Anton, starting an apprenticeship is not the problem, the problem is finishing one.

There are so many factors at play when it comes to finishing an apprenticeship.

Firstly, there are the non apprentice mates, often earning big bucks in comparison, doing low skilled jobs.

Sure you and I both know it short lived, but try telling the kid with 200 bucks less in their wallet each week.

Then there is the uncertainty in business today.

With consumer trends, government back fllips and IR challenges, many businesses either change direction, downsize, or even cease operating during the four year term.

Four years can be a long time in business these days.

Another huge problem is kids attitudes towards their apprenticeship.

So many today only want a trade so as to work in the mines and earn big bucks.

They fail to understand that they have to get there first.

Having the highest unskilled wages in the world doesn't help.

Individual, I'm not saying that young Australians are so switched on.
I think that we have some wonderful young Australians who are turning
into great tradesmen etc. But Australia has never really further
educated enough of its young people, migrants have been relied on
for as long as I can remember, to make up the shortfall.

What we have is a whole bunch of Australians with a sense of
entitlement and expectation about life, but who don't want to
put in the effort to improve themselves by further education.

Steve Meyer has started an interesting thread on that. It happens
in countries with resources, unlike countries with none, who realise
that human resources is all that they have and so make the best of
them.

I recently saw the drop out figures when it comes to apprenticeships
and they are huge. There must be a reason. So I think that our
system needs and overhaul, for there are plenty of jobs out there,
they just need people with skills to fill them

The real reason for the low number of apprentices is that no-one can afford to put one on.
Selfish, short-sighted, dumb-ar$ed Unions have out-priced apprenticeships.
Education hammered the peg in even further by dumbing down every potential apprentice

How very interesting.
On the one hand we have rechtub saying that one of the reasons we have so few trade people is because the apprenticeship wages are so low that kids don't finish.
On the other hand we have individual claiming that "dumb assed unions" have pushed apprenticeship wages so high that employers can't afford them.
SO I rang my nephew who has started a mechanic apprenticeship with one of the Holden dealers in Brisbane.
rechtub is right.
wages for apprenticeships are horribly low.
No way a kid could survive without living at home.
Anthony
http://www.observationpoint.com.au

Is the US giving nuclear bunker busters to Israel?

Will these nuclear weapons be used against Iran?

Will the US media conceal the use of nuclear weapons
behind stories of conventional "superbombs"?
http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/nukes/new_nuclear_weapons/loyieldearthpenwpnrpt.html

who knows
http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2002_12/bunkerbuster_dec02

so hands up
who thinks

we still don't have a problem

Anton, in indi's defense, the costs associated with employing apprentices are what detracts from employing them, not so much the actual wages that the apprentice gets paid.

Apprentice actual wages have always been low, as I can remember when I was a 1st year butcher, my mate was a concreter making almost my weeks pay, in one day.

The best way for governments to increase skills, would be to employ apprentices themselves and, unlike to countless labor hire rip off companies, charge them at at a cost recovery only fee.

At least then, if business conditions change, you are not stuck with an apprentice.

If you have ever employed an apprentice yourself, just try getting rid of one, it's not easy.