Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) system shows growing signs of erosion, fragmentation and dysfunction, according to new research from the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work.
Key Findings:
- All VET enrolment growth between 2015-20 has been in non-accredited training, while properly regulated, accredited program enrolments have plunged by over 500,000
- Australia still has 173,000 fewer apprentices and trainees in training than it had in 2012 – one-third below 2012 levels
- Apprenticeship completions collapsed to a new low in the year ending June 2021, with just 77,000 completions – down almost two-thirds from 2013
- In 2021, the proportion of government-subsidised students studying with TAFE fell to an historic low of 49%
- Over 8,800 full-time equivalent TAFE positions have been cut since 2012 across five states and territories
- Without renewed investment in TAFE, the $92.5 billion per year economic benefit from TAFE-trained workers will decay
“Continued decline in enrolments and eight years of declining apprenticeship completions make it very clear: Australia’s domestic skills pipeline is in disarray,” said Alison Pennington, senior economist at the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work.