VET funding under the spotlight

Funding for the VET sector might be better allocated if based on completion rates rather than enrolments, says the head of the NCVER.  National Centre for Vocational Education Research managing director Tom Karmel made his comment after the release of 2011 NCVER statistics that show more than 92 per cent of students who enrol in a VET course intend to complete it. The statistics are based on a survey of about 10,800 students, most of who are enrolled in TAFE institutions or publicly funded training delivered by private providers. 

TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) and the Australian Education Union (AEU) rejected Karmel’s perspective as too simplistic.  TDA chief executive Martin Riordan said it failed to understand that, unlike universities, much TAFE training was competency based and should be funded on that basis.  The states and Commonwealth allocate about $4 billion a year to the VET sector.