SOUTH Australia is leading the way with high numbers of students enrolled in vocational education and training (VET).
The latest government-funded training activity figures have been released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) which show statistics from 1 January to 30 June 2023.
In the first six months of 2023, the state recorded increases in training activity for students, program enrolments, hours of delivery, and subject enrolments compared to the same period a year earlier.
For South Australian government-funded training programs in the first six months of 2023, student numbers increased by 9.5 per cent, from 49,940 to 54,665.
This was 5.5 percentage points above the national increase of 4 per cent and the highest percentage increase of the states and territories.
For students and program enrolments, the percentage increases are the highest in the nation.
Increases in students enrolling in training courses were recorded across the board including people with a disability, females, Aboriginal people, and people from regional and remote locations.
The government is making significant investment in the skills sector to support learners, training providers and industry with a focus on a range of initiatives to stimulate the sector and see it continue to grow, particularly in the state’s priority sectors including:
– $28 million to provide not-for-profit and industry training providers with additional funding to address skills shortages.
– Over $12 million to return aged care, disability and early childhood courses to TAFE SA’s metropolitan campuses.
– $9 million in equipment and capital grants for TAFE SA, not-for-profit and industry providers.
– $5 million to upgrade TAFE SA’s Mount Gambier campus.
– Funding of $2.6 million to establish five regional skills centres in Cleve, Berri, Port Augusta, Murray Bridge and Mount Gambier.
– $8.8 million to address skills shortages in areas including cookery, bricklaying and concreting.
– The signing of the $2.3 billion National Skills Agreement (NSA) is the largest increase in funding for skills in South Australia’s history.
Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer said that the government had taken strong action to invest in the future of the state.
“A strong skills sector is imperative to ensuring a strong economy and to meet our ambitious agenda in projects such as the hydrogen plant, AUKUS and three-year-old preschool,” he said.
“Importantly, there have been improvements across the board with increases in the number of Aboriginal students, female students, regional students and students with a disability.
“The ongoing commitment to the skills sector, alongside the signing of the National Skills Agreement, ensures more South Australians will get the essential skills to fill the jobs needed in this state going forward.”
South Australian Skills Commissioner Cameron Baker said the data is very encouraging as an indicator of the health of South Australia’s VET and skills sector and reflects South Australia’s ongoing commitment to providing access to subsidised training pathways in both regional and metropolitan locations.
“It’s especially good to see that not only has there been an overall increase in the number of students in training, but that these increases come from all parts of our community, with more people accessing training and entering the workforce,” he said.
