This report investigates attrition in the trades by comparing the rate at which tradespeople leave their occupation with that of professionals. It also determines whether attrition is influenced by economic conditions, and if a trade can provide a good start to a career in the professions. . Skill shortages in the trades are of growing...

This report looks at whether vocational education and training (VET) is equipped to meet the changing needs of the modern workplace. It finds that regulation and business needs drive changes in the way the training system operates. The system has advantages and disadvantages: it has strong mechanisms for identifying industry needs but too much bureaucracy...

This paper describes what we know about apprenticeships and traineeships, with a view to assessing how the current economic downturn will affect them. Apprenticeships have a very long history in Australia, building on the traditions of the medieval guilds. The essence of the apprenticeship is the contract of training – a legal contract between an...

The key drivers of TAFE institutes' systems for monitoring and evaluating effectiveness and efficiency are accountability for government funding, compliance with legislation and quality assurance requirements. The need to supplement government funding with commercial income requires institutes to understand the training markets in which they operate and to maintain productive networks with industry and local...

This report study explains what factors encourage young people to pursue an apprenticeship. Information from students and courses indicates that the key drivers of apprenticeship uptake are intrinsic interest and academic ability. School students with higher academic ability are less interested in apprenticeships. In contrast, those who are part way through their apprenticeship are very...