Modern Awards and Skill Development Through Apprenticeships and Traineeships (Report‪)‬

Introduction A central plank of the Rudd-Gillard Labor Government's Education Revolution is boosting participation in vocational education and training (VET). Halving the number of working age Australians without a post-school qualification (Bradley et al. 2008: xiv) will require a combination of initial vocational training for those entering the workforce and continuing vocational training for those already in the workforce (Skills Australia 2010). The apprenticeship model of initial vocational training, where a contract of training is combined with a contract of employment, has fared better in Australia than in other English-speaking countries. Apprentice numbers in the traditional trade callings, such as engineering, automotive, construction and electrical, declined in real and percentage terms in the 1990s but recovered in the first decade of this century (Toner 2003; NCVER 2010). Apprenticeships in these callings are today still typically indentured contracts lasting between three and four years full-time. On-the-job training and work experience are usually combined with off-the-job training at a Registered Training Organisation. Traineeships, an alternative form of work-based training, grew sharply in numbers and prominence during the 1990s (Cully and Curtain 2001a). Traineeships involve a shorter period of training, generally less than two years, and are geared mainly towards occupations in the growing service sector. Traineeships often, though not necessarily, place less emphasis on off-the-job training. Even if the apprenticeship and traineeship systems are working well, more will be required of them to achieve the Government's ambitious targets.