National Skills Week is a good time to talk about skills shortages, but we need to be careful not to treat this as a numbers problem alone. Australia does need more skilled workers. There is no doubt about that.
The real issue is whether we are building broad enough pipelines into the industries that need people. That means looking at which pathways are being presented, who is being encouraged to consider them, and where old assumptions are still narrowing the options too early. That matters when we talk about apprenticeships, particularly for young women.
VERTO’s research found that 75% of young females surveyed were not interested in completing an apprenticeship. Only 6% had done, were doing, or had started and left one. More than three-quarters said their schools did not position apprenticeships and trades positively for females. In my view, that is not a reflection of ability. It is a reflection of encouragement and expectation.
Apprenticeships are still under-positioned
Apprenticeships have always been one of the most practical ways to build skills. They allow people to learn and earn. They connect training to real work. They give employers a way to build capability from the ground up. And they help industries develop people with the technical skills, work habits and the confidence they actually need.
Yet apprenticeships are still too often treated as a second-choice pathway. As I said in last month's article here, that has never made sense to me. If apprenticeships are only presented as the alternative to university, we have positioned them too low.
We must challenge old assumptions about earning potential. A university degree is not the only pathway to good work or good income. Research has shown that some vocational pathways, particularly in areas such as construction and engineering, can lead to strong lifetime earnings. Completed trade apprenticeships also continue to deliver strong employment outcomes.
An apprenticeship is not a fallback. It is a strong pathway into long-term employment, business ownership, further training and specialist technical roles.
The challenge is that trades are still not visible enough in the places where career decisions are shaped. In many schools and homes, success is linked to ATARs, academic results and university entry. If apprenticeships are not presented as respected pathways alongside those options, young people will not see them as real choices.
For young women, that visibility gap is even greater.
This gap is not about ability
We have countless examples of women building successful careers in trades. Women are working as electricians, mechanics, painters and decorators, apprentices in new energy, and across many other skilled industries where their capability and contribution are clear.
The issue is not whether women can thrive in trades. They can, and they do. The issue is whether enough young women are encouraged early enough to see those careers as realistic options for them.
If a young woman never sees trades presented as a serious pathway, she is unlikely to imagine herself in one. If parents do not see apprenticeships as strong pathways, they are less likely to encourage them. If schools do not actively promote trade careers to female students, the message received can be that those pathways are not really for them. And if employers are not practical about how they support women into trades, many talented people will look elsewhere.
There is already excellent work happening through organisations and initiatives such as SALT, Girls Can Too, Tradeswomen Australia and Women in Construction.
They are doing practical, important work: putting tools in hands, creating role models, challenging old assumptions, and helping young women see trades as real options for their future.
This visibility work matters because people rarely choose pathways they cannot see.
The opportunity now is to make sure these messages reach young women, parents, schools and employers early enough to influence real decisions - not after assumptions have settled or career options have already narrowed.
Industries are changing, and apprenticeships need to change with them
The need for stronger apprenticeship pathways is becoming more urgent because industries are changing quickly. Artificial intelligence, automation, new tools and new business models are reshaping work across many sectors. That is creating uncertainty for school leavers, university students, parents, and workers already in the labour market.
But the story is not simply that work is disappearing. Industries are changing, and many of them still need skilled people.
Construction, clean energy, infrastructure, care, transport, manufacturing, hospitality, business services and many other sectors need people with a mix of technical skill, communication, problem-solving and a high degree of adaptability. That is why apprenticeships and traineeships matter.
They do not just teach someone a task. They help people learn how to work, how to adapt, how to build confidence, and how to keep developing over time. In a changing economy, that matters.
Small entry points can lead to bigger pathways
Sometimes the first step into a career is not a full qualification. Sometimes it is a short course, a safety ticket, a work experience placement, a conversation with an employer, or a tool that helps someone understand where they might fit.
A White Card is a good example. For someone interested in construction, infrastructure, traffic control or worksite roles, completing White Card training can be a practical first step. It does not mean a young person has to know their entire career path. It simply gives them a way to understand the industry more seriously and take one step closer to work.
Short courses and microcredentials can play a similar role. They do not replace apprenticeships, traineeships, VET qualifications or university degrees. But they can help people test an interest, build confidence, gain a practical skill or respond quickly to changing industry needs.
The more practical the first step is, the more likely people are to take it.
Confidence often comes before the career plan
We see this in other parts of VERTO’s work too. Parents returning to work are a good example. Many are women who have spent time out of the workforce caring for children, and they may be ready to work or train again without knowing exactly where to begin.
In those cases, the first step is rarely a perfect career plan. It might be a short course, a practical credential, help with transport, support to build confidence, or a conversation that turns a broad goal into a manageable next step. That is why programs such as Parent Pathways matter.
The practical support is important, but so is the relationship. When someone takes the time to understand a person’s goals, family responsibilities and barriers, it becomes much easier to connect them with training and work that actually fits.
Skills development is not just about young people choosing a pathway at school. It is also about helping people re-enter, reskill and build confidence at different stages of life. The lesson is the same for apprenticeships.
People are more likely to consider a pathway when they can see the first step, understand the support available, and believe the pathway is genuinely for people like them.
Employers need to help make the pathway real
In our work with employers, we hear the pressure they are under. Costs are rising. Skills shortages are real. Technology is changing work. And in regional areas, labour markets can be thin. But that is exactly why employers need to invest in the pipeline. Waiting for fully formed, job-ready candidates is not a workforce strategy. In many industries, those candidates simply are not there in large enough numbers.
The better question is: who could become the right person with the right support, training and opportunity?
Employers can help by offering work experience, tasters, apprenticeships, traineeships, short-course pathways and on-the-job development. They can make a real difference by working with schools, training providers and community organisations to create practical entry points into trades. That means making workplaces genuinely welcoming for women entering traditionally male-dominated industries, and making sure female apprentices are supported, mentored and retained, not simply recruited. It also means making pathways visible early, before outdated assumptions narrow the field.
Finding the solution
There is no single solution to Australia’s skills shortages, but there are practical places to start. We need apprenticeships to be presented as serious first-choice pathways, not backup plans. We need young women to see trades as skilled, respected and realistic career options. We need parents to have better information about the opportunities apprenticeships can create.
We need schools to make trade pathways visible early, especially to female students. We need employers to offer practical entry points before young people are expected to make big decisions. We need tools such as CareerGate that help young people explore fit, understand their strengths and consider pathways they may not have seen before.
We need mentoring and support that help women enter and stay in trades, particularly when they are breaking new ground. And we need training to stay connected to real employment outcomes, because qualifications only matter if they help people move closer to meaningful work.
National Skills Week is a reminder that skills shortages will not be solved by one sector alone. Schools, parents, employers, training providers and communities all have a role to play.
Building the workforce we need takes more than good intentions. It takes practical pathways that are presented early and backed properly.
If we want more people, especially young women, to consider apprenticeships, those pathways need to be presented as serious, respected and realistic options - and supported with real entry points, mentoring and workplace opportunity.
And when we get that right, we all benefit from the results.
