Latest data shows a positive trend in employment for international onshore vocational education and training (VET) graduates in 2022, compared with 2021.
The latest report from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows that in mid-2022, 83.0% of international onshore VET qualification completers were employed after training, an increase of 7.5 percentage points from the previous year.
International students mainly undertook training in Australia for employment-related reasons (72.3%), with the most cited reason being to develop or start their own business (23.0%).
The report also shows that the percentage of international onshore VET qualification completers reporting an improved employment status after training increased by 8.9 percentage points from 2021, reaching 73%.
Before beginning their training in Australia, 76.1% of international VET qualification completers held a job. Of these, 18.9% were employed at a higher skill level and 41.3% were employed in a better job after training, up 4.4 and 4.8 percentage points respectively from 2021.
Those who did not have a job before training experienced significant improvements in their employment outcomes.
NCVER Managing Director Simon Walker said, “in 2022, 66.1% of individuals who were not employed before training secured a job afterwards, which represents an increase of 7.4 percentage points from 2021, and 21.5 percentage points from 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Despite the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the job market, a higher proportion of international onshore VET students were employed in Australia after training in 2022 than over the previous four years.
Mr Walker stated that the increase in employment opportunities for international VET students coincided with the easing of COVID-19 border restrictions in Australia and the removal of the limit on student visa holders’ working hours in 2022.
Background:
International onshore VET qualification completer outcomes 2022 provides a summary of the outcomes of international students who completed a nationally recognised VET qualification in Australia during 2021 using data collected in mid-2022. A total of 13 686 international onshore VET qualification completers responded to the survey.
Download the report: International onshore VET qualification completer outcomes 2022
Enquiries: Deanne Loan M: 0413 523 691 E: deanneloan@ncver.edu.au
About NCVER: we are the main provider of research, statistics and data on Australia’s VET sector. Our services help promote better understanding of VET and assist policy makers, practitioners, industry, training providers, and students to make informed decisions.
This work has been produced by NCVER on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments, with funding provided through the Australian Government Department of Education.