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The objective of this study is to look at longer-term trends in apprenticeships and traineeships in the context of the changes in the Australian economy over the last three decades. A brief summary of the place of apprenticeships and traineeships in postcompulsory education and the labour market is given. The long term profile of enterprise-based training is discussed and time-series models explaining movements of the apprenticeships and traineeships series are estimated and evaluated. The author tests if labour market indicators can be used to predict changes in enterprise-based training. It is suggested that the results show clearly that the behaviour of the apprenticeship and traineeship series can be explained by factors describing the state of the business cycle and that the knowledge of the state of the labour market can be used to predict the behaviour of enterprise-based training. An evaluation of the impact of recent government policy changes affecting apprenticeships and traineeships, particularly the introduction of New Apprenticeships which it is suggested had a positive influence on all levels of enterprise-based training.