Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

 
PRESENT PRACTICES 
The culinary practices under discussion spread across the globe as migration from the old world and 
colonisation of the new occurred. For example, in 1788, New South Wales (NSW) as a British colony, ascribed to 
British Law covering masters and apprentices. These laws remained in place until 1894 and the introduction of the 
NSW Apprentices Act 1894
(Ray, 2001). After further review and legislative changes, the 
NSW Apprentices Act 1894 
was replaced with the 
NSW Apprentices Act 1901
when Australia became a Federation. Many features of the 1901 
legislation such as institutional training, review of training, structured wage increases and conditions of employment 
(Smith and Keating, 1997; Ray, 2001) provided a more structured framework for apprentices. 
Ongoing reform in response to workplace needs saw the reduction, in 1918, of the length of 
apprenticeships from seven years to five years. The reduction was a response to skills shortages and the demand for 
qualified tradesmen, coupled with the Australian Federal and State Governments increasing interest in industrial 
relations after the First World War (Ray, 2001; Hamilton and Higman, 2003). The length of an apprenticeship was 
further reduced in the 1960s to four years, where it remains today (Ray, 2001). The reduction in years of 
apprenticeship service over time addressed the important issue of low take up rates due to the reluctance of 
prospective trainees to commit to lengthy service periods for low wages (Ray, 2001). Tradespeople, who were 
sufficiently skilled to be called professionals after four years of training no longer had to spend a further two or three 
years of service for low wages, making apprenticeships a more attractive option.

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