The research report found that 27.4 per cent of employers currently have an apprentice or trainee and that 37.6 per cent of businesses had increased the number of apprentices or trainees during the pandemic compared with previous years.
The NCVER report showed the major impacts from COVID-19 included a shift to working-from-home arrangements and online training, adapting to new technologies and new training requirements.
The release of the interpretive report adds further context to the 2021 SEUV results, using additional resources such as Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Productivity Commission reports and other NCVER reports.
According to the latest NCVER report the surge in the uptake of apprentices and trainees has been due to the supports put in place by schemes such as JobKeeper, the Infection Control Training Fund, Supporting Apprentices and Trainees Wage support, the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage support, and JobTrainer.
Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, Stuart Robert said there has never been a better time than now for businesses “to give an apprentice or trainee a crack. In 2022 Australia is in the midst of an apprentice-led recovery”.
