NCVER publishes research on pre-apprenticeships

The wide-ranging study tracked the journeys of 60,679 pre-apprenticeship students from four jurisdictions between 2015 and 2021.

It compared completion rates of TAFE courses for those who had undertaken pre-apprenticeships (around 4% of TAFE students) and those who hadn’t (the remaining 96%). Researchers also conducted interviews to make qualitative assessments of students’ and employers’ experiences of pre-apprenticeship programs.

Key findings

The study found that pre-apprenticeship programs typically have a largely positive effect on apprenticeship completion rates.

Some of the specific findings are as follows:

• The strongest improvement in completion rates (7.3%) was seen among students who had done a pre-apprenticeship program in the same field as the TAFE course they later took. Researchers say this is likely because of pre-apprenticeship programs sparking a passion for that kind of work among students.
• Trade apprentices saw the greatest benefit from pre-apprenticeship programs, with those who had undertaken a pre-apprenticeship 4.1% more likely to complete their TAFE course. For non-trade apprentices, this number was only 0.8%.
• Students identified having clear program expectations, effective teachers, and accessible and meaningful work experience as among the most important factors in satisfaction with pre-apprenticeship programs.
• Employers and group training organisations recognise the value in pre-apprenticeships most when they closely align with the apprenticeship.

The report’s authored noted that, while there was clear value in pre-apprenticeship programs, more could be done to tailor these programs to students’ needs – especially for women and people from culturally diverse backgrounds. They also recommended that courses should be designed to support completion and align with apprenticeships.

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