VET numbers soar past 1.26 million in skills push

The number of students enrolled in government-funded vocational education and training (VET) courses has surpassed 1.26 million under a national push to address critical skill shortages, as the Coalition ramps up attacks on Labor’s enrolment levels and signature fee-free TAFE ­program.

Amid repeated warnings that workforce shortages will stall the transition to renewables, cripple the construction industry and hamper productivity, new data has revealed publicly-funded VET enrolments jumped five per cent from 2022 to last year and the number of students studying at TAFE increased by 8.3 per cent in the same period.

The nation’s TAFE institutions had 659,185 students enrolled in 2023, marking a 50,240 increase from the year before, National Centre for Vocational Education Research data shows, amid an overall increase in total enrolments in the VET sector between last year and 2022.

Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor said the latest figures were a positive reflection on Labor’s fee-free TAFE program, with 88.6 per cent of ­government-funded students completing full certificates and diplomas, such as nursing, early childhood education and IT.

“This shows the success of the Albanese government’s fee-free TAFE program with an increase of more than 50,000 enrolments in certificates, pre-apprenticeships and diplomas compared to 2020, and a more than eight per cent increase in overall TAFE enrolments in the last year alone,” he said.

Opposition skills spokeswoman Sussan Ley has accused the government of misrepresenting the “smashing” success of its marquee fee-free TAFE scheme, pointing to data that shows 12,180 fewer TAFE students enrolled in 2023 compared to under the ­Coalition in 2020.

“Despite promising to increase numbers of students at TAFE by hundreds of thousands, there are fewer students than under the Coalition,” she said.

Ms Ley also escalated her attacks on Labor for a fall in apprentices and trainees, after NCVER data last week showed numbers fell to 343,640 in December.

Mr O’Connor rejected the criticism that TAFE enrolments had declined under the Albanese government, saying the increase in 2020 was the result of ­pandemic-era online short ­courses.

“The Coalition’s pathetic attempt to spin this data conveniently excludes a bump of 70,000 enrolments at the start of the pandemic in online short courses like ‘using social media tools’ and ‘enhanced customer service’,” he said.

“We’re investing in areas of demand like nursing, IT and cyber security, and trades.

“As usual, the Coalition has no plan.

“Sussan Ley should spend less time backgrounding the media, and more time thinking about ways to fix the skills shortage her government left behind.”

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