One of Australia’s most significant educational policy failures was the gradual closure of secondary technical schools between the 1970s and 1990s, driven by the mistaken belief that young people should attend university.
The mistakes were then compounded when governments redirected funding for vocational education and training (VET) to universities, alongside redirecting what little VET funding remained to rorting commercial providers away from TAFEs.
A new report highlights the steady decline in new apprentices over the last decade or so. The report from Deloitte Access Economics indicates that the number of people starting apprenticeships averaged more than 250,000 a year before 2012. However, this number reached a low of just 151,000 in 2019, and commencements are declining again following a brief post-pandemic boost.
