Apprentices and trainees 2025: December quarter

Introduction

Drawing on the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection, this report presents data on apprenticeship and traineeship training contracts as at 31 December 2025.

Apprentice and trainee activity is shaped by many factors, including labour market conditions, employer demand, student choices, training provider capacity and government funding. Broader trends should also be considered, particularly in the context of evolving Commonwealth and state and territory apprenticeship and traineeship policy settings over time, including system reforms and priority occupations, and changes to incentives (see the Timeline of Australian VET policy initiatives).

Seasonal patterns are also evident in the data. Commencements are typically higher in the March quarter as more apprentices and trainees begin training at the start of the year, while completions are generally higher in the December quarter as contracts conclude.

Data are presented quarterly and over a 12-month period to support analysis of both short-term movements and longer-term trends. Quarterly data refer to the December quarter, while 12-month data cover the year ending 31 December. In-training is a point-in-time measure as at 31 December each year, while cancellations should be considered alongside recommencements because apprentices and trainees frequently change employers and recommence training under a new contract.

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) reports training activity using a trade and non-trade classification based on occupation. This approach supports nationally consistent reporting, as occupations approved for apprenticeship and traineeship contracts vary across jurisdictions. NCVER is also working to broaden reporting beyond training contracts by incorporating person-based measures, using unique apprentice and trainee identifiers. This will provide a more comprehensive view of pathways through the apprentice and trainee system and better reflect movement between contracts and employers.

Additional data are available from DataBuilder, VOCSTATS, and by request to NCVER.

Longer-term historical trends are available from the Apprentices and trainees 2025: 20-year time series – December quarter.

Key trends at a glance

Apprentices and trainees in training continue to decline

The number of apprentice and trainee active contracts continued to decline across both trade and non-trade occupations nationally. These declines are consistent with changes to government incentives and softening labour market conditions.

As at 31 December 2025, there were 282,430 active (in-training) apprentice and trainee contracts, with almost three-quarters in trade occupations. Total in-training contracts decreased by 8.6% (down 26,650) from 31 December 2024. This consisted of:

• trade contracts decreasing by 5.2% (down 11,510 to 208,950)
• non-trade contracts decreasing by 17.1% (down 15,125 to 73,475).

Commencements rise in December quarter

While apprentice and trainee in-training numbers and commencements declined over the 12 months to December 2025, quarterly data show a recent increase in commencements.

Compared with the December quarter in 2024:

• trade commencements increased by 12.5% (up 1,710 to 15,425)
• non-trade commencements decreased by 2.3% (down 295 to 12,645).

Fluctuations in trade commencements tend to coincide with labour market demand, business conditions and changes to government incentives.

Completions rise in the trades, and decline for non-trades

Trade completions have continued an upward trend since December 2023, while non-trade completions continued to decline. In the 12 months to December 2025, compared to the previous year:

• trade completions increased by 8.1% (up 3,985 to 53,390)
• non-trade completions decreased by 11.8% (down 5,720 to 42,670).

This pattern is consistent with higher commencements from 2020 to 2022, which are now flowing through to increased trade completions. Non-trade completions, which typically occur over a shorter duration, have already peaked and are now declining.

Occupations and skills shortages

Trade activity aligns with shortage occupations

Trade apprentices and trainees in-training remained concentrated in a small number of occupation groups. As at 31 December 2025, Construction Trades Workers, Automotive and Engineering Trades Workers, and Electrotechnology and Telecommunications Trades Workers together accounted for around 82% of all trade contracts in-training.

In the 12 months to 31 December 2025, trade commencements fell by 4.2% (down 3,390 to 76,585), marking the third consecutive annual decline. However, recent quarterly data indicate overall growth in trade commencements, alongside increases in several key shortage occupations (Jobs and Skills Australia 2025), including:

• Electricians, up 18.2% (by 410 to 2,675)
• Carpenters and Joiners, up 11.9% (by 200 to 1,880)
• Plumbers, up 12.2% (by 160 to 1,465).

In the 12 months to December 2025, trade completions reached record highs for Electrotechnology and Telecommunications Trades Workers, Automotive and Engineering Trades Workers, and Construction Trades Workers, reflecting the flow-through of higher commencements in earlier years. Compared with the previous year, growth in the number of trade completions was strongest among Electricians, Plumbers and Motor Mechanics.

Non-trade commencements and completions decline overall, but with growth in some shortage occupations

Non-trade apprentices and trainees in-training remain concentrated in a small number of occupation groups. As at 31 December 2025, Community and Personal Service Workers, Machinery Operators and Drivers, and Clerical and Administrative Workers together accounted for around 78% of all non-trade contracts in-training.

In the 12 months to 31 December 2025, non-trade commencements fell by 14.9% (down 10,450 to 59,715), continuing the decline from the peak observed in 2022.

