This article focuses on the evolving concept of the training market and views about those factors which necessitate intervention in the market. User choice in apprenticeships and traineeships is the latest policy initiative in Australia to increase the responsiveness of the vocational education and training system to the needs of clients. It does so by channelling the flow of public funds to individual training providers to reflect the choice of training provider made by the client (employer and/or apprentice or trainee). The introduction of user choice raises several policy issues. Concerns have been expressed about providing continuous access to training in rural and remote areas. Also, there is considerable uncertainty about how user choice will impact on equity groups. Other issues that are considered in the article include: Will user choice increase the choices available to apprentices and trainees? How competitive will training markets be under user choice? How will private training providers and the publicly funded vocational education and training (VET) system adjust to user choice? What tensions between stakeholders are likely to be experienced in the introduction of user choice? The ways in which these policy issues are resolved is likely to determine whether user choice succeeds in creating a training system that is more responsive to the needs of stakeholders. © 1999 Journal of Vocational Education and Training All rights reserved.
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