Australian employers' adoption of traineeships

Abstract

Traineeships are apprenticeship-like training arrangements that were initiated in Australia in 1985. They were designed to introduce apprenticeship training to a broader range of industries, occupations and individuals; they are available in occupations outside the traditional trades and crafts. Many companies use them on a large scale, some recruiting their entire shop floor workforce as trainees. This article uses findings from a national project on traineeships in six industry areas to examine the ways in which employers adopt them and the factors which affect their take-up across industries and enterprises.

Keywords:

• vocational education and training
• management of VET
• policy issues
• workplace learning
• human resources

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the National Centre for Vocational Education Research for funding the research on which this article is based.