ETU apprentices travelled to Canberra in October to launch the ETU’s Report – Shocked on the Job; Failed by the System. The apprentices told their stories about being failed by the apprenticeship system and their ACAP’s and told Ministers and MP’s why the apprentice journey needs to be fixed.
This year, the ETU surveyed apprentices about their experience. The survey of more than 400 apprentices found that one in eight had been shocked at work, with most incidents not captured in government workplace safety figures. For the nearly one in ten apprentices who had their classroom training delayed by more than a year that chance of shock doubled. It also found that one in five apprentices was unable to name their mentor funded under the Apprentice Connect Australia Program (ACAP), even when presented with a list of ACAP providers.
The research and findings from this survey evolved into the ETU’s Shocked on the Job; Failed by the System report.
The report details key survey findings – that 1 in 4 apprentices waiting to get into TAFE have been shocked at work; that TAFE wait times are failing apprentices and putting their safety at major risk; and that the ACAP or the apprentice mentor system is broken.
The ACAP system is not supporting, mentoring or standing up for apprentices effectively. The ACAP (Apprentice Connect Australia Providers) are in place to provide support and mentoring for apprentices through the course of their training, right up to when they are first qualified. If apprentices are not receiving regular and useful contact and support from their ACAP’s, and in extreme cases the ACAP is siding with the employer, then the system is failing apprentices. This is unacceptable!
“Apprentices are bringing their case to lawmakers because they care about their trade, and about the future of the country. Young people starting out in our trades need an apprenticeship system that teaches them to work safe, on the tools and in the classroom,” Mr Wright said. “They need someone in their corner to stand up for them. Australia desperately needs more apprentice electricians to wire us into the future economy and build our way out of the housing crisis. With one in four apprenticeships ending in withdrawal, we all need the system to work. We know that one in eight apprentices receive a potentially deadly electric shock at work. For the nearly ten percent whose classroom training is delayed the chance of shock doubles.” – Michael Wright, ETU National Secretary
The ETU’s report recommends more training places for apprentices in centres with high completion rates, better monitoring of training, and a review of apprentice mentoring programs funded at $200 million per year.
You can read the ABC article on the ETU report findings here
Congratulations to these fantastic ETU apprentices for standing up, telling their stories and fighting to make the apprentice system better for all. You can read the full report here