New report on employers' perspectives on Australia's apprenticeship system

The Australian Industry Group Centre for Education and Training has released new research and its findings into Australia's apprenticeship and traineeship system.

The report was launched at Ai Group member company Inver Engineering in Altona, Victoria.

The report, Apprenticeships and Traineeships: The Employer Perspective, provides unique insights based on feedback from employers across the country in sectors including manufacturing, construction, mining, and services.

To meet current and future skills needs, Australia needs an urgent and sustained increase in the numbers of apprentices and trainees commencing and completing. Yet, in recent years commencements have declined and employers report that employing apprentices and trainees is increasingly costly and complex.

Around 8 in 10 employers surveyed said that apprentices and trainees are important to their business; however, 96% of respondents say they experience one or more barriers to employing apprentices and trainees. Difficulty finding suitable candidates is the most commonly reported barrier.

The report clearly identifies that policy settings by governments, including through employer incentives, directly impact the economic reality of apprenticeships and traineeships for businesses of all sizes. 

It provides 10 evidence-based recommendations for governments and the education and training system that are focussed on strengthening Australia's system of apprenticeships and traineeships from the perspective of employers. The recommendations align to six priority areas:

• Ensuring the economic equation remains viable for employers through policy settings including incentives  
• Widening the pool of employers offering apprenticeships and traineeships by enabling access to group training and supporting large employers to train in their supply chains  
• Ensuring a strong future pipeline of apprentices and trainees by lifting the status of the system and encouraging pre-apprenticeships 
• Expanding the apprenticeship model into new areas by removing barriers to and supporting increased uptake of degree apprenticeships 
• Minimising inconsistency across jurisdictions to reduce system complexity for employers operating across borders 
• Supporting high quality apprenticeship and traineeship experiences by building workplace supervision capability and enabling quality and timely off-the-job training.

Following the launch of this research, we invite you to attend the Centre’s webinar that will unpack the findings and recommendations on 30 July. You can register for the webinar here.