Trends in VET: policy and participation

The vocational education and training [VET] sector has, over time, been seen as a major way of meeting the skill needs of Australia. As such there are ongoing policy initiatives over the history of VET in Australia which emphasises this imperative to a greater or lesser extent. This presentation focuses on three major VET related policy initiatives in recent times aimed at improving labour market responsiveness and student choice; namely student entitlement models, accelerated apprenticeships, and apprenticeship incentive initiatives. The presentation sets the scene by reflecting on...  [+] Show more

The vocational education and training [VET] sector has, over time, been seen as a major way of meeting the skill needs of Australia. As such there are ongoing policy initiatives over the history of VET in Australia which emphasises this imperative to a greater or lesser extent. This presentation focuses on three major VET related policy initiatives in recent times aimed at improving labour market responsiveness and student choice; namely student entitlement models, accelerated apprenticeships, and apprenticeship incentive initiatives. The presentation sets the scene by reflecting on policy and trends in participation in publicly funded vocational education and training, including apprenticeships and traineeships, over the last 20 years. It also considers the general labour market conditions over this period of time. The presentation will make some general observations about the data in reference to policy and the labour market but will not assume causal links.

Published abstract.