Interview with Tom Karmel, Erica Smith and Damian Oliver on 'Insights from research into apprenticeships'

Pre-apprenticeship programs have attracted a great degree of interest from employers and training pr… Show more

Pre-apprenticeship programs have attracted a great degree of interest from employers and training providers as one means of increasing apprentice satisfaction and completion rates, by providing an introduction to the trade. We test this proposition using data from the 2010 Apprentice and Trainee Destination Survey. We find that the impact of pre-apprenticeships varies with occupation and prior education level. Pre-apprenticeships increase the likelihood of completion for apprentices in the construction, food and electro-technology trades but reduce completion rates among those already holding a certificate III or higher qualification and some other categories of apprentices. Show less

Low completion rates for apprentices and trainees have received considerable attention recently and… Show more

Low completion rates for apprentices and trainees have received considerable attention recently and it has been argued that NCVER seriously understates completion rates. In this paper Tom Karmel uses NCVER data on recommencements to estimate individual-based completion rates. It is estimated that around one-quarter of trade apprentices swap employers during their apprenticeship. Taking this into account, Karmel estimates completion rates for individuals, ranging from 39.2% for the food trades to 64.2% for electrotechnology and telecommunications trades workers. He notes that employer churn is an issue, with the worst occupations being hairdressing and the food trades. Show less