Responding to changes in attraction, retention and achievement in Vocational Education and Training

Background

Vocational education and training aims to provide enough skilled workers to meet the labour needs of the economy and to improve the overall skill levels of the workforce. It provides people with practical training to gain new or improve existing skills.

In 2007, around 100 000 students accounted for 125 000 enrolments in publicly funded Vocational Education and Training (VET). The Department of Education and Training (DET) spent over $500 million of public funds on VET in 2007, of which approximately $335 million was used to purchase training. Over $300 million of this funding went to the 10 Technical and Further Education Colleges and Curtin Vocational Education and Training Centre (the Colleges).

Apprenticeships and Traineeships make up about 25 per cent of VET enrolments and Institutional Based Training (IBT) the other 75 per cent. Apprenticeships lead to mainly trade based qualifications and occupations and Traineeships are usually in non-trade areas. IBT covers a much broader range of courses and qualifications, largely in service occupations.

The demand for VET is affected by economic conditions. WA’s economic growth in recent years has increased industry demand for Apprentices and Trainees, while low unemployment tends to reduce student demand for IBT. Delivering VET to meet industry and community needs presents challenges for DET and the Colleges.

We examined trends in publicly funded VET delivered over the last five years. We focused on how DET and the Colleges manage attraction, retention and achievement and were responding to these trends.

What the examination found...

VET, through its funding and planning, is enrolment driven. While this approach is delivering more Apprentices and Trainees, it is not addressing a decline in IBT enrolments. The lack of focus on student retention and achievement means that DET and Colleges are not using all the available strategies to deliver skilled people to meet industry and community needs.

• DET and training providers have responded to increased demand for Apprentices and Trainees by increasing enrolments 72 per cent and 27 per cent respectively since 2003.
• Enrolments in publicly funded IBT have dropped by over 10 per cent (10 000 enrolments) since 2003.
• Objectives to increase enrolments overall, within certain occupations and amongst higher level courses are not being met.
• DET and Colleges’ planning limits their ability to improve IBT enrolments
• There is scope for DET and Colleges to improve IBT retention and achievement which would improve outcomes:
  • Students withdraw from or fail 28 per cent of IBT modules
  • DET and Colleges do not know how many students complete their IBT courses. Estimates made in 2002 were that only 16 per cent complete their course
  • There are significant variations in module withdrawal and failure rates across Colleges and courses, indicating potential for improvement.
• DET’s funding of Colleges provides no direct incentive for student retention and achievement:
  • DET contract and fund Colleges to deliver specified hours of training not numbers of skilled or qualified students
  • Colleges retain funding whether or not a student stays and completes a module or course
  • If Colleges had to pay a refund for IBT module withdrawals we estimate this would have cost them almost $20 million in 2007.
• DET and Colleges lack adequate information about student progress and outcomes, including skill sets, which reduces their capacity to devise successful strategies to improve retention and achievement.
• DET and Colleges are not consistent or systematic in identifying students at risk of withdrawing or failing and while most have support strategies they focus on equity groups rather than risk factors across the wider student community.

The Auditor General’s report makes a number of recommendations to help DET and the Colleges address these findings.

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