Electrical apprentice Sam Cronin is worried that the recession will affect his apprenticeship. ()

WOLLONGONG: Life as an apprentice tradesman is tough. The long hours combined with study. Being at the bottom of the work food chain. A pay rate that is difficult to live off, especially for those living independently.

During an economic downturn, conditions become a lot worse.

Bluescope Steel, the second largest employer in the Illawarra, directly employs 140 apprentices including different contractors. Bluescope apprentices are given access to a wider skills base and the company usually runs extra training sessions for those who are eager to learn.

The loss of this extra training is just one of the worries for 19-year-old electrical apprentice Sam Cronin. “I don’t want them to stop that. There are rumours the sessions are going to be run less.”

Sam is in the second year of his apprenticeship, working four days a week and spending one full day at Wollongong TAFE to gain a Certificate III in Electrotechnology.

He has felt the impacts of the downturn in his daily work. The galvanising section, where Sam is currently on rotation, is no longer a positive place to work.

“The whole place is tense. It’s sad seeing men with families who are told they won’t have a job in a few weeks time.”

“I’m lucky to be at Bluescope,” says Sam, “but I’m scared of losing my job.”

Sam earns $494 per week and lives at home with his parents. He pays a $50 board each week and has to make fortnightly payments on his $6 000 car loan. But he acknowledges that there are “blokes a lot worse off than apprentices.”

Bluescope is trying to keep morale high among its workers, constantly sending emails about staying positive and focusing on safety. But there has been discussion about creating a four day week for all workers.

If this change goes ahead, apprentices will see their pay cut by at least $100 per week. However, the main problem will be that apprentices will only be at Bluescope three days a week, making it more difficult to complete their profiling. This is a record of how many hours an apprentice has spent undertaking tasks crucial to their training. Without this completed document, apprentices cannot gain their qualifications.

Other measures to reduce costs at Bluescope include “encouraging” workers to take holidays at particular times and a ban on unnecessary overtime. Though this rule is not strictly enforced, it limits the amount of on the job learning for apprentices.

“I’m getting to the part where I’m about to learn something, and then I’m told to leave it, the night shift will do it,” says Sam.

Apprentice numbers have dropped significantly in all past Australian recessions, with more than 40 000 apprentices losing their positions in the economic downturn of the early 1990s, according to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research. Currently, apprentices make up 40% of all teenage full time employment, with the majority being males aged 17-24.

Although the Federal Government promised a $400 million injection into TAFE institutes around the country last December, this money does not help alleviate the problems experienced in the workplaces of apprentices.

Matt Rowles, electrical coordinator of the galvanising line at Bluescope, noted that much of the electrical work is now repairing rather than preventative maintenance. This effort to save money means apprentices are missing out on valuable learning experiences.

“It’s a lot harder to structure their days.”

Matt feels that Bluescope should be taking any measures possible to ensure that apprenticeships are maintained, particularly as most men in his section are over 40.

“The main reason is the ageing workforce. We need to keep apprentices on – train them up.”

He has also noticed the general attitude of workers at the company has changed. He is particularly concerned about the “snowball affect” this can have on apprentices.

“Not a great deal [of workers] are educated about what this recession means. There is a lot of uncertainty about their jobs.”

Kerrod E, also a second year electrical apprentice, is undertaking placement in the Computer and Communications Department of Bluescope. Due to the nature of this section, he feels “reasonably insulated” from the effects the recession has had on other workers.

He has noticed that most workers seem worried about their jobs.

Unlike Sam, Kerrod does not pay board and has no major loans to pay off. At the end of his apprenticeship, he is aiming to get a permanent position at Bluescope, though he realises this may not happen if economy doesn’t pick up.

“My plan is to get a job at Bluescope. But I honestly don’t know. I hope so.”

In the Illawarra, most apprentices are directly employed and paid through Illawarra Group Training (IGT), who then places them with appropriate host businesses. Bluescope Steel is their major client.

Manager of IGT Chris Schofield says that it is important for businesses to be looking at least four years ahead when considering apprentice employment. He believes Bluescope has learnt from the past how important apprentices are to the company.

“We get a couple of calls a week from concerned apprentices asking about rumours. At this stage, nothing has really changed, but in three weeks when the blast furnace realign is completed, things will probably be different.”

IGT has not yet heard if the fourth year apprentices at Bluescope will be offered permanent jobs, signifying a major change in the company, as this was once a given.

Even if the economy returns to its former pace, it will take Bluescope several years to regain its high productivity. Unfortunately, many apprentices will have already missed out on valuable training experiences, limiting their ability to find permanent work in the future.

Sam is unsure what other paths he would follow, as the apprenticeship was the only option available to him when he completed Year 12.

“I don’t know what else I’d do.”