The Comeback of Trades
There are many educational pathways in the spotlight today, from trade colleges and apprenticeship programs to schools offering digital skills or formal degrees. However, there is an education model that is making a strong comeback: the trade apprenticeship. Blending hands-on experience on the job with in-class instruction, trade apprenticeships provide students with real-life experience and employable skills relevant to industry-specific needs. Although universities continue to receive many applications, trade apprenticeship programs offer an equally or more valid and valuable pathway to employment and ongoing success, especially in industry areas such as construction, automotive, electrical, plumbing, commercial cookery, healthcare, and many more. This blog examines the rise of trade apprenticeships, the benefits to students and industry alike, and how companies like SkilTrak are enhancing the apprenticeship and student placement process in Australia.
What are Trade Apprenticeships?
A trade apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of skilled employees through a combination of hands-on experience and theoretical learning. Apprenticeship trainees are employed as they train, allowing them also to earn while they continue to learn hands-on practical skills that develop in their specific trade.
These apprenticeships usually take 3 to 4 years and include trades like the following:
- Electrical & Plumbing
- Carpentry & Construction
- Automotive & Mechanical
- Commercial Cookery & Baking
- Hairdressing & Beauty Therapy
- Early Childhood and Aged Care
- Community Services and Health
They are frequently supported by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), TAFE, and industry partners, so learners gain nationally recognised qualifications and practical experience.
Agricultural Apprenticeship
1. Industry relevance without delay
While traditional university programs may not always be relevant to the job market, this is not true of apprenticeships in the trades. An apprenticeship provides apprentices with the skills employers are looking for in industries that are experiencing a shortage of skilled workers.
2. Low debt and a high number of opportunities
While most university students graduate with a large amount of debt, an apprentice is an employee who gets paid while in school. Usually, they graduate with no or significantly less student debt, many of them having a full-time job offer immediately after graduating.
3. Learn in a practical environment
While theory is important, many skills simply cannot be taught in the classroom. Apprenticeships emphasize a practical and realistic training environment, often with an experienced mentor.
4. Business Owner or Contractor
Many apprentices eventually go on to have their own companies or work as contractors (this is especially true in the construction trades and beauty therapy). Having the experience, they leave apprenticeship programs with them to be job-ready as well as entrepreneurial.
5. Job Longevity and Security
Jobs in skilled trades are much less susceptible to automation and economic downturns. Being a skilled worker in the trades provides long-term security, especially as we see an increased demand for infrastructure and health services as a result of the pandemic.
The Role of Employers and Industries in Apprenticeship
Employers are vital to the apprenticeship model. They supply:
• Work opportunities
• Supervision and mentoring
• Live feedback
• Pathways for full-time employment.
In return, the industries gain:
• Young, trainable people
• Lower recruitment costs
• Retention of trained staff who fit their specific needs
• A contribution to national workforce growth.
However, nothing has made the process of matching the right apprentice to the right workplace better than a system.
Challenges to the Current Model of Apprenticeship
While apprenticeship offers many benefits, it is not without their challenges:
1. Limited Knowledge and Perception: Many students and parents may be unaware of apprenticeships/or they view them as a "lesser choice" than going to university.
2. Placement Gaps: Students' and institutions' processes for finding the right host employers and managing placement logistics are quite complex.
3. Placement Administration: RTOs often struggle to keep track of becoming paperwork compliant, tracking hours logged, communicating with students and employers, etc., when connecting students and workplaces for apprenticeships.
4. Engagement and retention: Poor support and a lack of fit for the student when placed in an employer's workplace can lead to disengagement and student dropout.
How SkilTrak is Disrupting the Placement and Apprenticeship Process
SkilTrak is a placement management platform for students that connects RTOs, students, and industry in a faster, transparent, and data-driven process. Since its start in 2018, SkilTrak has grown to be a trusted partner to vocational education and manages thousands of student placements throughout Australia.
How does SkilTrak assist Trade Apprenticeships?
1. Smart placement matching
SkilTrak uses a smart algorithm and nationwide dynamic database to match students to the best host employers based on the requirements around skills, availability, and location, while reducing dropouts and increasing successful placements.
2. Live tracking and reporting
Students, host employers, and trainers are able to ascertain attendance requirements, milestones, and feedback live. Progress reports are automatically generated, keeping all parties informed and compliant.
3. Providing more student ownership
SkilTrak allows students to access:
• Work Placement History
• Timesheets and Journals
• Industry Information and Tips
• Support Tools to Communicate Back to RTOs and Hosts
Giving students more ownership, motivation, and professionalism.
4. Engaging employers
SkilTrak can simplify the onboarding of apprentices to employers with less paperwork and more clarity. All employers can access student profiles, review progress, and communicate back to RTOs.
5. Compliance and documentation
RTOs are supported with digitally managed compliance workflows, reminders, and audit trails. This reduces myth administrative burden and increases productivity.
Future Opportunities for Apprenticeship Pathways in Australia
Australia is committing to vocational education and training (VET) pathways, shown by initiatives like fee-free TAFE, Job Trainer, and increased apprenticeships incentives. This shows national investment and commitment to trade segments.
The demand for opportunities in the following fields includes;
- • Renewables
- • Aged & Disability Care
- • Civil Infrastructure
- • Automotive Tech (EVs)
- • Sustainable Agriculture
On-the-job learning experiences in these areas have the potential to disrupt the workforce, reduce unemployment, and tackle the skill gap for digital learning and trades.
Trade Pathways Aren't a Backup Plan, They're the Future
It's time to shift the mindset around trade pathways through apprenticeships - these are not a secondary or worse route anyone takes - they are an empowered, strategic, and financially-determined pathway to an aspirational career. With the benefit of on-the-job learning, aligned with industry, and lower costs, it offers a win-win for all participants.
And manufacturing and service industries now have platforms, including SkilTrak, to allow students and industries alike to no longer have to attempt to navigate the placement processes alone. They, too, bridge the gap, take the complexities out of placements, and allow every learner access to their newfound position in their chosen career pathway.
Ready to get started with SkilTrak?
Whether you are a student seeking on-the-job experience, an RTO who needs placement support, or an employer wanting to be part of the next generation, SkilTrak is your partner.
