Number of new apprentices drops due to Covid-induced recession

the collapse in vocational training is causing severe labour shortages in the booming economy which has emerged this year following the Covid-induced recession of 2020.

Despite an increase in the last quarter of last year, Australia is still training 115,000 fewer apprentices than it was seven years ago — a drop of more than a quarter — according to figures released to a senate committee.

The data from the Department of Education, Skills and Employment shows in September 2013 there were 412,727 people undertaking apprenticeships in Australia, a number that had fallen to 297,918 by the end of 2020.

Experts say the collapse in vocational training is causing severe labour shortages in the booming economy which has emerged this year following the Covid-induced recession of 2020.

South Australia has lost the highest percentage of its apprentices over this period with 37.1 per cent fewer people in training than in September 2013, followed by Victoria which has seen a decline of more 31.39.

The state with greatest numerical drop is NSW which has seen almost 31,000 traineeships disappear, a more than quarter of the number that existed in September 2013.

Queensland has gone from 88,549 apprentices over the same period down to 63,627 – a drop of 28.1 per cent.

The drops in various regions have been even more dramatic.

Darby Turner, 17, from Wollongong, is a first year carpentry apprentice. Picture: Jonathan Ng

In Sydney and its surrounds the number of people in apprenticeships has plummeted from 21,703 to 11,605 a drop of 46.5 per cent.

Melbourne too has lost more than 40 per cent of its apprentices down from 48,214 to 28,778.

The hardest hit part of the Sunshine State are central and western Queensland which have lost 36 per cent of their apprentices while Brisbane is down almost 35 per cent.

The only states and regions in Australia to have seen an increase in apprentice numbers since 2013 are in Tasmania which statewide has seen a modest increase of 371 – a growth of around 4 per cent.

The period covered by the data coincides with the end of the Rudd and Gillard governments.

It also includes the first quarter of the Morrison Government’s Boosting Apprentice Commencements scheme which is designed to turn around the decline and which began last September.

Apprenticeship numbers have dropped. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Since that scheme was introduced the number of apprentices jumped by 35,000 in the last quarter of the year but is still down by 115,000 traineeships from September 2013.

Darby Turner, 17, has no regrets about leaving school in Year 11 and accepting an apprenticeship.

The Wollongong first-year labourer with NFW Building Services said the move was the perfect way for him to get a head start in a trade.

“The transition form school to work was a little scary to start with but after the first few weeks it was sweet. I would 100 per cent recommend it.”

Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles said the numbers were the result of years of ripping out billions of funding from the sector.

“It is no surprise that after neglecting the sector for the last eight years, the Morrison Government has overseen a decline which peaked at 150,000 fewer apprentices,” he said.

“Now they are trying to play catch up footy in bridging the skills gap – and it’s not that easy and not that quick a fix.”

Mr Marles said Australia needed a pipeline of skilled labour but we don’t because the government didn’t seek to fund it properly in the past eight years.