Working their way to school completion: school-based apprenticeships and traineeships for young Australians

This paper is part of a three-year longitudinal study of School-Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SBATs), which seeks to explore the nature and effectiveness of SBATs as a pathway from school to sustainable occupational employment. This paper discusses past and current policy trends and objectives represented by various Australian jurisdictions. It focuses on building a detailed illustration of the learner profile of SBATs and the type of occupations and qualifications being undertaken at school. This analysis was achieved through statistical analysis of two Combined Unit Record Files (CURFs) obtained from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). This quantitative work builds the basis for future qualitative work exploring the motivations, expectations and experiences of SBAT learners.