Apprenticeships play a very important role in Australia’s system of skills development, having had a long history of successfully combining paid on-the-job training in tandem with formal skills and knowledge development. In 2020, apprentices and trainees represented 17% of all students enrolled in a training package qualification.
There are, however, a number of issues in the system that have persisted over time, according to a new report released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).
Issues in apprenticeships and traineeships – a research synthesis identifies five enduring issues in the national apprenticeship and traineeship system.
Research shows the large number of stakeholders in the system leads to congestion and confusion by employers and apprentices alike. Similarly, the lack of harmonisation across states and territories has made the apprenticeship system difficult to navigate for national employers.
Another long-standing concern for government is increasing apprenticeship and traineeship completion rates, with data showing that those who complete have on average better employment outcomes than those who don’t.
Further, incentives play an important role in encouraging and supporting apprenticeships and traineeships but the research finds that they need to be carefully targeted. Previous experience has shown that poorly targeted incentives can lead to increased uptake but can also have unintended consequences and lead to inferior outcomes for apprentices and trainees.
The off-the-job training component plays a significant role in the overall apprenticeship or traineeship, but there are often challenges in coordinating it with the on-the job component. These include aligning the training and assessment and ensuring that the off-the-job component accords with what is being learned in the workplace.
Lastly, the relevance of the historical apprenticeship model to changes in industry, economic and social conditions has been challenged and there is considerable support for alternative models of delivery.
Background
This report focuses on post-school apprenticeships and traineeships and brings together existing research evidence to form a discussion on what could be considered enduring issues in the system around this important form of training. School-based apprenticeships and traineeship or those falling outside the formal contract of training model are excluded. Five key issues were identified and examined, and up-to-date data was used to provide context and to illustrate these.
Download: Issues in apprenticeships and traineeships – a research synthesis
Enquiries: Deanne Loan M: 0413 523 691 E: deanneloan@ncver.edu.au
About NCVER: we are the main provider of research, statistics and data on Australia’s VET sector. Our services help promote better understanding of VET and assist policy-makers, practitioners, industry, training providers, and students to make informed decisions.
This work has been produced by NCVER on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments, with funding provided through the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment.