A recent report from the Centre for Future Work showed that enrolments in apprenticeships and traineeships have collapsed since 2012, and projected a further 30% drop in new apprenticeships (with 130,000 fewer positions) resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic to 2023:
The report also showed that government Vocational Education and Training (VET) spending has languished far below funding for schools and universities over the last decade, declining by 1% in real terms since 2005–06 to only $6.9 billion in 2017–18. This compares to a 23% increase in real spending on primary and secondary schools and a 45% real increase in spending on universities:
According to leaked data from the Department of Education, Skills & Employment, the number of people starting apprenticeships and traineeships fell by a fifth in the four months to July when compared to the same period in 2019.
