New data shows the COVID-19 pandemic had significant impacts on the employment outcomes for students who had completed a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in 2019.
The report VET Student Outcomes 2020: impact of COVID-19 on domestic students compiled by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, uses data from the National Student Outcomes Survey 2020. It examines how students who completed a VET qualification in 2019 were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of their employment outcomes on the 29th of May 2020.
The largest impacts included:
- A decrease in the proportion of male qualification completers employed full time, down 9.1 percentage points from the same time last year.
- Females aged between 20-24 years old were particularly hard hit, with 8.3% of those who completed their qualification during 2019 not employed at the end of May 2020, having lost their job due to the pandemic.
- Around one in ten were temporarily stood down due to COVID-19
- Around four in ten reported their hours had decreased since COVID-19
- At an industry level, qualification completers employed in the Arts and Recreation Services were hit the hardest by the restrictions implemented to stop the spread of the virus:
- 31.1% were temporarily stood down due to COVID-19
- 61.2% reported their hours had decreased since COVID-19
Of young females aged 18–24 who were employed at the end of May:
Quotes attributable to NCVER Managing Director Simon Walker
71.6% of domestic VET qualification completers were employed at the end of May 2020, a decline of 5.0 percentage points from the previous year.
For those who were employed after training, there was mixed impact on the number of hours worked since COVID-19, with 34.4% reporting their hours had decreased and 12.8% reporting their hours had increased.
There was some good news for the post-secondary education sector, with 32.5% enrolled in further study after training, the highest proportion in the past 3 years.
DOWNLOAD: VET Student Outcomes 2020: impact of COVID-19 on domestic students
To find out more about what information the survey collects and to view data from previous years, visit the NCVER Portal.
Enquiries: Deanne Loan M: 0413 523 691 E: deanneloan@ncver.edu.au
About NCVER: we are the main provider of research, statistics and data on Australia’s VET sector. Our services help promote better understanding of VET and assist policy makers, practitioners, industry, training providers, and students to make informed decisions.
This work has been produced by NCVER on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments, with funding provided through the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment.