Huge jump in apprentice and trainee commencements

Media release

1 July 2021

The most recent data on apprentice and trainee training activity shows that commencements for the December quarter 2020 increased by 141.5% compared with the December quarter 2019.

The total number of apprentices and trainees in-training as at 31 December 2020 was 297 920, an increase of 13.9% from 31 December 2019.

Apprentices and trainees 2020 – December quarter released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) provides a national picture of apprenticeship and traineeship activity, including both quarterly and annual figures that can be broken down by state and territory. It also includes information and on the main movements across various demographic and occupational categories.

The steep increase coincides with the introduction of the Australian Government’s Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy, which reimburses 50 per cent of the wages employers pay a new or recommencing apprentice or trainee for a 12-month period from the date of commencement, to a maximum of $7000 per quarter. The subsidy is available to employers who meet eligibility requirements.

Both trade and non-trade commencements increased from the December 2019 quarter by 123.5% and 155.3% respectively. The largest absolute increase among trade occupations was in Construction trade workers with numbers increasing by 4510. Among non-trade occupations, the largest increase was in Clerical and Administrative Workers with an increase of 8820.

The industries with the largest absolute increases in commencements were Construction, Accommodation, and Manufacturing.

Overall, completions were down by 15.7% from December 2019 to 22 255. The decrease in completions was greater for those in the non-trades (22.8%) than the trades (5.3%).

Quotes attributable to NCVER Managing Director Simon Walker

Apprentice and trainee commencements for the December quarter is at a five-year high and is a dramatic increase from the same quarter in 2019. This coincides with the introduction of the Australian Government’s Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy.

Compared with the December quarter 2019, there were increases across all major occupational groups and industry sectors.

DOWNLOAD: Apprentices and trainees 2020 – December quarter

Data products and resources for this release:

  • Apprentices and trainees 2020 December quarter publication
  • Use the DataBuilder to create your own tables
  • Compare state by state
  • Estimates review dashboard

General NCVER resources:

Enquiries: Deanne Loan   M: 0413 523 691   E: deanneloan@ncver.edu.au


About NCVER: we are the main provider of research, statistics and data on Australia’s VET sector. Our services help promote better understanding of VET and assist policy makers, practitioners, industry, training providers, and students to make informed decisions.

This work has been produced by NCVER on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments, with funding provided through the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment.