Government-funded places in Vocational Education dropped by 7% in the first six months of 2026.
Data released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) yesterday paint a gloomy picture for the Accord, with a decline in enrolments in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and the NT. South Australia, WA and the ACT all recorded increased enrolments against the trend.
Private training providers recorded larger declines than TAFEs, particularly in Victoria
Enrolments for the January to June period dropped to 783,605 this year, more than 130,000 enrolments below the COVID peak of 914,275.
Student numbers also declined across most cohorts identified as a priority to attract to training, with Regional and Remote enrolments down 6.9%, Young people (under 25) down 3.9%, unemployed people down 3.3% and Indigenous enrolments down 1%. The only bright spot in advancing under-represented cohorts was people with a disability, with a 3.6% enrolment rise.
Commencements plummeted in early childhood, with enrolments for the period in Cert III courses down from 15,475 in 2025 to 11,345 in 2026.
Jobs and Skills Australia recently released a report stating that VET enrolments would continue to be stunted relative to HE until industries started to make technical and trades jobs more attractive.