Deputy Premier and Minister for Skills John Barilaro said new data showed the number of people taking up apprenticeships or traineeships in NSW continued to climb in positive signs for the state’s vocational education and training (VET) sector.
Mr Barilaro said the latest report from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) showed a 2.3 per cent increase in NSW apprenticeship and traineeship starts in the year to March 2017 compared to the year to March 2016.
“The latest research is great news for the NSW and shows 47,100 people started an apprenticeship or traineeship in NSW in the year to March 2017, a 2.3 per cent gain on the previous year,” Mr Barilaro said.
“VET training offers pathways to many jobs that are seeing strong growth in the future, from the traditional trades to healthcare, biotech, cyber security, agriculture, ICT, and tourism.”
These latest NCVER results also show growth of 1.5 percent in the number of NSW people taking up trades like plumbing, carpentry and electro-technology which will support our industry sectors which are facing skills shortages.
This research comes on the back of an NCVER report released in July which showed government-funded VET student numbers in NSW grew by 38 per cent in 2016 under the Smart and Skilled system – significantly higher than a national increase of 3.3 per cent.
In August the NSW Government launched the “Doors to Opportunity” VET campaign to change perceptions around the industry and encourage people to consider VET as a credible alternative to university.
For more information on the “Doors to Opportunity” campaign, visit: www.vet.nsw.gov.au
