‘Tip of the iceberg’: Insiders reveal dark truth behind apprenticeship crisis

She said the network has been copping an annually increasing workload, with 70 per cent of all clients being apprentices.

Worryingly, she believes the ones who do seek help are the overwhelming minority of a large pool struggling with poor conditions.

Low and stolen wages

Pointing to the government’s new clean energy apprenticeships initiative, which doubled the support for apprentices, Mr O’Connor told the Press Club this week that the higher pay had encouraged greater commencements and completions across apprenticeships – though data hasn’t caught up.

“We did that to increase the likelihood of completion and also attract people to enrol,” he said.

Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor has acknowledged the one-in-two dropout rate. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Ms Sowerbutts said poorly paid apprentices, or victims of wage theft, represent the highest group of young workers seeking help.

“It’s very difficult to live on an apprenticeship wage, especially with the cost of living increasing,” she told news.com.au.

“A hairdressing apprentice gets paid as low as $13 an hour – That’s not what I would class as a living wage, and it’s well below the minimum wage.

“Despite already low wages, apprentices are not even receiving those full but very low wages.”

Ms Sowerbutts said it was often the case that employers deliberately stall apprentices through their training or remove them entirely to employ new, lower-paid first-year apprentices.

Apprentice hairdressers make as little as $13 an hour.

“Apprentices are often the youngest in the workplace, so it’s difficult for them to speak up when something doesn’t seem right.

“Apprentices trust their employers like a school student would trust a teacher, but sadly they’re being mistreated and exploited in what should be the start of a long and rewarding career.”

She added young workers often don’t know their rights in the workplace which are the same as any other worker.

Senior tradies call out ‘cultural’ hazing

Senior tradesmen have also spoken out about the poor conditions Australian apprentices and trainees are subject to, saying the “disgusting” culture of hazing on worksites is well-ingrained and “widespread”.

The tradies who spoke to news.com.au in response to a story on a young woman’s poor treatment on a Queensland worksite did not want to be named but called out the prevalence of such behaviour.

Queensland ex-apprentice Caitlin Agius (R). Picture: Supplied

“Let me tell you, this is just the tip of the iceberg,” one council tradesman said.

“I have seen first-hand hazing for apprentices – male and female.

“The worst part of it is that senior management is aware it goes on but casually and humorously brush it aside as a little bit of fun for the older workers.

“I reckon you will be astonished to find out how widespread this is if you dig beneath the surface.”

Caitlin Agius bravely spoke to news.com.au last week about how she was eventually bullied out of her dream career as a diesel mechanic after a horrific workplace injury at the hands of a colleague.

She was just 18 when, six months into her apprenticeship, a male colleague in her Toowoomba workshop sprayed her foot with 155C hot water from a high-pressure gurney.

The 2019 incident resulted in weeks of painful surgeries before she quit four months later after what she claimed was sexist and ageist bullying.

Caitlin was horrifically injured at work. Picture: Supplied

She said incidents like hers are not uncommon across the spectrum of skilled trades, with hazing and other forms of abuse almost culturally accepted as industry standard.

“All of the apprentices get given sh*t, but not as much as what I got given,” she told news.com.au.

Another senior diesel mechanic who has recently started his own business said Caitlin’s experience was “disgusting and very disturbing”. He called for transparent reporting of businesses where apprentices and young workers are given grief “so future apprentices can choose not to work for such companies.”

Generational breakdown

Ms Sowerbutts agreed that a generational poor culture between apprentices and their seniors was present across most trades and industries, with “workplace issues” the most frequently cited reason for dropping out.

“There is a culture issue too, where employers who got mistreated as an apprentice are not taking on apprentices themselves – some seem to think it’s acceptable to treat their apprentices the same,” she said.

“It’s the experiences at work, the way their bosses are treating them and exploiting them, that are driving them away – it’s not, for the most part, because they don’t want to progress.

“The power dynamics in these workplaces are problematic … bullying and discrimination is the second most common issue apprentices come to us about.”

“That culture really needs to change because at the end of the day, they are workers, and every worker deserves to be safe.

Hazing and poor working conditions are prevalent issues, with senior tradesmen speaking out about the culture of abuse on worksites. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Ms Sowerbutts shared several recent examples of mistreated apprentices seeking help.

Recent cases included a 26-year-old electrical apprentice who was bullied off her worksite by her supervisor and co-workers, a landscaping apprentice with skin blemished due to a medical condition who was falsely accused of drug use in front of his co-workers and fired on the spot, and an apprentice baker from rural Victoria who was sexually harassed and verbally abused repeatedly by the head baker.

Felicity Sowerbutts is the director at the Young Workers Centre. Picture: YWC

Ms Sowerbutts attributed a portion of the issue to “a lack of vetting and regulation”, claiming it’s simple to employ an apprentice and historically, they’re rarely checked up on.

“The current system is allowing repeat offenders to cycle through apprentices – exploiting and abusing them,” she said.

Overhaul promised, employer responsibility urged

The minister this week signalled federal overhauls to the apprenticeship support model, adding that employers also needed to take more responsibility regarding the high dropout rate.

“If [employers] are looking to take on an apprenticeship, they have an obligation to see it through if they can … we want to provide support to them, but we don’t want them dropping the ball.”

“When the apprentice can see a line of sight between the apprenticeship and a job, it is far more likely that they’ll stick with the apprenticeship to get that job.”

Support networks, including unions and organisations like Young Workers Australia, are recommended for apprentices facing difficulties. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

While numbers of commencements surged under the Morrison government’s $5.8bn Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements program, a more modest initiative – the Australian Apprenticeship Incentive System – has replaced it.

Rather than targeting all apprentices and trainees, the new subsidy only applies to occupations on the government’s skills priority list.

Since the culmination of the Morrison-era program, apprenticeship and traineeship commencements have declined by a third, according to official data from the December quarter of 2022.

Apprenticeship Support Australia Executive Director Peter Gilchrist has expressed concern over low completion rates for apprenticeships, emphasising the need for increased support.

Mr Gilchrist told news.com.au, “There is no doubt that completion rates for apprentices remain lower than they should be. That’s why ASA believes both businesses, apprentices and trainees need as much quality support around them as possible.”

A recent survey conducted by ASA of over 1000 apprentices and trainees revealed alarming statistics.

Only 27 per cent of respondents sought career advice or undertook pathway training before commencing their apprenticeship.

Of those who didn’t seek career advice, 58 per cent expressed regret, with Gilchrist stating, “58 per cent would have chosen a different, better-suited apprenticeship or traineeship if they had undertaken that career advice.”

Gilchrist urged collaboration between the government and quality apprenticeship providers to address workplace, training, and other concerns early on.

He believes this approach can prevent apprentices and trainees from walking away from potentially life-changing opportunities.

As for those currently struggling at work, Ms Sowerbutts recommends speaking to your union, support networks like Young Workers Australia, TAFE educators or even friends and families.

“Reach out as early as possible to get support … apprentices often come to us at crisis point,” she said.