The future of Australian apprenticeships: what is required for Australia to strengthen its value and commitment to a quality apprenticeship system?

This essay takes stock of the Australian apprenticeship system and its ability and potential to provide education and training relevant to the skill demands of the current world of work. The author outlines the effects of Industry 4.0 on manufacturing, particularly the increasingly higher level of skills required by many of the growth industries. The current apprenticeship system is limited by its ability to deliver Certificate III trade skills alone. The distinction is made between the apprenticeship model and the apprenticeship system, highlighting what works well in terms of the model. The example of the UK initiative where employer-designed standards extending through to degree-level apprenticeships are meeting the needs of businesses is used to illustrate the potential of a reformed system to adapt to employer skill needs.

The author outlines an example of an Australian project heading in this direction - the Industry 4.0 Higher Apprenticeship project. The author concludes with a discussion around the challenges of reforming the apprenticeship system, preserving the core of the apprenticeship model while extending provision to higher-level qualifications to develop the skilled workforce needed to meet the needs of the fourth wave of industrial development. Show less