The latest release of national apprentice and trainee data show there were 33 760 trade and non-trade commencements in the December 2018 quarter, down 4.2% compared with the same quarter in 2017.
Apprentices and trainees 2018 – December quarter, published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), provides a national picture of apprenticeship and traineeship activity and includes both quarterly and annual figures that can be broken down by state and territory.
Trade commencements decreased by 9.2% in the December 2018 quarter, with the main decreases seen in the number of commencements in construction trades workers (down 18.2%) and other technicians and trades workers (down 17.4%) when compared with the December 2017 quarter.
Non-trade commencements decreased by 0.2% in the same period, with the biggest decreases seen in the number of commencements in sales assistants and salespersons (down 10.4%) and mobile plant operators (down 22.6%).
Overall there were 259 385 apprentices and trainees in-training as at 31 December 2018, a decrease of 1.0% from 31 December 2017.
The report Australian vocational education and training statistics: Apprentices and trainees 2018 – December quarter is available from www.ncver.edu.au/publications.
A range of related data products, including the apprentices and trainees estimates review dashboard and the apprentice and trainee outcomes data visualisation, are also available.
The report Completion and attrition rates for apprentices and trainees 2018 will be published in July 2019.
About NCVER: we are the principal 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 and Training.
Enquiries: Helen Wildash, PR and Social Media Officer M: 0448 043 148 E: helenwildash@ncver.edu.au