

Accelerated apprenticeships: Apprentice, employer and teaching staff perceptions

• Summary
• Purpose
• Approach
• Research questions
• Methodology
• Organisations

Summary

Purpose

Employers, apprentices and trainers recognise the need to continue to evolve the existing apprenticeship / traineeship model so that apprenticeships are relevant and attractive to a wide range of individuals and their potential employers. It is clear that many features of the current apprenticeship system are effective in attracting and retaining employees to completion. At the same time, as shown in the "non-completions research", other features need attention and reform. Using the automotive industry, interviews and focus groups will be conducted with various stakeholders, including current apprentices, employers of apprentices, and representatives of relevant employer associations, to investigate the perceptions of, and experiences with the current apprenticeship model, as well as views of accelerated models. On the basis of the information gained from the interviews and focus groups, new apprenticeship/traineeship models will be proposed.

Approach

Interviews and focus groups

Research questions

The research questions to be examined by this project are:

1. What might a shorter or accelerated competency based apprenticeship/traineeship model look like?

2. What are the implications of such a model?

Methodology

1. Mini-literature review. A literature review will be undertaken and will focus on the nature of the modern apprenticeship, the pedagogy behind training models and apprenticeships, the research into apprentice completions and non-completions, and debates about the benefits and costs of accelerated apprenticeships (e.g. including for example reports like Schofield's reviews in Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania; and those other DET-type reports mentioned already).

2. Interviews with employers, teachers and apprentices about the utility of an accelerated apprenticeship model. Semi-structured face-to-face and some telephone interviews will be undertaken. Central to interviews is the ability to tap into the personal beliefs, perceptions and experiences of interviewees about the current status of the apprenticeship model. It is planned to complete a mix of interviews face-to-face and by telephone with members of the automotive industry, as well as a number of site visits, to gain the opinions of representatives of the following groups of stakeholders:

* 10 major employers of apprentices in the industry

* 10-15 teachers, apprenticeship coordinators or related others (e.g. trades teachers) at public and private training organisations who are responsible for the day to day management of apprentices, or the introduction of refinements to the current model

* 3 focus groups with current apprentices in the industry

* 5-10 representatives of groups Australia-wide that include the relevant Industry Skills Council, Australian Industry Group, relevant trade union, and employer associations

* 2-3 senior officers of the respective State government Departments that are involved in the oversight of various apprenticeships and their performance in each state

* Other interviews that will emerge from site visits and follow-up leads to emerge from completed interviews

The majority of interviews will focus upon South-East Queensland, and the 'big-end' of town in terms of major dealerships like Toyota, Ford, and Holden. The Queensland Department of Education, Employment and the Arts has expressed considerable support for this project. In addition, to add to the perceptions of key informants in SE Queensland telephone interviews will be completed with key industry figures in other Australian states.

Organisations