South Australia recorded the highest ever number of school students undertaking vocational education and training (VET) in 2024, as more students see VET as a viable and rewarding career pathway, providing secure, well-paid jobs.
VET in Schools activity figures covering the 2024 calendar year were released today by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).
In total, there were 13,530 SACE students undertaking VET in 2024, the highest number on record, and up 14.1 per cent compared with the national increase of 5.8 per cent from 2023, an increase of 1,675 students, and a 26 per cent increase from 2022, a rise of 2,790 students.
Of the 13,530 students undertaking VET in 2024, there were increases in the number:
- reporting a disability: up by 61.1 per cent, from 720 in 2023 to 1,160 – the highest percentage increase in the nation.
- identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander: up by 30.3 per cent, from 495 in 2023 to 645.
- from regional and remote locations: up by 25.5 per cent, from 3,060 in 2023 to 3,840 – the highest percentage increase in the nation.
- attending TAFE: up by 15.5 per cent, from 2,965 in 2023 to 3,425.
- studying courses at Certificate III level and above: up by 12.8 per cent, from 6,935 in 2023 to 7,825.
- attending a government school: up by 11.8 per cent, from 7,105 in 2023 to 7,940.
- of female students: up by 10.6 per cent, from 5,380 in 2023 to 5,950
In addition, there were:
- 15,075 program enrolments, up 17.1 per cent, or 2,205 more enrolments, 9.9 percentage points above the national increase of 7.2 per cent.
- 124,330 SACE subject enrolments, an increase of 14.1 per cent or 15,375 more enrolments – 9.7 percentage points above the national increase.
These results coincide with Findon Technical College opening for years 10-12 to complete a VET pathway into a guaranteed career. Port Augusta has now opened, with Mount Gambier, The Heights and Tonsley Technical Colleges opening in 2026.
SA Government schools have the highest proportion of VET in Schools students (58.7 per cent), and there were 835 more students at a SA Government school in 2024 compared to 2023, an 11.8 per cent increase.
The South Australian Government's Industry Pathways, part of the $19 million Career Education and Pathways Strategy investment by the Malinauskas Labor Government, is helping secondary students to get a head start in their career while still at school, with better information, connections to industry and employers and tools and resources to start planning a career.
Nearly 90 per cent of all SACE student program enrolments in 2024 were aligned to the government's priority industry sectors, including civil construction, resources and infrastructure, building and construction, electrotechnology, engineering, health, IT, and transport and manufacturing.
As put by Joe Szakacs
Our Government is committed to vocational education and the opportunities it provides. We want South Australians to know they don't have to go to university to have well-paid, long-term careers.
With more information available about VET pathways, and as new Technical Colleges open across South Australia, more school students are starting on a VET journey.
The data shows that a VET in Schools option is increasingly attractive and accessible, with those reporting a disability up more than 60 percent, First Nations up over 30 percent and those living in regional areas up more than 25 per cent.
VET programs are critical to providing a skilled workforce in support of the major, multi-generational projects on the horizon in South Australia including AUKUS, major infrastructure projects and 3-year-old preschool.
VET is now known as a rewarding, future-focused choice for school students, backed by government investment and aligned with real-world opportunities.
The growth in enrolments in our state's priority industry sectors, such as construction, infrastructure and IT, means we are building a pipeline of skilled workers that can tackle critical skills shortages much earlier.
