1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2007  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/01/2007   
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Contents >> Education and Training >> Vocational and education and training (VET)

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (VET)

Most VET activity in Australia is undertaken in government-administered TAFE colleges or institutes. VET is also provided by some higher education institutions, secondary schools, agricultural colleges, adult and community education agencies, private providers of education (such as business colleges) and employers. VET providers offer programs for a wide range of purposes, ranging from recreation and leisure, through basic employment and educational preparation, to trades or advanced technical training, and para-professional and professional levels.

One of the continuing functions of VET is the establishment of partnerships between student, education institution and employer in relation to apprenticeships. In recent years these partnerships have extended beyond the traditional trades to encompass a much broader range of occupations and employers.

In 2005 there were 1,950 registered training organisations delivering publicly-funded VET. Of these, 63 were TAFEs, 11 were other government providers, 537 were community education providers and 1,339 were other providers (mainly private providers).

STUDENTS AND COURSES

While VET student numbers increased between 2004 and 2005 (males by 2%, females by 4%), there has been an overall decline in student numbers between 2000 and 2005 (males by 2%, females by 6%) (graph 10.12).

10.12 VET STUDENTS



During 2005, some 1.6 million students enrolled in a publicly-funded VET course, comprising 847,700 males and 789,500 females (table 10.13). Some 56% of VET students aged under 30 years were male, while females were the majority (52%) of VET students aged 30 years or more.


10.13 VET STUDENTS(a), Vocational and preparatory courses(b) - 2005

Males
Females
Persons(c)
Age group (years)
'000
'000
'000

19 or under
215.1
169.1
384.2
20-24
157.0
115.6
272.9
25-29
88.0
74.3
162.5
30-39
150.6
146.6
297.7
40-49
118.2
147.0
265.8
50-59
73.0
83.2
156.5
60 and over
28.9
31.0
60.1
Not stated
17.0
22.7
41.6
Total students
847.7
789.5
1,641.3

(a) Includes all VET delivery by TAFE and other government providers, multi-sector higher education institutions, registered community providers and publicly-funded delivery by private providers. Fee-for-service VET delivery by private providers has been excluded. School students undertaking VET in schools have also been excluded. A student is an individual who was enrolled in a subject or completed a qualification at any time in 2005.
(b) Courses leading to a vocational award.
(c) Includes 'sex not stated'.
Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research, data available on request, 2005 VET Provider Collection.


VET courses are classified according to specific fields of education on the basis of similar emphasis or subject matter orientation. Table 10.14 shows the number of course enrolments in 2005 in the twelve fields of education. Since students may be enrolled in more than one VET course, the number of course enrolments is greater than the total number of students. In 2005, there were 1.9 million course enrolments compared with 1.6 million students.

Some 20% of enrolments in vocational and preparatory courses in 2005 were in the Management and commerce field, while 17% were in Engineering and related technologies, and 10% in Society and culture. A further 16% of total enrolments were in Mixed field programs.

Males made up a clear majority of enrolments in the education fields of Architecture and building (91%); Engineering and related technologies (90%); Agriculture, environmental and related studies (76%); and Information technology (63%). Females were in the majority in the fields of Society and culture (73%); Management and commerce (64%); Education (61%); Creative arts (60%); Food, hospitality and personal services (59%); and Natural and physical sciences (57%) (table 10.14).


10.14 VET COURSE ENROLMENTS(a), Vocational and preparatory courses(b) - 2005

Males
Females
Persons(c)
Field of education
'000
'000
'000

Natural and physical sciences
3.0
3.9
6.9
Information technology
46.0
27.3
73.4
Engineering and related technologies
281.0
32.2
313.5
Architecture and building
110.3
10.5
120.9
Agriculture, environmental and related studies
75.6
23.9
99.6
Health
50.9
57.5
108.6
Education
22.3
34.4
56.9
Management and commerce
136.9
244.8
382.0
Society and culture
53.6
142.4
196.2
Creative arts
20.8
31.5
52.3
Food, hospitality and personal services
75.0
108.2
183.4
Mixed field programmes
130.4
164.0
295.2
Total enrolments(a)
1,005.7
880.7
1,888.7

(a) Includes all VET delivery by TAFE and other government providers, multi-sector higher education institutions, registered community providers, and publicly-funded delivery by private providers. Fee-for-service VET delivery by private providers has been excluded. School students undertaking VET in schools have also been excluded.
(b) Courses leading to a vocational award.
(c) Includes 'sex not stated'.
Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research, data available on request, 2005 VET Provider Collection.


APPRENTICESHIPS AND TRAINEESHIPS

Of the 389,000 apprentices and trainees in-training at 31 December 2005, 43% were in the Tradespersons and related workers occupational group. Construction (26%), Automotive (16%), and the Electrical and electronics trades (15%) accounted for 57% of the trades group total (table 10.15). Females in these three trades groups represented under 1% of all the trades apprentices and trainees at that date.

Most (88%) of the apprentices and trainees in the Tradespersons and related workers occupational group were male. The only field of trade in this group with a female majority was hairdressing, where 93% were females. In contrast to the trades group, the proportion of males among the 221,000 non-trades apprentices and trainees was similar to that of females (49.5% males and 50.5% females).


10.15 APPRENTICES AND TRAINEES, In-training - 31 December 2005

Males
Females
Persons
Occupation(a)
'000
'000
'000

Managers and administrators
2.4
1.0
3.4
Professionals
1.3
1.4
2.8
Associate professionals
14.1
14.4
28.5
Tradespersons and related workers
Mechanical and fabrication engineering
20.9
0.4
21.4
Automotive
26.4
0.6
27.0
Electrical and electronic
24.8
0.4
25.1
Construction
43.3
0.4
43.7
Food
16.1
6.1
22.2
Skilled agricultural and horticultural workers
4.7
0.7
5.4
Hairdressers
0.9
11.3
12.1
Tradespersons and related workers n.e.c.
0.4
0.0
0.5
Other
9.7
1.1
10.8
Total
147.1
21.1
168.2
Advanced clerical and service workers
2.1
5.0
7.1
Intermediate clerical, sales and service workers
27.1
63.6
90.7
Intermediate production and transport workers
37.0
6.3
43.3
Elementary clerical, sales and service workers
8.1
12.2
20.4
Labourers and related workers
17.1
7.6
24.8
Total
256.4
132.6
389.0

(a) Classified according to the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO), Second Edition, 1997.
Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research, data available on request, New Apprenticeship Collection.


STAFF

Table 10.16 shows the number of teachers working in VET institutions in 2005. Of all VET teachers 56% were employed full time. The majority of full-time VET teachers (63%) were male. In contrast, 65% of part-time VET teachers were female.


10.16 VET TEACHING STAFF(a) - 2005

Full-time staff(b)
Part-time staff
All teaching staff
'000
'000
'000

Males
9.3
4.2
13.5
Females
5.5
7.6
13.1
Persons
14.8
11.7
26.5

(a) Annual average of quarterly data.
(b) Refers to persons working 35 hours or more in the survey week.
Source: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed - Electronic Delivery, May 2006 (6291.0.55.003).


TRAINING COURSES

In 2005, 5.3 million people aged 15-69 years (54% of whom were male), completed one or more work-related training courses. Of the 11.2 million work-related training courses completed by these people, 30% were in the Management and professional field. Other commonly reported fields of training were Health and safety (21%), and Technical and para-professional (14%). Graph 10.17 shows the fields of work-related training courses completed by males and females in 2005.

10.17 WORK-RELATED TRAINING COURSES COMPLETED(a), Field of training - 2006



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