VET completion rates reach a 4-year high

Completion rates for vocational education and training (VET) courses are at a four-year high for South Australian students.

The National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER) today released the VET Qualification Completion rates, which shows that the rate for courses that commenced in 2020 and delivered in South Australia increased from 48.6 per cent to 50.9 per cent, the highest rate since 2016.

Lifting the rate of completions is a priority initiative under the $2.3 billion National Skills Agreement, with the Australian and South Australian Governments on Friday having announced $37 million over four years to tackle the issue.

A low completion rate negatively impacts industries through loss of productivity and missed opportunities for skilled workers, while also limiting individual benefits like higher wages and a greater chance of further study.

The NCVER report showed that for VET courses funded by government, the completion rate for courses started in 2020 increased to 48.2 per cent, 9.1 percentage points above the 2019 rate of 39.1 per cent.

Completions in government funded VET courses have grown across the board, with TAFE, private training providers, schools, enterprise providers and community education providers all improving their completion rates.

Additionally, there were increases for courses started in 2020 and completed by the end of 2024 for women, men, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and learners with a disability.

Projected completion rates for future years are also looking positive – with further increases in completions looking positive ahead of next year’s data release.

Quotes

Attributable to Blair Boyer

I am pleased completion rates are on the rise – it’s an issue I am proud our government has prioritised since coming to government.

Too many students don’t finish their course, often due to personal circumstances. If we provide that extra support, we can shift the dial and have thousands more skilled workers available to tackle skills shortages.

I’m proud of our $37 million investment under the National Skills Agreement to fund initiatives that will make a difference, including peer mentoring, region-specific interventions, tripling wellbeing support, and extra help for apprentices.

A higher completion rate alleviates skill shortages in priority industries and gives students better job outcomes – leading to higher wages and more job security.