How millennials are turning their backs on trade apprenticeships in droves because they 'don't like their bosses and they're bullied by colleagues'
- Millennials are leaving the trade industry as many have faced workplace bullies
- More than a third of apprentice quitters were bullied by bosses or colleagues
- Almost half of female apprentices were bullied before they decided to quit
- In some industries, almost half of 2014 apprentices have left their jobs
- Many millennials also see trade apprenticeships as a 'second class' career
- While apprenticeships have dropped, universities are churning out degrees
Millennials are leaving the trade industry in droves as more than a third of quitters have experienced workplace bullying.
In some industries, such as construction and food trade, half of apprentices and trainees who started their education in 2014 have already cancelled their contracts.
Of the thousands who have quit, more than 35 per cent of apprentices who quit their position said bullying was a problem for them, according to Federal Government data obtained by the Courier Mail.
Female apprentices were even more affected with 44.7 per cent of those who resigned saying they experienced workplace bullying from bosses or colleagues.
The bullying statistics come after it was revealed on Wednesday that plummeting tradie numbers were forcing average Australians to fork out hundreds of dollars more for basic household call-outs.
Millennials are leaving the trade industry in droves as more than a third of quitters have experienced workplace bullying, it was revealed on Thursday
Food Trade Workers were the most likely to be bullied, which resulted in just 41.2 per cent of apprentices completing their courses.
Meanwhile, just 51.2 per cent of construction apprentices and 61.3 per cent of automotive and engineering tradespeople completed their education.
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Another reason why millennials are turning their back on trade apprenticeships is that they are increasingly seen as a 'second class' career.
As a result, universities are churning out degrees in social sciences while there has been a drop of more than 50 per cent in the number of traineeships in some states.
Female apprentices were even more affected by bullying with 44.7 per cent of those who resigned saying they it. Food trade workers were also more likely to be bullied, which resulted in just 41.2 per cent completing their courses
Advanced manufacturer PFI's General Manager of Defence and Aerospace Nick Green said that while tradies were a struggle to find, he was inundated with university graduates.
'We are letting our kids down - in our company we have 20 engineers and over 110 tradesmen and what that means is there is a massive skew in society,' he told the Daily Telegraph.
'Trades are seen as second class and they should be first – they are an amazing first step for a successful career.'
There has been a rapid decline in the number of traineeships and apprenticeships available across Australia between 2013 and 2019 (pictured)
On Wednesday, it was revealed that the cost of lower number of tradies was being passed on to average homeowners.
There is a substantial shortage of builders, particularly bricklayers and carpenters, as well as plumbers, electricians, handymen and air-conditioning repairmen.
As a result, there has been an 8 per cent annual increase in the price of skilled labour.
The number of traineeships and apprenticeships available has also dropped by around 50 per cent in Sydney and Adelaide.
In NSW as a whole, there was a 30 per cent drop, and a 35 per cent drop in Victoria.
Queensland didn't fair much better, suffering a 32 per cent decline, while South Australia was hardest hit with numbers plummeting by 50 per cent.
The number of tradespeople is plummeting across Australia, as students opt for university education as opposed to vocational training (stock image)
