NSW has the highest number of new students in Australia enrolling in vocational education and training (VET), including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
The National Centre for Vocational Education Research report, Government-funded students and courses 2018, showed that NSW is the only state in Australia to see an increase in VET enrolments. NSW is also the only state to increase VET student participation in regional and remote areas.
The report also found:
- an extra 9900 students enrolled in vocational education and training in 2018, with two-thirds of these new students at government training providers such as TAFE NSW
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in NSW are the highest in the country, making up 43.5% of the 79,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students nationally
- NSW has the highest number of students with a disability.
The NSW Government has allocated $71 million over four years for 100,000 free courses, bringing the total number of free TAFE and VET courses to nearly 700,000.
The 100,000 extra courses will be made up of 70,000 new fee-free traineeships for young jobseekers and 30,000 free TAFE places for mature-aged workers seeking to retrain or re-enter the workforce.
Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said he is pleased that more people in NSW recognise that vocational education and training is a solid pathway towards a meaningful career.
“Greater participation in vocational education and training means a more highly skilled workforce,” Mr Lee said.