Despite broader declines, quarterly increases were recorded in some occupations, including Welfare Support Workers, and Aged and Disabled Carers. Child Carers remained a shortage occupation across all states and territories and, despite falling commencements, continued to represent the largest proportion of non-trade commencements (19.2%).

Non-trade completions declined across many occupations, particularly among clerical, sales and labouring roles. However, completions increased in several shortage occupations, including Child Carers, and Aged and Disabled Carers, reflecting a more variable pattern across non-trade occupations.

State and territory trends

Declines across states and territories driven by non-trades

Apprentice and trainee contracts in-training declined across all states and territories in the 12 months to 31 December 2025, with larger decreases observed in non-trade contracts. Similar patterns were observed for commencements, which varied across jurisdictions.

Over the 12 months to December 2025:

• trade commencements were relatively stable or declined across most jurisdictions, with Victoria recording the largest decrease
• non-trade commencements declined across all jurisdictions, with Victoria and Queensland recording the largest percentage decreases.

More recent quarterly data indicate improvements in commencements across jurisdictions, particularly for trade occupations. Trade commencements improved across all jurisdictions with the strongest percentage growth recorded for Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales. Non-trade commencements varied across jurisdictions, with large percentage declines recorded in South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, but increases in Tasmania, Victoria and the Northern Territory.

Over the longer term, all states and territories have experienced declines in training activity since 2021, particularly in non-trade contracts. Trade commencements declined across most states and territories over this period, with significant percentage decreases recorded in Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland.

Equity and participation

Equity group participation declines in line with broader trends

In line with broader trends, apprentice and trainee in-training numbers declined across all key equity groups in the 12 months to December 2025. The largest decreases were among females (down 12.3%) and people from language backgrounds other than English (down 9.3%), with smaller declines for Indigenous apprentices and trainees (down 3.4%) and those with a disability (down 1.9%).

Consistent with overall trends, declines were more pronounced in non-trade occupations, particularly for learners from language backgrounds other than English, females, and regional and remote learners. Trade occupations recorded smaller declines overall, with people with a disability the only group to record an increase in trade in-training contracts (up 4.9%).

While female trade commencements decreased overall, commencements for females in male-dominated trades such as Electrotechnology and Telecommunications Trades Workers increased.

Trade commencements increased for Indigenous apprentices and trainees (up 0.3%) and people with a disability (up 6.9%), while trade completions increased across most equity groups, led by Indigenous apprentices and trainees (up 12.4%) and people with a disability (up 8.4%). In contrast, non-trade commencements and completions declined across all equity groups.

Consistent with broader trends, more recent quarterly data showed trade commencements increased across all equity groups, while non-trade commencements declined for both Indigenous apprentices and trainees and people with a disability.

Employers and training providers

Employment is concentrated in construction, with service industries dominating non-trades

Apprentices and trainees work and train with an employer to gain on-the-job skills while also studying with a registered training organisation to obtain a qualification. Apprentice and trainee employment is concentrated in a small number of industries, with over one-third employed in Construction (37.5%).

Trade contracts are heavily concentrated in Construction, while non-trade contracts are more dispersed across the service industries, particularly Health Care and Social Assistance, Administrative and Support Services, and Accommodation.

TAFE is the main provider for trades, while private providers deliver most non-trades

Around two-thirds of trade apprentices and trainees (62.9%) attended a TAFE training provider as part of their training. In contrast, most apprentices and trainees in non-trade occupations (76.2%) trained with a private provider.

In the 12 months to December 2025, commencements declined across all provider types for both trade and non-trade occupations. More recent quarterly data indicated growth in trade commencements across most provider types, while quarterly non-trade commencements remained mixed, declining for TAFE institutes, universities and enterprise providers.

Most apprentices and trainees are employed in the private sector, with smaller shares employed through group training organisations and government. Trade contracts were more common among small employers, with 5–19 employees (31.5%), while non-trade contracts were more concentrated among medium-sized employers, with 20–199 employees (29.3%), and large employers, with 200 or more employees (46.3%).

Most trade contracts in training were undertaken on a full-time basis (92.0%), with relatively few employed part-time (8.0%). In contrast, non-trade contracts were more evenly distributed between full-time (55.7%) and part-time (44.3%) employment arrangements.

Across both trade and non-trade occupations, commencements were predominantly undertaken by newly commencing workers (86.3%), with existing workers accounting for a much smaller share of commencements (13.5%).

Additional information

1. Unless stated otherwise, data are derived from the latest National Apprentice and Trainee Collection (no. 127, March 2026 estimates), using data to 31 December 2025, 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 31 December 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. 127, March 2026 estimates, NCVER, Adelaide.

REFERENCES: Jobs and Skills Australia 2025, 2025 Unit Group Shortage List – 4 digit ANZSCO [Excel spreadsheet], Jobs and Skills Australia, Australian Government, https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-shortage.