Support lifts apprentice retention as wellbeing strains first year
More than three in four Australian apprentices and trainees had not considered leaving their training, but new national research found mental health pressures and weak workplace support sharply increase the risk of dropping out.
The National First Year Experience Report drew on the experiences of more than 12,000 current and former apprentices and trainees across Australia. Apprenticeship Support Australia will officially launch the study in Sydney on 3rd August 2026, with Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles due to attend.
76% of current Australian Apprentices had not considered leaving. That result points to strong motivation to complete, even as apprenticeship and traineeship commencements continue to decline nationally.
Mental health emerged as one of the clearest risks in the first year. Apprentices who experienced sadness, anxiety or worry were 65% more likely to consider leaving than others in training.
Cost-of-living pressure also weighed heavily on apprentices. Overall, 55% reported being quite or extremely affected, rising to 58% among apprentices living with disability and 60% among First Nations Australian Apprentices.
Lee Xavier on first-year support
School careers advice was another weak point in the findings. Only 49% of respondents said they received good information about all career pathway options before starting, while those who got balanced advice later reported better mental health outcomes in their apprenticeship or traineeship.
Organisation size also shaped day-to-day support. Smaller workplaces often gave apprentices closer supervision. However, retention risk rose when employers lacked the time, systems or mentoring capacity to spot problems early and act on them.
Workplace culture made a measurable difference. Apprentices who felt cared for and supported at work were 28% less likely to consider leaving, making supportive employers one of the strongest protections against attrition.
Apprenticeship Support Australia chief executive Lee Xavier said the findings showed early experience can decide whether a motivated apprentice stays on track. “The message from apprentices and trainees is clear: most want to succeed, but the quality of their early experience matters. This report shows where support is working, where it is falling short and what needs to change.”
Xavier also challenged the idea that apprentices leave because they lack commitment. He said most apprentices and trainees want to stay, learn and build a career, and that the key task is to wrap the right support around them in the first year so intention turns into completion.
Following the report, Apprenticeship Support Australia pointed to stronger first-year mentoring as one area for action. The briefing also called for better alignment between work and formal training, using the national data to target support where attrition risk is highest.
