THE Federal Government has presided over an alarming drop in apprentice and trainee numbers on the Mid North Coast, says Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan.

Mr Conaghan’s assertion has been refuted by a spokesman for Federal Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor.

Referencing the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) 2023 June quarter report, which was released this month, Mr Conaghan said Cowper had seen a 12.3 percent drop in the number of apprentices and trainees taking up training.

The Federal MP said trade apprentices in training hit record highs in the final months of the Coalition Government, with 429,000 apprentices and trainees in training in June 2022, 25 percent more than at the same time in 2021.

That number had now fallen to 377,645 nationally.

“We have lost 12.3 percent of our apprentices and trainees taking up a new trade or learning a new skill in the past twelve months alone, which is concerning,” Mr Conaghan said.

“The bottom line here is we need more apprentices and trainees in our community, not less.

“On-the-job practical training not only benefits the apprentice but also benefits our multitude of small and medium businesses who hire and train them into fulfilling lifelong careers.

“Not to mention the clientele whose jobs are attended to more swiftly with the apprentice workforce in play.”

The June 2023 report showed the electorate of Page fell 12.90 percent in apprentice and trainee numbers.

A spokesman for Skills and Training Minister, Brendan O’Connor, said Mr Conaghan had “cherry picked” the figures.

He said the previous Coalition Government’s employment incentive schemes – Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements (BAC) and Completing Apprenticeship Commencements (CAC) – had funded many non-trade placements, inflating overall numbers.

Earlier this year, Mr O’Connor said the Government had inherited a “significant skill shortage” across the economy.

In November 2023 the NSW and Federal governments announced funding for an additional 147,400 fee-free TAFE places in NSW in 2024.

“I want to ensure we are giving every Australian the best opportunity to gain the necessary skills to secure a stable, well-paid and rewarding job, while also developing the skilled workforce our economy needs in priority areas now and into the future,” Mr O’Connor said.

By Mike HELY