The Business Council of Australia (BCA) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the government’s consultation on the methodology for the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List. We represent more than 120 largest businesses that together employ around 1.1 million people.
A skilled workforce is essential for Australia’s prosperity. Yet we are facing acute skills shortages that threaten delivery on our most pressing challenges: building enough homes, meeting net zero targets, strengthening sovereign defence and manufacturing capability, scaling the health and care economy, and accelerating the digital transition. A strong and modern apprenticeship system is critical to meeting these challenges.
Yet the system continues to struggle with low completion rates, weak diversity and outdated structures. We need an apprenticeship system that is attractive and valuable to apprentices, trusted by employers, and capable of delivering the skilled workforce Australia needs.
We support the Department’s proposed principles to reform the Priority List and recommend focusing employer incentives on three cohorts critical to delivering Australia’s economic and social priorities:
- Employers in priority sectors: energy, construction and housing, manufacturing, defence, critical minerals, digital and technology, and health and care.
- Employers of underrepresented cohorts, to increase participation and contribute to economic growth: adult apprentices, women in male-dominated occupations, men in female-dominated occupations, First Nations Australians, and apprentices with disability.
- Employers demonstrating high-quality training delivery: those achieving high completion rates, providing quality training and mentoring, or partnering with high-quality Group Training Organisations.
This methodology does not differentiate between small, medium or large employers. Instead, it targets incentives at areas of skills need and at employers who contribute positively to the training system. Supporting these cohorts will help address the three types of occupational shortage identified by Jobs and Skills Australia — attraction, completion and retention.
By reshaping apprentice employer support in this way, we can direct finite public resources where they will have the greatest impact and improve government’s return on investment (ROI).