Data 'an indicator of the strength of South Australia's VET and skills sector'
South Australia logged a 19.2% increase in the number of new apprentices and trainees in the first nine months of 2023, according to a report.
Data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) revealed that the number of apprentices and trainees hit 19,425 between January 1 and September 30.
This is the biggest reported increase across Australia, according to the data.
"The data is very encouraging as an indicator of the strength of South Australia's VET and skills sector and reflects South Australia's focus on training pathways in both regional and metropolitan locations," said Education Department chief executive Martin Westwell in a statement.
According to the report, there were also increases in the number of students with a disability, from regional and remote locations, who are below 24 years old, and who identify as Aboriginal.
"It's great to see that not only has there been an overall increase in the number of apprentices and students in training, but that these increases come from all parts of our community," Westwell said.
"It's important to see more people accessing training and entering the workforce with the skills needed."
Meanwhile, student numbers in government-funded vocational education and training (VET) activity increased by 9.6% in the first nine months of 2023 in South Australia.
According to the report, there were 66,765 students in government-funded VET activity during the period.
This is the second-highest increase recorded across the country, just after Western Australia with a 10.5% increase. It was also above the 1.7% increase recorded across the country, according to the report.
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Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research
Overall, there were 1,074,005 students enrolled in government-funded VET in Australia in the nine months ending September 30. Among them:
