Number of apprentices increases in NSW during Covid pandemic

One third of apprentices across Australia are now in our state.

Nobody knows the value of an apprenticeship better than the Cauchi family.

Plumber Richard, carpenter Phillip and sprinkler technician Liam have all done some sort of apprenticeship — and now their younger twin sisters, Steph and Sherina, 16, are following in their footsteps.

The 16-year-old CathWest Innovation College students both realised they did not have to go to university to land a job doing what they love.

Year 11 student Steph — who looks after her family’s dogs on their acreage in Londonderry — had begun studying animal care and plans on further studies at TAFE so she can work as a vet nurse.

“It is not a pain to work with animals, there is no arguing involved and it is calm and peaceful,” she said.

The Cauchi family of apprentices: Jacob (business management), Steph (animal studies), Richard (plumber), Sherina (aspiring chef) and Liam (airconditioning). Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

She is no stranger to canine companions. Her family have 50 dogs — six of whom sleep in their house while the others sleep in kennels outside. “We can’t fit them all in the house but if we could I would,” she said. “We buy a lot of dog food, let’s just say that.”

Her brothers inspired her to focus on choosing something she loved doing rather than automatically going to tertiary stud.

“I think a lot of people don’t want to go to university because they believe they have to” she said.

That is something which has been borne out by the latest data which shows across the nation, the number of apprentices dropped by more than 100,000 from 412,727 people in 2013 to 297,918 2020.

But NSW is now turning that around with the state now making up one third of Australia’s apprentices — and has increased the number of people studying apprentices by 15 per cent compared to last year to 93,880.

Twin sisters, Steph and Sherina, are following in their family’s footsteps with apprenticeships.

NSW Skills Minister Geoff Lee said that result showed the JobTrainer skills package and the Commonwealth Government’s Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements initiative had worked.

“This is a fantastic result, particularly considering the impacts of drought, bushfires and COVID-19 that have affected NSW in the last year,” he said.

“The impressive numbers are also a testament to NSW employers for keeping their young apprentices on board during COVID-19, and to our Training Providers for finding new and innovative ways to maintain training,” he said.

Apprentice Employment Network chief Jason Sultana, whose organisation helps teens land apprenticeships, said the latest figures were a good sign for the state’s economy after the coronavirus pandemic subsides.

“Government initiatives to bolster apprenticeships has given employers the confidence to invest in the next generation of young workers,” he said.

Among those future workers will be Steph’s twin sister Sherina, who is now considering doing an apprenticeship in cooking after she spent her childhood helping the family make traditional Maltese dishes like ravioli pastizzis.

“I definitely do want to do something to do with food,” she said.

“Growing up, I was always around helping my mother and my grandmother with cooking.”