Ellie Farrington felt like she only had one option for what to do after high school, and it didn't involve learning a trade.

Key points: The number of people in apprenticeships and traineeships has fallen 12 per cent in the last four years

The number of people in apprenticeships and traineeships has fallen 12 per cent in the last four years Maths graduate Ellie Fanning says she felt uni was her only option after finishing high school

Maths graduate Ellie Fanning says she felt uni was her only option after finishing high school An innovation college in western Sydney is seeking to tailor classes so they're personalised for students

The now-27-year-old started an architecture degree at university before switching to mathematics, but when she graduated, she still wasn't sure she'd made the right choice.

"I took a year off and worked in hospitality and travelled and did a lot of thinking about what the next step was for me," she said.

"And that was really the first time that I had the thought to undertake an apprenticeship."

Farrington is now a qualified carpenter in Toowoomba and was named the 2019 Queensland Apprentice of the Year.

Ellie Farrington studied architecture at university before switching to a maths degree. ( ABC News: Ellen Jolley )

But she said it wasn't a pathway that was ever suggested to her while she was at school — something she wants to change.

"There was definitely a stigma around it that [an apprenticeship] was an inferior career option and it was something that was less desirable than going to uni," Farrington said.

"There are so many students now who are going to university and graduating with degrees and then not using them because they feel like that's the only option or that's what they have to do."

Apprentices needed to ease skills shortages

The number of people in apprenticeships and traineeships has fallen by 12 per cent in the past four years, to just over 276,000.

Completion rates in the same period have dropped by almost 40 per cent.

"The effects on the economy are quite significant already, we've got many employers talking about worsening skills shortages and those complaints are actually across the economy," Megan Lilly from the Australian Industry Group said.

"But in terms of infrastructure projects or naval shipbuilding or other big initiatives, the fact that we don't have a suitable pipeline of skilled labour coming into them I think is a major cause for concern."

The Federal Government has made the issue a political focus, announcing a $525 million skills package, which includes support for an extra 80,000 new apprenticeships over five years.

It is also considering a proposed shake-up of the qualifications system to give students the flexibility to mix and match subjects from vocational and higher education.

Education Minister Dan Tehan is broadly supportive of the suggestions, although any changes are unlikely to be introduced until 2021.

Max Townes will go to a school with a focus on skills. ( ABC News: Jade Macmillan )

One student who is already looking for a more flexible approach is Western Sydney teenager Max Townes.

Described by his mother Megan as her "quirky kid", Max has a passion for animation but doesn't feel engaged at his current high school.

"I go to school, I do my work, I be respectful and such, but then I just go home. I learn things but not really anything that I would find useful or interesting," he said.

Next year, Max is moving to CathWest Innovation College, a new school promising students more personalised classes with a strong focus on skills.

"They'll have an opportunity to talk to us about what they're interested in, what their passions are and what they'd like to do in their future, which may change several times between now and when they undertake that career," assistant principal Samantha Boreham said.

Samantha Boreham's school is promising students a personalised curriculum that focuses on skills. ( ABC News: Jade Macmillan )

"And then for us we'll then map the curriculum around what it is that they'd like to do, choose the subjects that suits their needs and then project-based learning will be how we deliver the curriculum."

Students can still complete their Year 12 studies or a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship, but for students like Max, the idea is that they'll leave with a range of credentials and industry experience to help set them up for a future career.

"All of my kids have gone to great schools with great teachers, but the school system that was designed in the first industrial revolution doesn't really fit anymore," Max's mother, Megan, said.

"I think it's time for a change and I'm excited to see that change happening right now."

Megan Townes says it's time for a change in school programs to better reflect the modern demands, like her son Max's desire to be an animator. ( ABC News: Jade Macmillan )

Political blame game

Both major parties blame each other for the challenges faced by the vocational education and training (VET) sector.

The Coalition argues the former Labor government damaged the system by opening it up to dodgy providers, while the Opposition has accused the Government of ripping out billions of dollars of funding.

"I absolutely want more young people to be starting a trade," Shadow Education Minister Tanya Plibersek said.

"But until we properly fund our vocational education system, it's not going to happen."

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said the Government was revitalising the system and working to raise the status of training as an option.

"One of the things I've always said is that a VET qualification is as good as a university qualification," she said.

"We have got to bring esteem back to vocational education, whether it's a trade or a non-trade."

While politicians bicker, Ellie Farrington's advice to other young people is to give a trade a go.

"Don't give up if you can't find the right one that's for you because there are so many different employers, so many different industries, so many different areas," she said.

"Persist and don't give up and you'll find the right path for you."