Concerns raised about WA worker shortages amid vocational training drop

Vocational training collapse in Western Australia signals a deteriorating industrial base and skills pipeline critical to sustaining defence manufacturing, shipbuilding (including AUKUS submarine support), and critical-infrastructure resilience. The 11.5% decline in apprenticeships—driven by low trainee wages and reduced employer investment—undermines Pillar 3 (Industrial Base) and Pillar 4 (Demographics), weakening Australia's capacity to build and maintain military hardware and respond to sustained Pacific security crises.