VET numbers plummet under Daniel Andrews

The number of Victorian VET students both undertaking and completing their qualifications continues to plummet year after year under Daniel Andrews.

The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services released today shows that since the Andrews Government took office there are 145,000 fewer VET students (460,000 in 2014 to 314,600 in 2017).

This represents a 31.7% reduction in student numbers over the same period that NSW recorded a 3.7% increase. The last year alone has seen a drop of 23,800 students (7% decline).

With rapidly growing population as well as a decline in students, Victoria’s participation rate in Vocational Education and Training for 18-24 year olds has dropped from 26.8% in 2014 to 17.2% in 2017, and from 11.4% of all VET students aged 15-64 years to only 7.3%.

Further, VET students completing their qualifications in 2017 has nearly halved from 168,200 students to 87,400 in 2017. In 2014, Victoria had the highest VET completion rate in Australia, but our ranking has plunged to 6th over the 3 years of the Andrews Labor Government.

State Government funding for VET did increase in 2017, but is still 13% below the $1.042 billion funding provided in 2014.

Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Training and Skills, Mary Wooldridge:

“Only a Labor Government can spend more money but train fewer students.

“Daniel Andrews said he’d fix a broken system but students are voting with their feet about Labor’s vocational education and training system.

“With over 60,000 young Victorians currently unemployed, more needs to be done to ensure they have the skills and training to get a job and fully participate in the workforce, both now and in the future.”

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