A new campaign launched by the Victorian TAFE Association (VTA) today is rewriting the narrative around what success looks like for TAFE students by shifting the focus on to employment outcomes.
Centred around a short film titled The Measure of Success, the campaign highlights recent research revealing that 91 per cent of TAFE students undertaking training for employment-related reasons achieve their employment goals.
The research, conducted by Nous Group for the VTA, also found that four-in-five TAFE students enrol primarily for employment-related reasons and that strong outcomes are achieved even among students who do not complete a full qualification.
The film, produced in partnership with Said & Done Media, forms part of the VTA’s campaign to challenge the narrow public focus on completion rates and explore a more meaningful measure of success: whether learners gain the skills, opportunities and career outcomes they set out to achieve.
VTA Chief Executive Officer Alex White said the findings should reshape the conversation about vocational education and training.
“For too long, the value of TAFE has been judged primarily through completion rates. This report shows that the real question is whether students are achieving the outcomes they came to TAFE to achieve, and overwhelmingly they are.”
“When 91 per cent of learners are achieving their employment goals, it’s clear that Victorian TAFEs are delivering for students, employers and communities. The documentary helps tell the human stories behind those outcomes.”
The report, written by Nous Group for the VTA, found TAFEs are delivering particularly strong outcomes in sectors critical to Victoria’s future workforce needs, while also supporting learners from cohorts that can face social and economic barriers to education and employment.
Nous Group Principal Zac Ashkanasy said the research demonstrated why employment outcomes provide a clearer understanding of TAFE’s contribution.
“The evidence shows Victorian TAFEs are successfully helping learners enter, remain in and progress through the workforce. Looking at employment outcomes gives us a much more accurate picture of the value TAFEs create.”
“What the data shows is that students use TAFE in different ways to achieve different goals. Success cannot be measured solely by qualification completion when learners are achieving the employment outcomes they set out to achieve.”
As Victoria faces workforce shortages across key industries, the discussion has never been more relevant.
The documentary and report are available at www.vta.vic.edu.au/91-per-cent.
ENDS
Media contact:
Jenny Stramilos
Strategic Communications Manager
Victorian TAFE Association
jstramilos@vta.vic.edu.au
0412 870 220
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.