SA APPRENTICE AND TRAINEE NUMBERS REMAIN STRONG

Apprentice and trainee numbers in SA remain at historically high levels according to National Centre for Vocational and Education Research (NCVER) figures released today. Employment, Training and Further Education Minister, Michael O'Brien said the numbers continued to remain strong throughout the September quarter last year despite the economic outlook. There were 33,500 apprentices and trainees in-training in SA at the end of September last year, an increase of 4.2 per cent compared to the September quarter in 2007, and well above the national average of 2.7% for the same period.