What is Vocational Education and Training (VET)?
Vocational education and training - otherwise known as VET - is learning which broadens your skills in a specialised area and teaches you practical experience needed for the workplace. VET provides outcome-based qualifications which focus on occupational skills and competencies across all kinds of careers and industries.
Qualifications are nationally recognised and accredited, and are updated all the time to make sure you’re learning the latest skills and techniques. VET is also industry informed with educators having real-world experience in the courses they teach.
VET offers thousands of qualifications that can help you:
- get ready for work while you’re still in school
- start work for the first time
- restart work after an absence
- train for a new job
- advance your skills
- provide a pathway to university.
Some VET courses can be done as apprenticeships or traineeships, which means you can earn a wage while you learn, combining on and off the job study.
What are the levels of qualifications?
You can study certificates I, II, III and IV, diplomas and advanced diplomas. The content of these qualifications depends on what you’re studying. To give you an idea of how this works in the real world, most apprenticeships are at a Certificate III level, and that qualifies you to work independently in your chosen field.
A Certificate I teaches you the basic functional knowledge and skills to undertake work.
Teaches you the basic fundamentals to undertake mainly routine work.
Teaches you to apply a broad range of knowledge and skills in varied contexts to undertake skilled work.
Teaches you to apply a broad range of specialised knowledge and skills in varied contexts to undertake skilled work.
Teaches you to apply integrated technical and theoretical concepts in a broad range of contexts to undertake advanced skilled or paraprofessional work.
Teaches you to apply specialised knowledge in a range of contexts to undertake advanced skilled or paraprofessional work.