For young people aiming to enter the workforce, the demand is in white-collar traineeships, writes Jackson Board.

Trying to find a job or an apprenticeship for the first time can be a daunting task. Complicate the process with the worst economic crisis for decades and it can be terrifying.

However, current and prospective apprentices and trainees are being told not to panic. Industries are still hiring and the consensus from industry professionals is that perseverance and flexibility will prove the keys to success in a slow economy.

Department of Education and Training statistics show that opportunities in traditional blue-collar occupations have been affected more than white-collar jobs, which normally require a traineeship instead of an apprenticeship.

Apprenticeship approvals decreased by 14 per cent in the past financial year, while traineeships registered a growth of 12 per cent a trend that the general manager of Australian Business Limited Apprenticeships Centre, Darren Cocks, says is partly due to changing population demographics. "There's still plenty of jobs in many key areas," Cocks says.

"Child care, for example, has seen a huge boom mainly driven by birth rates. With the ageing population, health and sport services will be important for at least the next 20 years."

The community service and health industry had a 35 per cent increase in traineeship approvals in the past 12 months, while finance and business services increased by a huge 29 per cent and tourism was up 19 per cent.

But the chief executive of Group Training Australia, Jim Barron, says that does not mean people should forgo training in industries that are experiencing short-term pain. "It's fair to say that in the building and construction industries, as well as in hospitality, that numbers are lower than we would like," he says.

"Child care and aged care work are going along smoothly and there are still opportunities in those areas. But they're not what you consider traditional, high-skill training areas although of course there is still a substantial need for them."

Barron says the global financial crisis has clouded the problems emerging with skills shortages but, come the recovery, skilled workers in all industries would be in demand again. "It has affected the ability of employers to take on new apprentices, keep them on or hire apprentices who are out of work," he says.

A spokesman for the Department of Education and Training says the downturn means school leavers need to be open to a variety of career paths. "It is important that potential apprentices consider all industries and all trades as well as considering traineeships as an alternative in some industries. Perseverance can still bring rewards."

Barron says this type of perseverance is only possible with the support of family and by using the numerous advice services available online or on the job. The Group Training Australia website has a free guidance hotline.

"A solid support system is vital because you need it for a balanced perspective," he says. "Direction is absolutely vital now because it's one thing to start an apprenticeship, another to see it through to the end.

"There are short-term challenges but long-term gains so we encourage apprentices to try and adopt that type of thinking. We understand that is hard sometimes."