About VET

Vocational education or Vocational Education and Training (VET), also called Career and Technical Education (CTE), prepares learners for jobs that are based in manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic and totally related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation, hence the term, in which the learner participates. It is sometimes referred to as technical education, as the learner directly develops expertise in a particular group of techniques or technology.

Generally, vocation and career are used interchangeably. Vocational education might be classified as teaching procedural knowledge. This may be contrasted with declarative knowledge, as used in education in a usually broader scientific field, which might concentrate on theory and abstract conceptual knowledge, characteristic of tertiary education. Vocational education can be at the secondary or post-secondary level and can interact with the apprenticeship system. Increasingly, vocational education can be recognised in terms of recognition of prior learning and partial academic credit towards tertiary education (e.g., at a university) as credit; however, it is rarely considered in its own form to fall under the traditional definition of a higher education.

Up until the end of the twentieth century, vocational education focused on specific trades such as for example, an auto mobile mechanic or welder, and was therefore associated with the activities of lower social classes. As a consequence, it attracted a level of stigma. Vocational education is related to the age-old apprenticeship system of learning.

However, as the labour market becomes more specialised and economies demand higher levels of skill, governments and businesses are increasingly investing in the future of vocational education through publicly funded training organisations and subsidised apprenticeship or traineeship initiatives for businesses. At the post-secondary level vocational education is typically provided by an institute of technology, or by a local community college.

Vocational education has diversified over the 20th century and now exists in industries such as retail, tourism, information technology, funeral services and cosmetics, as well as in the traditional crafts and cottage industries.

Australia

In Australia vocational education and training is mostly post-secondary and provided through the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system by Registered Training Organisations. This system encompasses both public and private providers in a national training framework consisting of the Australian Quality Training Framework, Australian Qualifications Framework and Industry Training Packages which define the assessment standards for the different vocational qualifications.

Since the states and territories are responsible for most public delivery and all regulation of providers, a central concept of the system is "national recognition" whereby the assessments and awards of any one registered training organisation must be recognised by all others and the decisions of any state or territory training authority must be recognised by the other states and territories. This allows national portability of qualifications and units of competency.

A crucial feature of the Training Package system (which accounts for about 60% of publicly-funded training and almost all apprenticeship training) is that the content of the vocational qualifications is theoretically defined by industry and not by government or training providers. A Training Package is "owned" by one of ten Industries Skills Councils which are responsible for developing and reviewing the qualifications.

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research or NCVER is a not-for-profit company owned by the federal, state and territory ministers responsible for training. It is responsible for collecting, managing, analysing, evaluating and communicating research and statistics about vocational education and training (VET).

The boundaries between Vocational education and tertiary education are becoming more blurred. A number of vocational training providers such as NMIT and BHI are now offering specialised Bachelor degrees in specific areas not being adequately provided by Universities. Such Applied Courses include in the areas of Equine studies, Winemaking and viticulture, aquaculture, Information Technology, Music, Illustration and many more.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (VET) COURSES

Thousands of vocational courses are offered through the Vocational Education and Training (VET) education sector in Australia. Qualifications gained through the VET sector lead to a variety of diverse and exciting careers.

Who offers VET courses?

VET courses are offered by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). These can include Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes and private colleges. These organisations are all registered by each Australian state or territory authority to:
* provide quality training
* deliver courses developed with industry
* issue a nationally recognised qualification.

A list of registered RTOs is provided on the National Training Information Service (NTIS) website.

RTOs that offer courses to international students must also register with the Australian Government’s Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). This register allows the government to monitor the education offered to international students in Australia, and ensure that it is of consistent and ongoing high quality. Full details can be found on the CRICOS website.

Courses and qualifications

Australian vocational education and training courses provide students with skills that employers have identified as important in the workplace. They are also generally considered to provide more practical, work-orientated skills than the higher education (university) system.

The types of qualifications that can be obtained through the VET system include:

• Certificate I–IV: These courses are designed to provide introductory skills and training. They provide industry-specific knowledge and skills in communication, participation, literacy and numeracy, and teamwork. They vary in length from a few weeks to six or more months.
• Diploma: A Diploma course prepares students for industry, enterprise and para-professional careers. Diploma courses can be completed at private colleges (RTOs) and TAFE institutes. Diplomas require 18 to 24 months of full-time study.
• Advanced diploma: An Advanced Diploma provides a high level of practical skills for employment in a specific career area, such as accounting, building design, and engineering. Some Advanced Diploma courses can also be completed at university level. Advanced Diplomas vary in length from 24 to 36 months.
• Vocational graduate certificate/diploma: The Vocational Graduate Certificate and Diploma are the equivalent of the higher education Graduate Certificate or Diploma. They provide high level employment-related skills and knowledge. The Graduate Certificate usually requires six months of full-time study and the Graduate Diploma usually requires one year of full-time study.

VET courses, particularly at the Diploma and Advanced Diploma level, can often lead into higher education courses such as Bachelor Degrees. On the other hand, it’s increasingly common for higher education graduates to complete VET qualifications in order to gain practical, work-orientated skills to assist them to enter the workforce.

Entry requirements

Entry into the VET system usually requires students to have reached a level of study equivalent to the Australian Year 10, 11 or 12. Some courses may have prerequisite subjects or work experience requirements. Entry into some courses, such as art and design courses, may also require submission of a portfolio. Students should check with individual colleges for any additional entry requirements, English language requirements, information on fees and charges, and course starting dates.