'Pleasing to see': uptake of vocational education and training means more qualified workers
More than five million students in Australia took part in some of the nationally recognised training in 2023, up by 10.8% from the previous year.
The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) revealed that 3.5 million students studied stand-alone subjects, over 2.1 million studied full qualifications, while 230,000 studied short courses.
"Most of the growth in 2023 was in stand-alone subjects, with a 14.0% increase on 2022 and 46.6% increase on 2020," the NCVER said in a statement.
Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research
According to the centre, the most popular subjects taken by students include:
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- First aid
- Basic emergency life support
- Preparing to work safely in the construction industry
- Responsible service of alcohol
Uptake in VET qualifications
Meanwhile, uptake in VET qualifications also went up by 6.7% to 2.1 million between 2022 and 2023, driven strongly by domestic government-funded students.
"There was a continued shift in the VET system overall towards certificate III and IV qualifications, with lower-level qualifications certificate I and II declining, and higher-level qualifications diploma and advanced diploma remaining relatively steady," the report read.
Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)
South Australia's increase
One of the states recording a substantial increase in vocational education and training uptake is South Australia, reporting an 11.1% increase in 2023.
According to the SA government, the state logged the biggest increases across Australia for VET students:
- training at school (+19%)
- who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (+18.2%)
- from regional and remote locations (+13.4%)
- who identify as female (+13.2%)
It also had the second-largest increase across Australia for VET students who had a disability (+9.7%) and aged 24 and under (+8.2%).
South Australian Education, Training, and Skills Minister Blair Boyer welcomed the findings in a statement.
"At a time when South Australia needs more qualified workers in early childhood education, construction, defence, health and trades, it is pleasing to see so many more South Australians flocking to vocational education and training," Boyer said.
The minister added that the figures show there are alternative pathways to rewarding careers in addition to university.
"You do not need to go to university to get a rewarding career. Today's numbers show that this message is starting to get through, and people are taking up the pathways to rewarding, well-paid careers that vocational training has to offer," he stated.
The SA government has been taking various measures to invest in its employees' skills, including signing the $2.3-billion National Skills Agreement, delivering Fee-Free TAFE, funding for five technological colleges, and boosting funding for training providers.
