The Motor Traders’ Association of NSW (MTA NSW) says it is bucking the trend of apprenticeship dropouts, with new data revealing a 54% increase in apprenticeship completions between 2021 and 2022.
MTA NSW says it has been tackling the skills shortage by streamlining course paperwork, improving the assessment process, developing an online learning platform and by taking action on feedback from employers and students in post-course surveys and working to improve its training program.
Employment after training was also up compared to the national average, with 99.4% of completers employed or in further study after training, compared to the national average of 85.7%.
Of the apprentices who were not employed before training, 100% were employed after training in 2022, up 18.8 percentage points from 2021.
The focus on completion rates by MTA NSW is in response to a wider national issue around completion rates for apprentices, which it says have been described as ‘dismal’.
National data released in 2022 revealed that 54% of trade apprentices who started in 2017 completed by the end of 2021. This was down from 57% of those who started a year earlier. The data also found that one in three apprentices will drop out in their first year.
The automotive sector is currently facing a shortfall of approximately 38,000 skilled professionals, including a limited number of technicians who are qualified to service and repair EVs.
With 49,000 technicians throughout NSW requiring training to safely work with high-voltage EV batteries, a shortage in upskilling programs suggests the industry may be unprepared for such rapid growth says MTA NSW.
“We are contributing serious investment to ensure a sustainable pipeline of automotive talent within NSW,” MTA NSW chief executive Stavros Yallouridis says. The ongoing skills shortage and national apprenticeship dropout rates are two sides of the same coin: by improving apprentice rates, we can begin to solve our industry’s ongoing skills shortage.
“But the responsibility can’t lie on the industry alone. The government – at both a state and federal level – needs to step up and invest to ensure we have enough talent to sustain us now and into the future,” he says.
“Quality training is essential for working in the automotive industry. The knowledge and support from my trainers really helped me develop the skills and knowledge I need for the trade,” MTA NSW third-year apprentice Luke Callaway says.
“It’s also been great to see the training evolve to suit the future of the industry. I really believe that electric vehicles are the way forward, and it’s really exciting to have the opportunity to be trained in this new technology with MTA NSW.”
Simon Ulrich from mycar Tyre & Auto says he credits the success of his apprentices to the training offered by MTA NSW.
“As a business, we’ve found that MTA is the best option for apprentice training due to the high degree of flexibility they offer. The quality of training is also exceptional, and we’re very thankful to the trainers for their ongoing dedication to our apprentices,” Ulrich says.
