The latest annual data shows the number of school students undertaking vocational education and training (VET) as part of their Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE) has increased by 2.2 per cent to 235 800.
VET in Schools 2019 shows there were 17 100 school-based apprentices and trainees and 218 700 students undertaking other VET in Schools programs in 2019.
Simon Walker, Managing Director, NCVER, said Certificate II qualifications continue to be the most popular with 56.2 per cent of VET in Schools students enrolled in these qualifications.
“Tourism, Travel and Hospitality was again the most popular training package, capturing the interest of 14.2 per cent of VET in School students, followed by Business Services and Sport, Fitness and Recreation,” Mr Walker said.
In trend terms, the relative mix and levels of enrolments by industry Training Packages has remained fairly stable over the last five years, however, it is notable that the number of VET in Schools students enrolled in the Information and Communications Technology training package has halved between 2015 and 2019.
The report VET in Schools 2019 is now available on the NCVER Portal. For further year-on-year and state and territory comparisons, view the National VET in Schools Collection.
See our Latest VET statistics dashboard for links to all our data collections and survey reports.
For more context on the changing VET landscape, NCVER’s Timeline of Australian VET policy initiatives 1998-2020 sets out key events and policy changes that may have influenced VET enrolments and completions over time.
Media enquiries: Helen Wildash M: 0448 043 148 E: helenwildash@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.