Government funding appropriations for vocational education and training (VET) increased by over 20% to $7.7b in 2020 as Governments responded to widespread disruptions to the labour market caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Governments’ investment in assistance for employers increased by 142.9% in 2020, compared with the previous year, to just under $1.5 billion, largely driven by the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees initiative introduced in 2020.
In 2020, Government funding of the Australian VET system included:
- Australian Government contributions of $3.8 billion, an increase of 44.7%
- State and Territory Government contributions of $3.9 billion, an increase of 3.8%
The Australian Government provided additional financing of:
- $273.4 million for VET Student Loans, including VET FEE HELP grandfathering (down 0.9%)
- $199.3 million for Trade Support Loans (down 10.4%)
Funds distributed in 2020 totalled $7.5 billion, an increase of 17.5% compared with 2019. Expenditure activities included:
- $5.0 billion for direct delivery of VET (up 2.3%)
- $1.5 billion for employer assistance to engage in VET (up 142.9%)
- $581.5 million for system administration and governance (up 5.4%)
- $323.7 million for capital investment (up 79.1%)
- $128.4 million for student assistance for equipment, travel, and other costs (down 13.9%).
Background
Government funding of VET 2020 provides an insight into the flow of funding into the public VET sector, what is funded, and how it is distributed.
Government funding was provided through both VET appropriations and VET intergovernmental arrangements. The 2020 reporting year includes Government programs provided to assist with the recovery from the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Data are sourced from financial and training records held by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment, and State and Territory departments responsible for VET.
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Government funding of VET 2020 publication
Government funding of VET 2020 data tables
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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, Skills and Employment.