In light of sweeping changes to vocational education and training (VET) provision in Victoria, and dramatic proposed cuts in Queensland, this new CPD paper studies the sector’s social and economic significance and asks what lessons can be gleaned for NSW. Valuing Skills will be released at the launch event for the NSW Public Service Association’s ‘Save Our TAFE‘ campaign in NSW Parliament House.
Valuing Skills presents definitive evidence that:
An important social benefit of VET is that it builds the capacity of some of our society’s most disadvantaged people, with over 7% of VET students identifying as disabled or having a long-term health condition. All socioeconomic backgrounds are well represented in VET students, with a slight bias towards less advantaged backgrounds, and a disproportionate number of students from remote regions.
Most would agree that an effective and high-quality Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector is of benefit to Australia. The benefits of VET are multiple and accrue to individuals, the economy, and society as a whole. Some of these benefits are difficult to quantify and are affected by numerous factors.
