The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has just released its annual update on apprentice and trainee completion rates. The data relates to apprentices and trainees who commenced in 2017, allowing time for them to complete a four year program.
The rates show that not much has changed since NCVER started presenting this data back in 2005. Not much more than half the apprentices who commence an apprenticeship complete the program, and only about 40 per cent complete it with the employer they started out with.
For trainees, or non-trade apprentices as NCVER calls them, the numbers are better, but that might reflect the shorter time frame for completing a traineeship, usually one or two years. 56.9 per cent of trainees completed their traineeship, and 54.2 with their original employer.
The trades with the best completion rates were Engineering, ICT and Science Technicians, which includes draftspersons and technicians, and also Electrotechnology and Telecommunications trades, which includes electricians and airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics.
The trades that perform the worst are Food Trades, which includes bakers, butchers and chefs, and Skilled Animal and Horticultural, which includes veterinary nurses, florists and gardeners.
For traineeships, professionals perform well and also Community and Personal Service Workers. This group includes child care and aged and disability carers.
Most of those that drop off do so within the first two years, at a relatively steady pace.
Over the years, governments have tried a range of strategies to address completion rates. There have been mentoring programs, financial incentives for both employers and apprentices that are staggered over the training contract, and supervision courses for apprentice supervisors. None of it seems to have much effect.
The research into completion rates consistently reports that the main reasons (73.1 per cent) for apprentices and trainees not completing are employment related, with the two most cited responses being ‘not getting on with the boss or others at work’ (11.9 per cent) or ‘losing their job or being made redundant’ (11.7 per cent).[1] Not much can be done about the second response, but there are actions that can help address the first. Not getting on with work colleagues suggests poor matching in the recruitment process, or poor understanding of how to manage an apprentice.
Most employers that take on apprentices have small companies. Sixty-three per cent of employers have only one apprentice; these employers need to be supported to help their apprentices complete. They need help to improve their recruitment practices, and help to improve how they manage their apprentice after they commence, including understanding their obligations. Group training organisations, which have better completion rates than small businesses, could help employers address these issues.
As mentioned above, professional development workshops for apprentice supervisors have been trialled at different times with positive results and they are still offered in NSW; however, they have not always reached those employers who need help the most. Encouragement for new employers, or employers seeking additional support, to attend a workshop could help extend the intended audience.
[1] Australian VET statistics: Apprentice and trainee experience and destinations 2019, NCVER, Adelaide
