Poor pay and underfunding: why Australia’s vocational training system is broken

Low wages for apprentices and cuts to Tafe teaching hours are causing students to drop out and exacerbating labour shortages

Two years into his four-year metal fabrication apprenticeship, William Shepherd seriously considered quitting. Earning just $18 an hour with a private employer, the 31-year-old had been able to make things work only because he was single, lived frugally and walked to work. However, he was increasingly unable to keep up with cost-of-living increases.

“Luckily for me, I was able to find a public employer that was willing to pay above the award,” Shepherd says.

Continue reading...

from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7VCBo6e
via
0 Comments