Institutions
Most vocational education and training (VET) in Australia is provided in government-administered colleges. In some states and territories these are referred to as TAFE colleges or institutes. To a lesser extent, VET may also be provided by Institutes of Technology, some higher education institutions, schools and agricultural colleges, adult and community education authorities, private providers of education (such as business colleges) and employers. VET institutions offer programs for a wide range of purposes, ranging from recreation and leisure, through basic employment and educational preparation, to trades training, and para-professional and professional levels.
In 2003 there were 79 TAFE and other publicly funded institutions delivering VET training. A further 531 community education providers and 1,339 other providers (mainly private providers) delivering VET were at least partly publicly funded.
Students and courses
During 2003 more than 1.7 million clients enrolled in a publicly funded VET course, comprising 875,900 male clients and 834,400 female clients (table 10.12). Just under 55% of VET clients aged under 30 years were male. Females, however, were in the majority (52%) for VET clients aged 30 years or more.
10.12 VET CLIENTS(a), Vocational and preparatory courses(b) - 2003
|
 | Males | Females | Persons(c) |
| Age group (years) | '000 | '000 | '000 |
|
| Under 16 | 20.2 | 17.5 | 37.8 |
| 16 | 31.5 | 26.3 | 57.9 |
| 17 | 41.1 | 32.5 | 73.6 |
| 18 | 55.8 | 46.0 | 101.9 |
| 19 | 52.9 | 41.6 | 94.6 |
| 20-24 | 154.2 | 122.0 | 276.5 |
| 25-29 | 94.1 | 83.3 | 177.7 |
| 30-39 | 165.4 | 159.9 | 325.8 |
| 40-49 | 131.1 | 154.3 | 286.0 |
| 50-59 | 76.9 | 86.6 | 163.8 |
| 60-64 | 15.1 | 16.1 | 31.3 |
| 65 and over | 13.9 | 19.1 | 33.1 |
| Not stated | 23.7 | 29.2 | 57.8 |
| Total clients | 875.9 | 834.4 | 1,717.8 |
|
(a) Includes all VET delivery by TAFE and other government providers, registered community providers and publicly funded delivery by private providers. Fee-for-service VET delivery by private providers has been excluded. School students undertaking VET in schools have also been excluded. A client is any individual participating in a specific enrolment or training contract with a specific organisation at any time in 2003.
(b) Courses leading to a vocational award.
(c) Includes 'sex not stated'.
Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research, data available on request, Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics: Students and Courses. |
VET programs are classified to specific fields of education on the basis of similar emphasis or subject matter orientation. Table 10.13 shows the number of course enrolments in 2003 in each of the 12 fields of education. Since clients may be enrolled in more than one VET course the number of course enrolments is greater than the total number of clients - there were 2.1 million course enrolments in 2003 compared with 1.7 million clients.
Some 22% of enrolments in vocational and preparatory courses in 2003 were in the management and commerce field, while 15% were in the engineering and related technologies field, and 11% in the society and culture field (table 10.13). A further 13% of total enrolments were in mixed field programmes.
Males made up a clear majority of enrolments in the education fields of architecture and building (89%), engineering and related technologies (87%), agriculture, environmental and related studies (75%), information technology (64%) and health (56%). Females were in the majority in the fields of society and culture (72%), creative arts (59%), management and commerce (64%), education (58%), food, hospitality and personal services (59%), and natural and physical sciences (56%) (table 10.13)
10.13 VET(a) COURSE ENROLMENTS, Vocational and preparatory courses(b) - 2003
|
 | Males | Females | Persons(c) |
| Field of education | '000 | '000 | '000 |
|
| Natural and physical sciences | 3.5 | 4.6 | 8.2 |
| Information technology | 62.0 | 34.3 | 96.5 |
| Engineering and related technologies | 276.6 | 41.1 | 318.6 |
| Architecture and building | 103.9 | 13.5 | 117.4 |
| Agriculture, environmental and related studies | 75.4 | 25.2 | 100.8 |
| Health | 77.0 | 59.1 | 137.8 |
| Education | 27.5 | 38.9 | 66.8 |
| Management and commerce | 162.4 | 294.3 | 458.7 |
| Society and culture | 62.8 | 165.0 | 228.5 |
| Creative arts | 28.2 | 40.9 | 69.2 |
| Food, hospitality and personal services | 79.8 | 114.1 | 194.8 |
| Mixed field programmes | 114.1 | 144.7 | 259.8 |
| Total enrolments(a) | 1,073.2 | 975.8 | 2,057.2 |
|
(a) Includes all VET delivery by TAFE and other government providers, registered community providers, and publicly funded delivery by private providers. Fee-for-service VET delivery by private providers has been excluded. School students undertaking VET in schools have also been excluded.
