The NCVER has just released the latest government-funded VET statistics showing 1.25 million students enrolled in government-funded vocational education and training in 2021, a 5% increase on 2020.

Despite some State and Territory governments stating that the TAFE sector has been the priority for government funding, nationally the picture has been mixed. Between 2017 and 2021:

• TAFE Institutes and other government providers (referred to here collectively as TAFEs) saw a 12% increase in government-funded VET students
• private providers had a 19% increase in government-funded VET students, and
• adult and community education providers experienced a -20% decrease.

However in the last twelve months:

• TAFEs saw a -2% decrease in government-funded VET students
• private VET providers a 20% increase, and
• adult and community education providers an 8% increase.

Looking beneath the national figures, government-funded students in TAFE decreased between 2017 and 2021 in South Australia (-16%), Tasmania (-6%), Western Australia (-5%), and the ACT and New South Wales (by -1% in each jurisdiction).

Figure 1: Government-funded VET students 2017-2021 (NSW, Vic, Qld, WA)

Figure 2: Government-funded VET students 2017-2021 (SA, Tas, NT, ACT)

Source: NCVER (2022) Government-funded VET students and courses 2021

Queensland has the lowest proportion of government-funded students enrolled in TAFE, with just 39% of all government-funded Queensland VET students studying at TAFE. The ACT (67%), Western Australia (65%) and New South Wales (61%) have the highest proportion of government-funded VET students in TAFE.

The Northern Territory saw a -21% decrease in the total number of government-funded VET students between 2017 and 2021. Victoria was the only other jurisdiction to experience a decrease, albeit a very modest -1%. All other jurisdictions increased the number of VET students they funded over the five years to 2021, some by a considerable amount (Queensland 18%, Western Australia 16%, New South Wales 15% and ACT 12%).

The proportion of the working age population in each State and Territory funded to undertake a VET course in 2021 ranged from a high of 11% of the working age population in South Australia to a low of just 4% in Western Australia.

Figure 3: Proportion of working population in government-funded VET (2021)

Sources: ABS (2022) Quarterly Population Estimates (2021, Q4) and NCVER (2022) Government-funded VET students and courses 2021

Differences also exist in the types of courses State and Territory governments choose to fund. The NCVER identifies 10 different categories, these have been condensed to 7 categories here:

• Training package qualifications
• Accredited qualifications
• Training package skillsets
• Locally developed skillsets
• Stand-alone nationally recognised subjects
• Non-nationally recognised programs
• Other (accredited courses, locally developed courses, higher education courses, and standalone non-nationally recognised subjects)

The data shows the New South Wales government, and to a lesser extent Western Australia, provide less funding for training package qualifications and more for short courses developed by their TAFE Institutes (locally developed skillsets and non-nationally recognised programs).

Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT allocate a higher share of government funding to training package qualifications, with significant funding for accredited courses also a feature in the Victorian VET sector.

In Tasmania and the Northern Territory the proportion of government funding allocated to students enrolling in stand-alone nationally recognised subjects is a noticeable feature.

Source: NCVER (2022) Government-funded VET students and courses 2021

The degree of diversity in how State and Territory governments allocate their VET funding, and the lack of apparent political ideology in some of the funding decisions, explain part of the reason why the former Federal government struggled with its attempts to enforce more national consistency in VET funding. It remains to be seen if the new Federal government will strive for more consistency in VET funding as it picks up the funding negotiations for the new National Skills Agreement with the States and Territories.