The latest report from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows that the proportion of apprentices and trainees who were employed after training remained high in 2023.
The report, Apprentice and trainee outcomes 2023, shows that 95.6 per cent of apprentices and trainees who completed their training in a trade occupation were employed after training, similar to 2022.
The majority of trade apprentice and trainee completers (70.3 per cent) stayed with the same employer they had during their apprenticeship or traineeship.
Only 28 per cent of trade completions changed employers and this was because they were offered a better job.
NCVER managing director Simon Walker said the figures show most apprentices and trainees secured jobs with some taking the opportunity to change employers for a better job or pay.
Some 68.3 per cent of apprentices and trainees who cancelled or withdrew from their training reported an employment-related reason as the contributing factor. Common reasons included ‘the pay was too low, or they were unhappy with the workplace or work conditions’ (similar to 2022) and ‘they were offered a better job’ (up 7.3 percentage points from 2022).
Trade completers reported high levels of satisfaction with skills learnt on the job (91.4 per cent) and with off-the-job training overall (86.4 per cent).
Apprentice and trainee outcomes 2023 is derived from the 2023 National Student Outcomes Survey.
The report provides a summary of the outcomes of apprentices and trainees aged 15 years and over who completed or cancelled/withdrew from their apprenticeship or traineeship during 2022, with the data collected in mid-2023.