ISA prepared this submission in response to the Commonwealth Department of Employment and Workplace Relations’ Strategic Review of the Australian Apprenticeship Incentive System.
Vocational Education and Training (VET) is of increasing importance to the future of Australia’s workforce. In September 2023, Jobs and Skills Australia’s report found that over the year to May 2023, 91 per cent of total employment growth was in occupations that require post-school qualifications, with over half requiring vocational education and training pathways. As highlighted in ISA’s recent submission to the Department on the VET Workforce Blueprint Consultation Paper, VET qualifications are highly valued in Independent schools as they provide young people with educational opportunities to learn important knowledge and develop employment-based skills and certification.
Australian School-based Apprenticeships are offered in many Independent schools across Australia as a key component of their VET offerings. These high-quality VET programs ensure senior students are prepared for early career roles in their chosen fields, helping to alleviate the national skills shortage. Many Independent schools are Registered Training Organisations.
VET’s importance to Independent schools is growing, as VET programs are increasingly becoming a focal point for senior high school students, with valid pathways such as apprenticeships offering students the opportunity to leave school with well-established fundamental skills for their chosen career. As a result, a sustainable and high-quality school-based VET workforce is of increasing value to the education sector and to meeting future workforce needs.