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.
The report highlights a number of positive outcomes from VET. Students completing a qualification in 2020–21 experienced a median income increase of $14,100, compared with $11,800 for the previous cohort – and JSA expects income increases to continue to improve. Employment rates after course completion have also improved and again are expected by JSA to continue to increase.
Training activity is also becoming better aligned with workforce priorities: completions linked to occupations in national shortage increased by approximately 26 percent between 2020 and 2024, while completions associated with the National Skills Agreement’s priority areas, including housing and construction, essential care services, digital and technology, and the net-zero transition, increased by approximately 45 percent.
The findings on learner experiences in VET are more mixed. Among government-funded students, overall satisfaction declined slightly from 85.4 percent in 2024 to 84.6 percent in 2025, below the agreement’s minimum 2028 target of 87.7 percent. The subject load pass rate was 80.7 percent in 2024, against a minimum target of 82.7 percent (although this was up slightly from 79.4 percent in 2024), while 82.1 percent of students reported achieving their main reason for undertaking training.
There were modest improvements in students’ reported numeracy, writing and problem-solving skills. The proportion of students who left VET because of training-related issues (eg inflexible timetabling, problems with placements or training not meeting their expectations) also fell from 25 percent in 2024 to 21.2 percent in 2025.
Outcomes from VET continue to vary considerably between learner groups. First Nations students reported 87 percent satisfaction rates and exceeded the national stretch targets for improved numeracy, writing and problem-solving skills. But at the same time, their qualification completion and subject pass rates remained below the national average.
The most persistent gaps were recorded for learners with disability: satisfaction was 79.5 percent, subject load pass rate was 74.4 percent ,and only 40.9 percent reported improved employment outcomes after training. The report points to accessible learning materials, reasonable adjustments, consistent support services, and place-based partnerships as important mechanisms to improve outcomes for these learners.
Employer satisfaction is another area requiring attention. Satisfaction among employers using nationally recognised training was 76.1 percent in 2025, compared with the minimum 2028 target of 80.5 percent in the NSA and a high of 84 percent back in 2015. By comparison, satisfaction with unaccredited training was higher, at 86.2 percent.
The report identifies training quality, standards, and the relevance of the skills being taught as contributing factors, but also makes clear that employer perceptions are influenced by their workplace practices, economic conditions and employers’ capacity to use newly acquired skills.
