Australia’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector offers a large variety of qualifications for students with a strong practical orientation. The Australian VET system is publicly and privately funded and is delivered by a wide variety of training institutions and enterprises.
TAFE - Technical and Further Education
There are currently 42 TAFE institutes that deliver VET training across Australia. They are government-funded, they provide post-school education and training, and they usually have a more practical focus than university courses. TAFE courses are often used by international students as a pathway to undergraduate programs at university, especially via the Diploma route. Some TAFEs offer university degrees through affiliated universities, and some offer their own degrees.
Private Colleges
There are approximately 4,200 other registered providers of VET courses. These range from small institutions that offer specialised courses in one particular area of study to large private colleges which are similar to larger TAFE institutes.
A wide variety of VET courses are offered through private colleges. The most popular courses for international students are those related to Business and Information Technology.
Like TAFE, private colleges are popular with international students as pathway institutions, since they can provide entry to university studies after completing a VET qualification. Also, some private institutions offer university programs through affiliated universities, and others offer their own degrees.
AUSTRALIAN VET QUALIFICATIONS
ADVANTAGES OF VET
Vocational Education and Training provides a number of significant advantages to students
- It gives students access to many job opportunities after as little as ten months of training.
- It offers students more job opportunities and higher earnings based on their improved qualifications.
- Students can develop both practical and professional skills that are taught by industry-experienced instructors.
- About 70 to 80% of employers are very satisfied with VET training since it provides students with appropriate skills, which leads to increased productivity.
- The vocational and practical nature of VET curricula places less pressure on students with lower levels of English proficiency. This gives these students more time to develop their language skills before undertaking academic-level studies if they wish to continue.