This publication presents an analysis of data on training package activity undertaken by vocational education and training (VET) students in Australia, including apprentices and trainees, in the year to 31 December 2002. It also identifies major changes in activity over the past five years.
Training packages were introduced into the vocational education and training sector in the mid-1990s. Developed by industry, they consist of a set of nationally endorsed standards, guidelines and qualifications for training, recognising and assessing skills. Since their implementation, the number of individuals studying towards a training package qualification has increased significantly. The implementation in 1998 of the New Apprenticeships system, aimed at providing apprenticeship and traineeship training in a greater number of industry areas has contributed substantially to this rise.
The analysis found that females dominated the early uptake of training package qualifications as the first packages to roll-out were in business administration, hospitality and retail, traditionally female-dominated areas. As a wider variety of qualifications became available across other industry areas, the numbers of males and females began to even out and are now roughly equal.
It was also found that young people under 25 years of age, and in particular teenagers, are more likely to undertake a training package qualification than either an accredited course or a subject-only qualification. The reverse is true for those aged 25 years or over. By 2002, enrolments associated with training packages accounted for 42% of all VET enrolments.
When New Apprenticeships were introduced in 1998, only 32% of apprentices and trainees were undertaking a national training package qualification. By 2002, this figure had increased to 84%.
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