This new publication presents early estimates of apprentice and trainee commencements in the March quarter 2010. Indicative information about the current quarter is presented here in response to the demand for more timely data. The most recent figures are estimated, taking into account reporting lags that occur at the time of data collection. The early trend estimates are derived from the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection no.63, March 2010. Data are only available for commencements at the national level and have been seasonally adjusted and smoothed. Early indications show that: (1) Trade commencements continue to trend upward from the June quarter 2009, with the March quarter 2010 figure indicating a particularly large increase; and (2) Non-trade commencements indicate a drop in the March quarter 2010, thus ending the upward trend of the previous three quarters. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)