Reason 3: The national cancelation rate of first year apprentices is around 60% to 70% and diminishes as the apprentice progresses through 2nd, 3rd and 4th year.
Obviously with 307 apprentices/trainees on your books, you know more about the trade skills shortage and apprenticeship cancellations than I do.
Many employers are exascerbated with the lack of committment in todays Gen Y.
Yes I agree with you there. However, in my experience, those who lose apprentices in the 1st year or two, tend to be those employers who treat the newbies as slave labour and dont teach them the trade... if employers do the right thing by their employees, then the employees do the right thing by their employers. This is the case with not only apprenticeships, but all forms of employment.
Greed from either side destroys employment relationships.