New data from Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) confirms that TAFE provides an immediate, measurable boost to earnings and employment outcomes, with significant benefits evident even for students who do not complete a full qualification.
The JSA report, Partial VET Completers Outcomes, reinforces the recent findings from research by Nous Group for the Victorian TAFE Association, which found that 91 percent of Victorian TAFE learners achieve their employment goal.
Nationally, the JSA analysis found that VET learners who partially completed their qualification recorded a median income increase of $7,000 in the year following training, taking their median annual income to $44,500. This stands alongside a 10-percentage point increase in the employment rate for partial completers, rising to 75 percent overall. Crucially, almost half of those who were not working before their training successfully secured employment within a year.
The economic benefits of vocational training are especially strong for younger learners and those undertaking work-based pathways. Learners under the age of 20 recorded the largest financial gains, with a median income increase of $16,800 and an employment rate surge from 44 percent before training to 75 percent after training. Apprentices and trainees who completed part of their course achieved a 90 percent employment rate and a $13,800 median income uplift, nearly doubling the national average for partial completers.
Beyond increased income and employment, the data clearly highlights the important role VET plays in supporting economic participation and reducing reliance on government support. One year after training, 28 percent of partial completers who previously relied on income support were no longer accessing it. Among those already employed before training, 12 per cent moved from part-time to stable, full-time employment thanks to their new skills. .
With demand for skilled workers continuing to grow across the economy, the VTA is calling for further investment in public vocational education through its Top Four Priorities to ensure Victoria’s TAFEs can continue to deliver the workforce and productivity outcomes Victoria needs.
Quotes attributable to Alex White, CEO of the Victorian TAFE Association:
“This data proves that public vocational education and training should be an equal first choice. Every single day a student spends inside a TAFE classroom builds tangible, high-value skills that Victorian employers are hungry to reward.”
“A TAFE qualification immediately lifts earnings and employability. This is TAFE performing its core role: life-changing economic and social inclusion with opportunities for lifelong career advancement.”
Media contact
Alex White
Chief Executive Officer
Victorian TAFE Association
awhite@vta.vic.edu.au
0403 694 397
About the Victorian TAFE Association
The Victorian TAFE Association (VTA) is the peak body for the Victorian TAFE sector, comprising Victoria’s 12 TAFE Institutes, four dual sector universities and AMES Australia. We proudly champion public vocational education and training (VET) with a focus on sustainability, quality, and outcomes for learners, industry, and community.