At the recent Jobs and Skills Summit, the Albanese Government committed to work in partnership with states, territories and stakeholders to improve the apprenticeship system and drive-up completions. This discussion paper has been released for public feedback on the non-financial supports within the apprenticeship system...

This report argues that the Victorian government must ensure that its entire system of apprenticeship support – from training to incentives to workplace settings – is encouraging more Victorians to begin an apprenticeship, and more importantly, to continue to see out their training until completion.

This first Victorian Skills Plan is based on rich data and analysis and extensive stakeholder insights. The Victorian Skills Authority Advisory Board will play a role in guiding the implementation of actions from this plan.

In this paper, the authors explore the weaknesses of the current system and propose a new approach, based on international evidence, that can make a difference to opportunities for young Australians.

This report offers a comprehensive review of vocational education and training (VET) in Australia, confirming Australia’s VET system shows growing signs of erosion, fragmentation and dysfunction. It asserts that several high-profile government announcements during the pandemic designed to address skilled labour shortages have not altered...

Deputy Labor leader, Richard Marles, claimed the Coalition government had overseen a fall of 70,000 apprentices and trainees. However, that fall was driven by a decline in trainees rather than combined trainees and apprentices, which was largely the result of changes made by the previous...

Despite the importance of apprenticeships, almost half of young people who commence an apprenticeship will not finish it. This report examines how the mental health and wellbeing of apprentices can be better supported.

The aim of this synthesis piece is to provide an overview of some aspects of apprenticeships and traineeships in Australia. In particular, the synthesis brings together research and data on what could be considered five enduring issues.

This publication reviews the current trends in how workplace-based delivery of training is distributed, including where entire programs are delivered in this way. Additionally, data from the Student Outcomes Survey was used to model the effect of a student receiving workplace-based delivery on employment and...

Employment-based training (EBT) is training for paid employees within a work setting, related to their role, and provided or supported by employers. This report explores alternative approaches to employment-based training—cadetships and internships, higher apprenticeships, and on-the-job structured training such as mentoring—and their implications for VET...

This report examines the experience of the trades and shift-work segments of the workforce during COVID-19, and outlines a policy agenda that will provide support for these professions so that they remain an attractive career in future.

Apprenticeships and traineeships, in one form or another, are used the world over to train new entrants to the workforce in skilled jobs. The key features of learning by doing, underpinned by formal theory training whilst in paid employment, are widely supported and often expanded...

Since the global financial crisis (GFC), young people have been facing a particularly challenging labour market compared with other age groups, characterised by higher levels of unemployment and underemployment than in the previous decade and relative difficulty in obtaining jobs. This paper makes the case...

This report is the final component of a broader study on traditional trade apprenticeships. It looks at the experiences of the traditional trade apprentice, and in doing so, focuses primarily on the findings from the 2019 Apprentice and Trainee Experience and Destination survey, with data...

Australia’s vocational, education and training (VET) sector is underperforming, excessively complicated and suffers from ad hoc policy approaches. This report floats options for a fundamental re-orientation of Australia’s VET system, with a revised Commonwealth-State agreement to set out an agreed, coherent policy direction.

This research estimates new apprenticeships/traineeships in Australia will decline by 30% within two years. This equates to approximately 130,000 fewer new apprentices and trainees from the start of the pandemic to June 2023.

International onshore VET graduate outcomes 2019 provides a summary of the outcomes of international students who completed their vocational education and training (VET) qualification in Australia in 2018. These students were surveyed as an additional component to the 2019 National Student Outcomes Survey.

This report provides estimates of the size and nature of the Australian vocational education and training workforce. Data was collected through the 2019 National VET Workforce survey from registered training organisations (RTOs).

This publication presents research highlights from the past 25 years of the LSAY program, with a focus on schooling, VET in schools programs, the influences of socioeconomic status and demographics on later opportunities, and pathways taken from school into further education and the workforce.

This report is the first part of a larger study aiming to investigate traditional apprenticeship practices with a view to developing policy directions for how to keep them relevant and useful. It finds that trends in commencements rise and fall in line with fluctuations in...

This report draws from in-depth interviews and focus groups with employers, trainers, apprentices and government officials about what works, what does not work and needs improvement. It finds that the combination of off-and-on-the job training continues to be provide a suitable approach for the training...

This paper outlines the Australian Industry Group's views on changes to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) for vocational education and training. It questions whether the previous assumptions underpinning vocational qualifications for Australia are still valid.

This survey collects information about employers’ use and views of the vocational education and training (VET) system and the various ways employers use the VET system to meet their skill needs. Information collected is designed to measure employers’ engagement and satisfaction with the VET system.

This study investigates the impact of group training organisations' additional support services on contract completion rates and how these compare with the rates for apprentices and trainees placed with direct employers. Many direct employers also provide pastoral care and support to their apprentices, but such...

In the United States, workforce development is a bipartisan priority, key to the agenda of most state governors across the country. As Australia faces the challenge of an uncertain future of work, looking at the strategies of US states, where there are diverse examples of...