Exits from the Trades Final Report

The reports suggest that attrition from the trades is largely a natural phenomenon, and has positive as well as negative outcomes for the trades and the broader labour market (for instance, mobility out of the trades supplies other occupations with much-needed skilled workers).  Despite this, the significant number of tradespeople who leave their trade by the time they are 23 years old is a cause for concern.

In general, tradespeople leave their trade for a number of reasons, most of which are likely to be related to personal choice or lifestyle/health issues.  Almost a third of exits from the trades are due to leaving the workforce (for example, retiring). This kind of attrition is unlikely to be affected by government policy.

Apprentice attrition is high, and relatively low apprentice wages are a major factor in this (especially in a resources boom). Many stakeholders also see mismatched employer/apprentice expectations and lack of flexibility in the training structure as influential.

Around a third of the trades workforce do not have formal trades qualifications, and stakeholders consulted agreed that employers are willing, in the current economic climate, to hire tradespeople on the basis of competence rather than (and/or as well as) qualifications. Stakeholder support for pre-apprenticeships and school-based apprenticeships was strong, as these were seen to produce better-prepared, more committed apprentices.

Exits from the Trades Final Report PDF    (966.2 KB) RTF    (12.9 MB)

Exits from the Trades Literature Review Report PDF    (471.0 KB) RTF    (7.0 MB)

Exits from the Trades Statistical Analysis Report PDF    (747.0 KB) RTF    (62.7 MB)