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Apprentice, Traineeships: Northern beaches businesses left asking where are the applicants?

THE NSW Government might be boasting about “skyrocketing” apprentice and traineeship numbers, but on the northern beaches it’s a very different story.

There has been a 77 per cent surge in commencement in the year to September 2021, compared to the same period the year before, data from the government shows.

Their release this week also pointed to a National Centre for Vocational Education and Research report, showing 107,845 people were in-training across NSW, a 29 per cent increase on the year before.

While these qualifications are open to people of all ages, just 70 students across 11 public high schools in the northern beaches were undertaking school-based apprenticeship or traineeship (SBAT) in 2021.

More than half of SBATs are in the construction industry, followed by retail. In the northern beaches there are just four hairdressing school-based apprentices.

Graphix Hair Studio owner Elaine Gillespie has been looking for an apprentice for her Mona Vale salon since October 2021 with no success.

“Most parents these days want their kids to go to uni, not do an apprenticeship,” she said.

“Most kids have to go onto Year 12 and they don’t seem keen to do work experience, and that seemed a way to get young people interested.

“We would like to get young blood to come into the salon and the way to do that is get a younger apprentice.”

Most parents these days want their kids to go to uni, not do an apprenticeship.
Graphix Hair Studio owner Elaine Gillespie

Ms Gillespie said apprentice hairdressers learn skills for life that they can take anywhere and always come back to after they’ve gone travelling or had children. Also you can run you own business.

Cassidy’s of Harbord manager, Jamie Rennie, said it is hard to find apprentices and senior stylists for their Freshwater salon.

“If we put an ad on Seek we’d be luck to get one application,” she said.

“I’m not sure if they’re scared of the wages. A lot come straight out of school and are not used to working full time.

“If we go on maternity leave we struggle to get someone to full the position.”

In NSW there are 160 qualifications approved that can be undertaken as a school based traineeship, and 80 qualifications that are approved for school based apprenticeships.

Minister for Skills and Training Alister Henskens said the NSW Government was making it easier for people to access skills and training.

“We’re investing in 100,000 fee-free apprenticeships and 70,000 fee-free traineeships that directly address industry needs and skills shortages,” he said.