Trade training can pay off with higher income than uni

School leavers are going to university based on the idea that this is the only way to a secure future. But more times than not, they would be better suited to doing something they’re truly interested in, earning while they learn, and with little or no debt at the end of their training.

Why is it that four in five Australian parents (79%) want their kids to go to uni after leaving school, rather than do an apprenticeship? To those already enjoying the apprenticeship lifestyle, it’s a no-brainer.

“We’re unnecessarily setting up a generation with unrealistic job expectations and large student debts,” says Colin Fitzpatrick, CEO of the Timber and Building Materials Association (TABMA) and TABMA Apprentices and Trainees.

“There are thousands of great and rewarding jobs out there that don’t require a degree, with well-paying, upwardly mobile careers. And given the rising cost of formal education, a traineeship is a far more cost effective training option.”

When it comes to employability, money and earning potential, a trade option also often comes out on top. Of 2014’s apprentice and trainee graduates, 84.1% were employed after completion. By comparison, just 68.8% of university graduates from the same year looking for full-time work found it within four months. And the median full-time income for a (VET) graduate is often substantially more than that of a university graduate.