This new report from NCVER presents the latest data on completion rates for VET qualifications shows that completion rates are ‘holding steady.’
It reports that “completion rates after four years, for nationally recognised VET qualifications commencing in 2019, were as follows:
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- 47.3% for all qualifications, down 0.3 percentage points from those commencing in 2018
- 48.2% for training package qualifications, down 0.5 percentage points from those commencing in 2018
- 37.0% for accredited qualifications, up 0.6 percentage points from those commencing in 2018.”
However, as always, subject load pass rates are much higher overall at around 83%. While they are high for training package qualifications, they are much lower for accredited ones. (The subject load pass rate is the ratio of hours studied by students who passed their subject(s) to the total hours committed to by all students who passed, failed, or were withdrawn from the corresponding subject(s).) To put some meat on the bones of the subject load pass rates, it does also vary a bit by qualification level, being around or over 80% for Cert II, III, IV and Diplomas but only 69% for Certificate Is.
Completion rates vary by qualification level, with rates being higher for Diploma and above and Certificate IVs (at 55.9% and 52.4% respectively). Rates are progressively lower for Cert III, II and I respectively at 47%, 41.7% and 35.6%. Field of study also affects things, with higher completion rates in the natural and physical sciences and education being relatively high and mixed field programs being quite low.
Finally, it’s interesting to contrast VET’s completion rates with that of higher education. A recent article in the Australian by Natasha Bita suggested that “Australian students are dropping out of university at record rates, with just 62 per cent completing a degree within six years.” It also points out that “The analysis, based on federal Education Department data, exposes a growing reliance on revenue from foreign students.”
Another article also describes the Institute of Public Affairs take on this topic. Certainly, completion rates vary across fields of study. Medicine has a high completion rate, but it’s much lower for social work and teacher education.
