This publication seeks to identify the key determinants of apprentice and trainee employment in Australian small and medium-sized enterprises. The investigation is based on data collected in the ABS Business Longitudinal Survey over the period 1994-95 to 1997-98. The study concludes that there is no evidence of a single business characteristic acting as a trigger for small and medium-size enterprises to provide apprentice and trainee training although there are a number of characteristics which affect an enterprise's propensity to undertake apprentice and trainee training, including the number of employees and the rate of expansion of the enterprise.
Australia's employment-based training efforts have undergone considerable change in recent decades. More occupations and industries have adopted employment-based training methods. This research uses historical data and a macro-economic forecasting model to divine forecasts for future employment-based training. Detailed tables of forecasts by occupation are presented.