Apprentices and trainees 2026: June quarter

Description

This report presents data on apprenticeship and traineeship activity in Australia, including trends in commencements, completions and the number of apprentices and trainees in training.

Data are reported for both quarterly and 12-month periods, providing information on recent movements and longer-term trends. In-training data measure active training contracts at the end of the quarter, while commencements, recommencements, completions, cancellations and withdrawals measure activity during the reporting period.

Seasonal patterns affect apprenticeship and traineeship activity. Commencements are typically higher in the March quarter, while completions are generally higher in the December quarter.

Training activity is reported using a trade and non-trade classification based on occupation. This provides a consistent basis for national reporting, as the occupations approved for apprenticeship and traineeship contracts vary across jurisdictions.

The most recent data are estimates to account for reporting lags and may be revised as further information is received.

Additional data are available from DataBuilder, VOCSTATS, and by request to NCVER. Longer-term historical trends are available from the Apprentices and trainees 2026: 20-year time series – June quarter.

Key trends at a glance

In training numbers continue to decline, with a sharper fall in non-trade occupations

There were 279,800 apprentice and trainee contracts in training at 30 June 2026, 8.8% fewer than a year earlier. Around three-quarters were in trade occupations.

In-training contracts in trade occupations fell by 5.3%, while the decline in non-trade occupations was substantially greater at 18.1%.

Commencements rise in the trades, while non-trade commencements continue to decline

Trade commencements rose by 9.2% over the 12 months to June 2026, following increases in recent quarters.

Non-trade commencements continued to decline, offsetting the growth in trades and leaving overall commencements broadly unchanged.

The same pattern was evident in the June quarter, with trade commencements up 10.8% and non-trade commencements down 11.8% compared with a year earlier.

Trade completions rise, while non-trade completions continue to decline

Trade completions rose by 5.4% over the 12 months to June 2026, reaching their highest level since 2014.

As trade apprenticeships typically take several years to complete, current completions largely reflect commencements and training undertaken in earlier years. Recent changes in commencements will take time to flow through to completions.

Non-trade completions continued their decline and fell by 10.7% over the last 12 months.

Occupation trends

Growth in trade commencements concentrated in construction and electrotechnology

Over the 12 months to June 2026, trade commencements increased by 9.2%. Most of the growth occurred among Construction Trades Workers and Electrotechnology and Telecommunications Trades Workers, where commencements increased by around one-fifth.

Commencements were broadly stable among Automotive and Engineering Trades Workers, while declining among Engineering, ICT and Science Technicians and Food Trades Workers.

Growth was also evident in the latest quarter for several large trade occupations. Compared with the June quarter 2025, commencements increased by 44.4% for Electricians, 28.2% for Carpenters and Joiners and 21.6% for Plumbers, while decreasing by 28.0% for Agricultural, Medical and Science Technicians, 20.9% for Gardeners and 4.1% for Motor Mechanics.

Trade completion trends vary by occupation

Trade completions increased by 5.4% over the 12 months to June 2026, but trends varied across occupation groups. Completions increased among Construction Trades Workers, Automotive and Engineering Trades Workers, Electrotechnology and Telecommunications Trades Workers, and Food Trades Workers, while declining among other trade occupation groups.

By occupation, completions increased strongly for Electricians, Plumbers, Butchers and Smallgoods Makers, and Sheetmetal Workers, but decreased for Telecommunications Trades Workers, Hairdressers and ICT Support Technicians.

Non-trade activity continues to decline

Non-trade commencements fell by 8.3% over the 12 months to June 2026. While commencements increased in some occupations, including Welfare Support Workers, Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers, and Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks, the broader reduction in non-trade activity is evident with in-training numbers lower across every major occupation group than a year earlier.

The decline continued in the latest quarter, with non-trade commencements 11.8% lower than in the June quarter 2025. Commencements fell by 18.6% for Child Carers, 42.3% for Truck Drivers and 77.4% for Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers, while Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers increased by 37.0%.

Non-trade completions also fell, down 10.7% over the 12 months to June 2026, although outcomes varied by occupation. Completions increased for Child Carers, Aged and Disabled Carers and Livestock Farm Workers despite the overall decline.

State and territory trends

Trade commencements increase across jurisdictions, while non-trade commencements decline

The national growth in trade commencements was evident across most jurisdictions. Over the 12 months to June 2026, the strongest percentage growth was in Western Australia, followed by Queensland and South Australia.

