Told that Australia's tradie shortage can easily be fixed just by signing people up for free TAFE courses, and that anyone who starts an apprenticeship will easily make it to the finish line? Think again! 

Today on the show, we are looking at shocking new data revealing that only 58 per cent of trade apprentices actually complete their training within six years. From the tough leap of working on the tools to running a successful business, and the secret behind scaling a trade team, why are we struggling with retention, and how do we build long-term careers? Joining Brent is 30-year industry veteran, stonemason, and Tradify Ambassador Daniel Lukic.

• The Completion Gap: Unpacking NCVER data showing that despite tens of thousands of Free TAFE sign-ups, barely 58% of 2019 apprentices finished their training within six years.

• Life on the Tools: What it takes to stay motivated through the hard yakka of early apprenticeships and why retention is just as vital as recruitment.

• From Tools to Business Owner: Navigating the massive shock of transitioning from manual trade work to mastering quoting, administration, tax, and compliance.

• The Power of Scaling Teams: Looking at Tradify research showing how expanding to small teams (2–4 people) can drive a massive surge in monthly revenue and job capacity.

If you want to look past the political enrollment targets and understand what is really happening on our job sites, this is an absolute must-listen.