New figures have found about 40 per cent of apprentices and trainees are not completing their courses, with many leaving within their first year.
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Similar statistics were recorded in the previous year, showing a slight improvement in the numbers.
Data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research released this week found the individual completion rates for apprentices and trainees starting in 2011 was 58.3 per cent.
In Tasmania, the number of students commencing training has dropped from 7700 to 4700 within a decade.
About one third of all apprentices and trainees in the nation left within the first year of their course with one of the most common reasons being a dislike for the work, according to the report.
TasTAFE chief executive Stephen Conway said while the institution could not control the number of apprentices coming to the organisation, it had initiatives in place to assist people to complete their apprenticeship once started.
“TasTAFE provides apprentices with in-class language, literacy and numeracy tuition as well as weekly study sessions at each campus. Counselling is also available to apprentices if needed,” Mr Conway said.
“On average apprentices spend around 35 days a year at TasTAFE so supporting an apprentice is a partnership between their employer and TasTAFE.
“We work closely with industry to ensure their apprentices are supported and that the training provided is up to date and relevant to industry needs.”
Food trade workers were found to have the lowest completion rates with just 40.6 per cent finishing their studies.
Hospitality, retail and service managers had among the highest rates but still only recorded 69 per cent of people finishing their courses.
Mr Conway said teachers can work to keep their students on track with their studies through workplace visits to monitor their progress.
“Apprentices log what they do during the day, along with the level of supervision, and submit it at the end of each week,” he said.
“This allows workplace evidence to be easily combined with assessment at TasTAFE workshops to manage streamlined sign-off of competencies.”
About 2 per cent of workers were employed as an apprentice or trainee in Australia as of December 2015.