(b) Courses leading to a vocational award.
(c) Includes 'sex not stated'.
Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research, data available on request, Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics: Students and Courses. |
Apprenticeships and traineeships
Some 35% of all apprentices and trainees at 31 December 2003 were in the broad occupational group tradespersons and related workers. In this group, construction and automotive trades accounted for 25% and 16%, respectively, of the group total (table 10.14).
Most (87%) of the apprentices and trainees in the broad occupational group tradespersons and related workers were male. The only field of trade in this occupational group with a female majority was hairdressers where 92% were females.
10.14 APPRENTICES AND TRAINEES, In training - 31 December 2003
|
 |  | Males | Females | Persons | Total |
| Major occupation group(a) | '000 | '000 | '000 | % |
|
| Managers and administrators | 1.8 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 0.7 |
| Professionals | 1.2 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.7 |
| Associate professionals | 13.4 | 15.9 | 29.3 | 7.4 |
| Tradespersons and related workers |  |  |  |  |
 | Mechanical and fabrication engineering | 16.3 | 0.4 | 16.7 | 4.2 |
 | Automotive | 22.2 | 0.3 | 22.5 | 5.7 |
 | Electrical and electronic | 17.9 | 0.3 | 18.2 | 4.6 |
 | Construction | 33.7 | 0.4 | 34.0 | 8.6 |
 | Food | 13.8 | 4.3 | 18.1 | 4.6 |
 | Skilled agricultural and horticultural workers | 5.3 | 0.8 | 6.1 | 1.5 |
 | Hairdressers | 0.8 | 9.9 | 10.8 | 2.7 |
 | Tradespersons and related workers n.e.c. | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
 | Other | 8.9 | 1.1 | 10.0 | 2.5 |
 | Total | 119.4 | 17.6 | 137.0 | 34.5 |
| Advanced clerical and service workers | 2.0 | 5.8 | 7.8 | 2.0 |
| Intermediate clerical, sales and service workers | 33.9 | 78.0 | 111.9 | 28.2 |
| Intermediate production and transport workers | 43.8 | 6.0 | 49.8 | 12.5 |
| Elementary clerical, sales and service workers | 10.6 | 10.5 | 21.1 | 5.3 |
| Labourers and related workers | 24.6 | 9.9 | 34.5 | 8.7 |
| Total | 250.7 | 146.4 | 397.1 | 100.0 |
|
(a) Major groups are classified according to the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations.
Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research, data available on request, Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics: Students and Courses. |
Staff
Table 10.15 shows the number of teachers working in VET institutions in 2002-03. Of all VET teachers 54% were employed full time. The majority of full-time VET teachers (67%) were male. In contrast, 59% of part-time VET teachers were female.
10.15 VET TEACHING STAFF(a) - 2002-03
|
 | Full-time staff(b) | Part-time staff | All teaching staff |
 | '000 | '000 | '000 |
|
| Males | 11.6 | 6.1 | 17.7 |
| Females | 5.8 | 8.8 | 14.7 |
| Persons | 17.4 | 15.0 | 32.3 |
|
(a) Annual average of quarterly data.
(b) Full-time refers to persons working 35 hours or more in the survey week.
Source: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed - Electronic Delivery, April 2004 (6291.0.55.001). |
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