Impact of employer attitude on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school-based traineeship in the finance/banking sector

This study explores employer attitude towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander labour market participation in the Finance/Banking Sector. The study examines the provision of School-Based Traineeship (SBT) by a prominent Australian bank designed to increase participation of Indigenous people. The study explains why this program delivered poor employment outcomes, including a low transition of trainees into permanent employment, a declining annual intake, and low completion rates. Furthermore, the study explores why Australian Employment Covenant and Reconciliation Action Plan agreements have had limited impact on increasing Indigenous participation in the Finance/Banking sector. Becker's (1962) Human Capital Theory and Carmichael and Hamilton's (1967) Institutional Discrimination Theory provide the theoretical framework that underpins this study. A qualitative method was employed with 14 in-depth interviews of management representatives and Indigenous trainees/employees, and relevant documentary analysis conducted. The key finding is that employer attitudes are critical in the success of SBT for Indigenous trainees. The implications of the findings are significant as Vocational Education and Training in Schools (VETiS) practices are an important pathway to lead Indigenous learners into employment and affects their participation in the labour market.