There are substantial differences between universities in the proportion of undergraduate commencing students admitted on the basis of a vocational education and training (VET) award, according to a new study.
The report, A half-open door: pathways for VET award holders into Australian universities, which was released today by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), found that while some universities admit VET award holders at double the national rate of 10 per cent of total admissions, others are consistently below this figure.
“University policies and practices influence the rate at which institutions admit students on the basis of a VET award. Although all universities have policies to promote VET-Higher Education (HE) pathways, there are subtle differences between universities in the way they are implemented.
“And because of inconsistencies in these policies and practices, access for VET award holders will differ depending on the university they apply to,” said Sue Fergusson, NCVER’s General Manager, Research.
Ms Fergusson said this dispels the view that some fields of study ‘lend themselves’ more to VET-HE pathways than others.
The report, A half-open door: pathways for VET award holders into Australian universities, authored by Louise Watson, Pauline Hagel and Jenny Chesters, can be accessed from www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2659.html
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