A 5 per cent increase in completion rates was recorded among students who had commenced a Certificate I or above in 2016.

Assistant minister for vocation education and skills, Karen Andrews, said all states and territories had registered increases in completion rates.

“Government-funded full time students 25 years and under with no prior post-school qualifications have estimated completion rates more than 10 points higher than the national average,” she said.

“Today’s results show states and territory governments are better targeting their subsidies and increasingly looking towards skill set enrolments — where people study a small number of specific units, rather than dropping out of a full course once they’ve gained the skills they require.

“It’s further proof that VET provides real skills for real careers and I look forward to these figures continuing to stay strong in the years ahead.”

Catholic College Careers adviser Sandie McKoy said there was evidence of the trends in the NCVER research among graduates from the class of 2016.

By the end of this year, it is estimated that 42 per cent of CCW students will have a VET qualification between Certificate III and a diploma.

Those students have also reported being very satisfied with both their course and their decision to pursue alternative tertiary pathways.

Some who began a university degree and exited, before entering the VET pathway, reported similar satisfaction.

“Our students are encouraged to pursue post school pathways that best suit their learning style, values, strengths, and aspirations, and are fully informed of all pathway options, including TAFE, traineeships, apprenticeships, university, and employment,” Ms McKoy said.

“Students are also offered post school career counselling and guidance to ensure they are supported at their ‘point of readiness’.

“For some of our students, this may mean that they transition into a TAFE course several years after graduating.” 

Ms McKoy said the research into the class of 2016 had also found VET students had a higher employment rate and earned wages “comparable to, if not exceeding” those of university graduates.

Many students were training in areas of skills shortages such as aged care, automotive work and construction.