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The Commonwealth Government’s National Industry Skills Initiative established a series of Working Groups to investigate skills shortages in particular industry sectors. The Electrotechnology Working Group prepared a report on skill shortages in electrotechnology in 2000 (indexed at TD/TNC 67.202) leading to the formulation of an Action Plan to be implemented by an industry Task Force over a period of two years. The plan focuses on three specific projects: a careers project; an employer engagement survey; and a Group Training Targeted Initiative Program. This report has been prepared by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) on the second project for the Electrotechnology Working Group. The report specifically examines the triggers of employer engagement with apprentices in the electrotechnology sector against the background of increasing levels of new apprenticeships. The project involved a literature review, a statistical analysis of trends in industry and new apprentice trends, a qualitative interview phase with firms in the industry, and a survey of employers in the industry. The research revealed that the two key drivers of apprentice employment in this industry are firm size and the availability and/or continuity of work.