Declining Apprentice Training Rates

"This essay provides new data on long-run apprentice training rates by broad occupational
group in the main trades, which shows there was a sustained break in the long-run apprentice training rate from the early 1990s to the present. This sharp fall in apprentice training rates is contributing to shortages of core vocational occupations, which are essential to production and maintenance in a modern knowledge based economy. The essay considers the implications of this decline and provides an overview and assessment of the key explanations of these trends. It also suggests policy recommendations to redress the decline."