Faster training could plug Australia's skills gap

8 May 2008

New style, faster apprenticeships may be an answer to Australia's much talked about skills shortage, according to research released today by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research.

The report, Accelerated apprenticeships: Apprentice, employer and teaching staff perceptions by Victor Callan, says faster trade training has potential benefits for workers and employers.

For apprentices quicker training means faster skills acquisition and higher wages. Meanwhile employers benefit from increased availability of qualified tradespeople and higher productivity from better and more quickly trained employees.

NCVER Managing Director, Tom Karmel, said traditional apprenticeships were under pressure.

"While apprenticeships have traditionally been the way the Australian community meets its skills needs, there are concerns that current models are not delivering" Dr Karmel said.

"Some industries suffer high non-completion rates and there is a general difficulty in attracting enough employers to take on apprentices.

"Victor Callan's research for NCVER strongly suggests that accelerated apprenticeships, which reduce the standard four-year duration of a trade apprenticeship, may be a step in the right direction."

The research identifies advantages of accelerated trade training that include: 

• larger pool of qualified tradespeople to help address skills gaps
• quicker access to higher wages for employees due to shorter training period
• greater attraction for mature workers due to shorter time period and reduced costs to them and their families
• quicker and bigger productivity benefits for employers from more on-the-job training.

"However accelerated programs do not mean training on the cheap," Dr Karmel said. "They require smaller classes and more travel and accommodation.

"An innovation suggested in the report is the development whereby students willing to perform more repetitive service tasks can exit their training early with an industry qualification that matches an essential element of the trade."

ENDS

To download a copy of Accelerated apprenticeships: Apprentice, employer and teaching staff perceptions, please visit http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1991.html

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