VDC News
October Edition
Edition 16 - 2026 | 14th October 2026
OECD data highlights opportunities—and challenges—for Australian VET…
The OECD’s Education at a Glance 2026 country note shows that Australia’s education system is characterised by relatively high levels of tertiary education attainment. In 2025, more than half (54%) of Australians aged 25–64 held a tertiary qualification, well above the OECD average of 43 percent.
One particularly relevant finding is the declining proportion of younger Australians whose highest qualification is what the OECD categorises as an upper secondary vocational qualification (ie most Certificate III qualifications in Australia and lower AQF level VET qualifications). In 2025, this was the highest level of attainment for 15 percent of Australians aged 55–64, but only 12 percent of those aged 25–34. The same trend is evident in almost all OECD countries as more young people gain higher level tertiary qualifications.
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VET completion rates show signs of…
The latest NCVER data on qualification completions show that almost half (48.9%) of nationally recognised VET qualifications which students commenced in 2021 were completed within four years. This was slightly below the 49.5 percent recorded for the 2020 commencing cohort, but higher than the rates for each of the previous four years.
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Changing patterns of worker…
New research from Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), Recent trends for displaced workers in Australia, is an important study for the VET sector to contemplate as technology like AI changes how work is done in some jobs and industries, and as the Reserve Bank contemplates further increases in inflation which may result in higher levels of unemployment in Australia. VET’s role in supporting displaced workers through economic transitions is often vital.
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Professional Learning: An Opportunity to…
As the final quarter of 2026 gets underway, many VET practitioners will be reviewing their Professional Development Plans (PDPs) and identifying opportunities to strengthen capability before the year concludes. With the end of the year in sight, now is an ideal time to address outstanding professional development goals, deepen expertise in priority areas and explore contemporary practice that continues to shape teaching, learning and leadership across the VET sector.
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ACDEVEG Conference 2026: Registrations…
Registrations are now open for the 2026 Australian Council of Deans of Education Vocational Education Group (ACDEVEG) Conference, to be held at Federation University Australia’s SMB Campus in Ballarat on 3-4 December 2026.
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Fee-Free TAFE enrolments pass 851,000…
The latest Fee-Free TAFE snapshot shows more than 851,000 enrolments between the program’s commencement in January 2023 and 30 June 2026. Over $1.5 billion has been committed through agreements between the Commonwealth and State and Territory governments to support more than 500,000 Fee-Free TAFE and VET places over four years.
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September Edition
Edition 15 - 2026 | 9th September 2026
New scorecard establishes baseline for…
Jobs and Skills Australia has released the first National Skills Agreement Outcomes Framework Balanced Scorecard, which provides a new baseline for assessing the performance of the VET sector. The scorecard covers nine outcomes including productivity and labour supply, student needs, industry responsiveness and delivery quality. In future releases it will allow the sector to evaluate the success of the National Skills Agreement (which only commenced in January 2024). Much of the data predates the agreement and some indicators have time lags, meaning the effects of current reforms and investments will take time to become visible.
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AI avatars offer valuable practice but…
A special artificial intelligence (AI) edition of ASQA IQ provides an important reminder about AI and what is needed for robust assessment decision making.
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The need for a ‘human-centred, hands on’…
A new report from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on AI use in teaching and learning argues that generative AI is changing education too fundamentally for providers to respond simply through minor adjustments to existing policies and assessments. And although the report was written for MIT, many of its conclusions are still highly relevant to VET providers.
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