In contrast, non-trade commencements declined in every state and territory, with the largest percentage falls in the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Western Australia.

Trade commencements also increased nationally in the latest quarter, although results varied across jurisdictions. Compared with the June quarter 2025, growth was strongest in the Northern Territory and Victoria, while commencements were broadly stable in Queensland, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.

Equity and participation

Trade growth offsets declines for some groups

Over the 12 months to June 2026, commencements increased for people with disability, people from language backgrounds other than English, and apprentices and trainees in regional and remote areas, driven by growth in trade commencements. Overall commencements declined for females and Indigenous apprentices and trainees as non-trade commencements fell.

Trade completions increased across all selected groups in the 12-months to June 2026, while non-trade completions declined. Indigenous apprentices and trainees were the only selected group to record an overall increase in completions, up 4.9%.

People with disability were the only selected group to record an increase in the number of apprentices and trainees in training, up 2.2% from a year earlier, driven by an 8.8% increase in trade contracts.

Employers and training providers

Commencement and completion trends vary across industries

The construction industry recorded the largest increase in commencements over the 12 months to June 2026, up 16.1%, while commencements also increased in Mining.

In contrast, commencements declined in several industries, with the largest falls in Health Care and Social Assistance and Accommodation.

Completion trends also varied across industries. Completions increased in Construction and Manufacturing, while Accommodation recorded the largest decline.

Commencement trends vary by provider and employer characteristics

Over the 12 months to June 2026, commencements increased among TAFE institutes and private-sector employers, with relatively strong growth among micro and small employers.

The increases reflected growth in trade commencements, while non-trade commencements declined across all provider, employer and employment categories.

Commencements also increased for existing workers and full-time apprentices and trainees.

Additional information

1. Unless stated otherwise, data are derived from the latest National Apprentice and Trainee Collection (no. 129, September 2026 estimates), using data to 30 June 2026, which is compiled under the Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard (AVETMISS) for Apprentice and Trainee Collection Specifications, Release 7.0, October 2015.

2. Due to the delay in time between an event (commencement, completion, etc.) occurring and the reporting of that event to NCVER, estimates are applied to the most recent figures. The estimation method involves weighting recently processed numbers based on average reporting lags. As estimates are revised for up to seven quarters, figures for the last two years may differ from those published in earlier or subsequent reports. The final counts are those submitted by jurisdictions. Further details on the methodology can be found in the Estimation of apprentice and trainee statistics technical paper.

3. The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia caused significant uncertainty for individuals, businesses, and governments. The resulting suspension of normal economic activities, combined with various government and economic interventions, has impacted apprentice and trainee numbers. Therefore, caution should be exercised when interpreting and comparing data from 2020 onwards.

4. In-training figures represent the number of apprenticeship and traineeship training contracts where the apprentice or trainee is actively training under the terms of their contract and has not completed, cancelled or withdrawn from their training, or had their training contract expired. The figure reflects the number of active contracts at a given point in time (at the end of the quarter), and therefore in-training figures cannot be cumulated over time. For this reason, quarterly comparisons are equivalent to 12-months ending comparisons as they both represent the changes as at 30 June from one year to the next.

5. All values are rounded to the nearest five, which may result in some values rounding to zero. As a result of rounding, numbers in the body of a table might not sum to the rounded totals.

6. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place using unrounded data.

7. Data are suppressed where no data are reported across the selected categories or period, while ‘n/a’ indicates that data are not reported for a specific value.

8. Totals include all contracts, including those with unknown status. As a result, figures presented in tables may not sum to the total where unknown data are not reported separately.

9. While the report is limited to data on contract commencements, recommencements, in-training, completions and cancellations/withdrawals, data on contract expiries and suspensions are available in VOCSTATS.

10. As the vocations approved for inclusion under an apprenticeship or traineeship training contract are not consistent across all jurisdictions, NCVER has adopted a Trade/Non-trade categorisation for the purpose of the National Apprentices and Trainees Collection with ‘Trades’ classified as all occupations listed under ANZSCO major group ‘3-Technicians and Trades workers’ and ‘Non-trades’, classified as all other major occupation groups 1-2 and 4-8. Occupations are classified using the ANZSCO - Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, 2022 Australian Update.

SOURCE: National Centre for Vocational Education Research 2026, National Apprentice and Trainee collection no. 129, September 2026 estimates, NCVER, Adelaide.