VET students in SA continue to grow, and ECEC is a popular choice 

The number of vocational education and training (VET) students in South Australia continues to grow, new figures show, with early childhood education and care (ECEC) a popular choice. 

The National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER) Government Funded Students January–June 2024 report covers government-funded VET activity figures for the first six months of 2024.

Overall, there were 55,520 government funded VET students, an increase of 855 places or 1.6 per cent. There are also significantly more VET students – more than 7,100 – than there were five years ago in 2019.

There were more program enrolments, an increase of 1.4 per cent or 815 to 57,970, and more subject enrolments, an increase of 7.8 per cent or 23,115 to 320,690 – which is 9.6 percentage points above a national decline of 1.8 per cent.

The number of course enrolments aligned to South Australian Government priority areas, including education and care, construction, defence and manufacturing and clean energy, increased by 6.8 per cent compared to 2023.

For South Australia, there were increases in the number of VET students:

• Attending secondary school: up by 15.4 per cent to 7,655 – the third highest percentage increase in the nation
• Under 24 years old: up by 7.5 per cent to 24,780 – the second highest percentage increase in the nation
• Reporting a disability: by up 7.4 per cent to 4,795 – the third highest percentage increase in the nation
• From regional and remote areas: up by 4.6 per cent to 14,915 – the third highest percentage increase in the nation
• Studying a Certificate III level course: up by 3.6 per cent to 28,795 – the fourth highest percentage increase in the nation
• Identifying as Aboriginal: up by 2.6 per cent to 2,570 – the fifth highest percentage increase in the nation.
• Unemployed: increased by 1.4 per cent to 8,745 – above the national average increase of 0.9 per cent

“It’s really heartening to see the rise in vocational students this year particularly in the areas of priority that are critical to growth in South Australia,” SA Education Minister Blair Boyer said. 

“At a time where we have skills shortages in construction, care and education, and unprecedented growth in defence, renewables and tech and AI, there are genuine and fulfilling job opportunities for South Australians who choose vocational education and training.”

There were 27,460 VET students attending TAFE, an increase of 4.2 per cent or 1,110 more students. The rise aligns with the Fee-Free TAFE initiative that started in early 2023.

Fee-Free TAFE is an important initiative to break down barriers to education and training and make courses more accessible to people who otherwise would not have had the opportunity.

Courses offered through Fee-Free TAFE directly align with areas where we need thousands more highly trained workers, particularly in the housing and construction industry, health education and care.