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Media Release
NEW STUDY SHOWS NEW APPRENTICESHIPS ARE SUCCESSFUL POST-SCHOOL OPTION
17 November 2005
Minister for Vocational and Technical Education, the Hon Gary Hardgrave MP, today announced the release of a report by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) that paints a very encouraging picture of New Apprenticeships as a good choice for school leavers.
The study ‘Participation in and Progress through New Apprenticeships’ was based on the employment and education experiences of 6,876 young people in 2001, when they were around 20 years old. One in five of them had entered a New Apprenticeship or traineeship in the late 1990s, and from those still in the survey in 2003, an overwhelming majority (around 3 in 4) reported that they had successfully completed this training.
“Success in New Apprenticeships was equally high for those who had left school before Year 12 and for Year 12 completers, and was also high for those from non-metropolitan locations and lower socio economic backgrounds,” explained Mr Hardgrave.
Also noted were the strong predictors of participation in New Apprenticeships, such as being a male, having a father in a skilled trade occupation, demonstrating above average trade-related vocational interests as early as Year 10, and enjoying making or fixing items.
“This study clearly shows that New Apprenticeships can be a good option for all school leavers, and that those students with an interest in this area should be encouraged to consider this valuable pathway. It also shows that undertaking vocational and technical education (VTE) subjects, such as through the VTE in Schools programme, while completing senior secondary school was a good pathway into New Apprenticeships,” Mr Hardgrave said.
The Australian Government has provided strong encouragement for school leavers to take up New Apprenticeships, with an increase in participation from 154,800 in March 1996, to 390,200 in March 2005. Participation in Schools has also grown from 60,000 in 1996, to 211,900 in 2004, representing almost half of all senior secondary students.
“Building on this strong growth, a raft of new initiatives aimed at increasing access to New Apprenticeships and assisting New Apprentices and trainees was announced by the Government earlier this year,” Mr Hardgrave said.
“A record $10.1 billion has been committed by the Government over the next four years to vocational and technical education, and in 2005-06 a record $2.5 billion will be spent, including over $280.6 million for the new initiatives which are now being rolled out.”
These include:
- the establishment of 25 new Australian Technical Colleges in 24 regions, with the first ones opening in 2006. The Colleges will provide real trade learning to Year 11 and Year 12 students, while at the same time allowing them to gain necessary academic subjects for their Year 12 certificate;
- funding an additional 7,000 School-Based New Apprenticeships through Group Training Organisations;
- supplying tool kits to the value of $800 to around 34,000 New Apprentices each year who enter a New Apprenticeship in an eligible trade area; and
- introducing the Commonwealth Trade Learning Scholarships which provide two payments to New Apprentices of $500 each at the end of a completed first and second year of a New Apprenticeship in areas experiencing skill needs. Employers also qualify for a $2,750 completion payment.
The ACER report is available at: http://www.acer.edu.au/research/LSAY/research.html
Media Contact: Suzanne Ferguson 0402 896 100
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