Against a decline in total subject enrolments in vocational education and training (VET), the uptake of training delivered online grew substantially in 2020, compared with 2019, according to new research published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).
The online delivery of VET during COVID-19: part 1 report, presents initial findings on the VET sector’s swift transition to online delivery in response to efforts to contain COVID-19 through lockdowns and social distancing, which limited face-to-face teaching and assessment.
The delivery of online training increased by nearly 24% between 2019 and 2020, with the uptake more pronounced for government-funded subject enrolments (up 40.4%) compared with domestic fee-for-service (up 15.7%).
In 2020, there were an additional 159 600 online only government-funded enrolments in stand-alone subjects increasing from 4.7% of all government-funded online only training in 2019 to 16.0% in 2020. Stand-alone subjects are subjects not delivered as part of a nationally recognised program.
Many (75.2%) registered training organisations (RTOs), surveyed as part of this research, indicated they had transitioned at least some of their training and assessment online in response to COVID-19.
Approximately a year from the start of COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, 71.0% of RTOs have maintained at least some of the initial shift to online training.
Further, many RTOs indicated they intend to continue offering online training and assessment, with more than 61% indicating they would be more likely to use blended learning in the future.
Background
The findings in this report are based on analysis of Total VET Activity data for 2019 and 2020 (the latter was published last week) and preliminary findings from an online survey of RTOs administered in collaboration with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
The final report will build on the findings of this work, explore factors involved in future plans for online delivery through additional analysis of survey data, semi-structured interviews with RTOs and key findings from NCVER’s Student Outcomes Survey.
Quotes attributable to Simon Walker, Managing Director, NCVER:
Our analysis indicates that VET training providers responded quickly and emphatically to the COVID-19 pandemic with a large shift towards online training delivery and assessment.
Interestingly, the move to online delivery of training and assessment may be enduring, with training providers indicating that they are likely to maintain online delivery in some areas when COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed.
Report: The online delivery of VET during COVID-19: part 1
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.