About the glossary

The language of vocational education and training (VET) is complex and particularly prone to jargon and acronyms. The aim of this glossary is to provide a single up-to-date reference source for definitions of Australian VET-related terms, acronyms and organisations.

The glossary is based on 'A glossary of Australian vocational education and training terms' which was published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) in 2000. New content, sourced from recent NCVER publications, the VOCED database, websites of key Australian VET organisations, other VET glossaries and suggestions from NCVER staff, has been added.

The glossary contains:

• VET terms and concepts, including adult and continuing education and lifelong learning
• Australian VET organisations and some key international VET organisations
• key Australian historical documents
• VET-related acronyms.

The glossary excludes:

• terms which are in general use and for which the meaning is obvious
• international terms and concepts.

Each entry in the glossary includes:

• the term
• its definition
• cross references to related terms.

The bibliography below lists all publications and websites that were consulted in compiling the glossary.

  Glossary Bibilography (82 KB DOC file)