The data from the National Centre for Vocational Research shows the number of apprentices and trainees in training fell by 18.4 per cent nationwide, and 28.2 per cent in NSW, during that period.

Wagga-based plumber Andrew Smith, who started out in the industry as a young apprentice some 20 years ago, said he found while some were good workers, most young people seemed uninterested in the trades these days.

"There’s a bit of a change in younger blokes these days … easier ways to make money than do the hard work,” he said.

“I’m not saying they’re all slack and lazy but the culture of doing hard work doesn’t seem to be there.”

The attitude of recent apprentices Mr Smith has seen is completely different to how he approached the industry when cutting his teeth.

He initially wanted to be a builder in the mid-1990s but didn’t get into course before going back to school.

Finishing year 12 wasn’t Mr Smith’s cup of tea so after a short stint doing work experience with a plumber, he took up an apprenticeship.

“It’s the best thing I ever did,” he said.

Facing a dearth of school-age apprentices – Mr Smith hasn’t put one on that has stuck around since 2010 – he has been forced to turn to mature-aged trainees to fill the gap.

“Mature age does cost me more but the quality of work in the boys is more reliable,” he said.

Frustrated with the lack of work ethic of some apprentices he had tried, Mr Smith rang TAFE Riverina Institute to ask them to recommend one of their students as an apprentice.

That led to Mr Smith bringing Janaw Share, originally from Myanmar, on board.

Mr Share, now in his second year of his apprenticeship, said he loved plumbing.

“Every day is a different job – not boring,” Mr Share said.

While the numbers point to apprentice numbers dropping off sharply if the trend continues, Mr Smith isn’t too concerned about being able to find new ones for his business.

Mr Smith acknowledged they weren’t as easy to find as they used to be, but apprentices are still out there to be found, he said.