Low pay, poor conditions drive high apprentice dropout rates in Australia

A significant number of apprentices in Australia are not completing their training, with nearly half dropping out before finishing. Experts point to a combination of factors, including low wages, inflexible training schedules, and inadequate support from employers, as key reasons for this trend.

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There's a number of reasons for this, low wages, inflexible delivery timelines and rigid structures, and also inconsistent readiness of employers to support and mentor apprentices.

Data from the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research reveals a stark reality: 52 percent of apprentices and trainees who began their programs in 2020 failed to complete their qualifications within the standard four-year timeframe. This high dropout rate raises concerns about the effectiveness of the current apprenticeship system.

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For a lot of young people, the visibility they have to the types of jobs they might be interested in is often quite limited to what jobs their family do, what their teachers have told them about what their immediate circle of friends and community are doing.

Kira Clarke, who leads employment, education, and training policy at the Brotherhood of St Laurence, highlighted the pressures apprentices face. "There's a number of reasons for this, low wages, inflexible delivery timelines and rigid structures, and also inconsistent readiness of employers to support and mentor apprentices," she stated. Clarke also noted that many young apprentices have a limited understanding of available career paths, leading to anxiety about making the right choice.

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There's a lot of anxiety about, 'Am I making the right choice for the type of job that I think I'll enjoy?'

Emeritus Professor Erica Smith from Federation University stressed that the workplace experience is often the deciding factor. "An apprenticeship is a job, and people leave jobs," she explained. Professor Smith argued for the collection of more detailed data from apprentices to understand their daily experiences and the specific reasons behind their decisions to quit. She believes that improving completion rates requires looking beyond workforce demand and focusing on the individual apprentice's well-being and satisfaction.

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When you look at the data on why people don't complete, they say it's to do with the job, not to do with the training. An apprenticeship is a job, and people leave jobs.