Description
In June 2011, NCVER ran a forum ‘Is VET worthwhile?’, to bring together the suite of research from four programs of work conducted over three years (2008–2010) by the Centre for Work + Life at the University of South Australia; the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics and Social Research at the University of Melbourne; the Social Policy Evaluation, Analysis and Research Centre at the Australian National University; and the Workplace Research Centre at the University of Sydney. This paper draws on the themes that emerged from the research and the forum discussion. It finds that whether VET is worthwhile for the wide variety of people who access it — students, workers or employers — depends on who you are and why you use it.