The number of apprentices and trainees in Western Australia fell by 10.7 per cent last year, adding to a three-year slide, with conditions set to deteriorate further after a fall in commencements, according to data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research.
There were 31,980 apprentices and trainees in WA in 2017, falling to 28,555 by the end of 2018.
The number of apprentices and trainees has decreased by around 30.6 per cent compared with the end of 2015.
NCVER figures indicated that an imminent recovery for the state in the near future is unlikely, as there were 16,670 commencements in 2018.
This is down 14.2 per cent from 2017.
Commencements among mature-aged apprentices and trainees experienced the most significant decline.
There were 5,180 commencements among those aged between 25 and 44 years old, and 1,270 among those aged over 45 years old.
From 2017 figures, this equated to falls of 24 per cent and 46.8 per cent, respectively.
Nationally, there were 259,385 apprentices and trainees, down 1 per cent from the year prior.
Commencements decreased from 2017 by 3.7 per cent to 156,950.