Higher Ed and Vet Join Forces to Give Workers all the Skills they Really Need
Tertiary study is no longer a choice between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education, with training providers and education institutions starting to work together to give Australians all the skills they need to work.
The education sector and industry have recognised that learning and upskilling can be an evolution during workers’ careers as well as a journey tailored to each individual’s unique preferences and set of circumstances.
By collaborating rather than competing, tertiary education providers can provide many advantages to students and workers, including saving them time and money.
This harmonisation helps overcome the stereotype that university has to be completed straight from school, as higher education can be accessed when individuals are aged 25, 35, 45 or older, such as when they make a career change or want to return to the workforce.
It also overcomes barriers that people may have had accessing an ATAR in high school, ranging from a lack of self-confidence in their academic ability to difficulties accessing learning in regional and remote communities.
It enables individuals to try a career path first before committing to longer term study; get the basic skills to work in an industry while continuing their education; and gives individuals practical skills or a specific upskill to be employed or further their career after completing a degree.
Jobs and Skills Australia’s report Opportunity and Productivity: Towards a Tertiary Harmonisation Roadmap states a more connected tertiary education system can potentially lift workforce productivity and skill levels and help build the workforce Australia needs in the future.
Facilitating better student pathways, by improving guidance on credit and recognition of prior learning, as well as streamlining regulation for dual sector providers, can help in achieving a seamless and aligned tertiary education system, it says.
VET is no longer just about skills and higher education is no longer just about knowledge – it’s a two-way street in which skills and knowledge are built together.
In Australia, there are a range of options for study across vocational education providers, higher education institutions and cross-sector tertiary education providers.
DUAL SECTOR UNIVERSITIES
Dual sector universities, such as Swinburne University of Technology, Charles Darwin University, CQ University, Federation University, RMIT University and Victoria University, offer both vocational education and higher education qualifications. They provide courses from certificates and diplomas through to degrees and postgraduate qualifications, providing accessible pathways through the qualification levels and within the one institution.
Catherine Oldham, Victoria University’s Skills and Jobs Centres manager, says individuals can make the education and training provider their partner in lifelong learning, accessing whatever qualification they need at whatever point in their career.
“The point of difference is that a student can commence with a VET course and then be on a pathway into a higher education course, should that be their preference for their career,” she says.
For example, a student starting with certificate III or certificate IV would gain an intermediate level of skills for the workplace and can choose to follow this qualification with a diploma.
The diploma may lead to a highly skilled job and/or provide a direct pathway into a university degree.
Completing a VET qualification can also potentially earn a student credit toward their university degree, reducing the overall time it will take to complete it.
Dual sector institutes provide a range of course options to meet individual needs, such as a pre-apprenticeship course to get a taste of what a trade is like and prepare for an apprenticeship, a foundation or transition program to prepare for a university course, or a standalone VET course or bachelor degree to get qualified for the job they want.
VET DIVISIONS OF UNIVERSITIES
Some universities, such as the University of Queensland, offer vocational education and training under a division of its operations.
UQ Skills is a Registered Training Organisation that is part of the University of Queensland.
However, only one in five students who complete a VET qualification through UQ Skills will transfer through to a university degree.
Meanwhile, about a third of its students already hold a degree.
Its mission is to build the capability of workforces by giving students and workers the skills they need, regardless of their previous study background.
Dane Ivicevic, director at UQ Skills, says it therefore has a broad student cohort.
For example, it helps individuals who live in regional and remote areas by going into communities and teaching people the skills they need to get work, rather than requiring them to travel to Brisbane or another regional centre to learn on campus.
It also helps disadvantaged and underrepresented student cohorts gain entry into and aspire for education.
Students who hold previous tertiary qualifications also upskill through VET to stay current, he says.
“They’re already in industry and they’re engaging in a very specific occupational skills course that fulfills the needs of the emerging job trends,” he says.
“We use VET to add employability skills to degree graduates so that they’re differentiated in the market and they’re highly employable.
“We run vocational programs in high school to try and ignite passion and build identity for people to consider careers and further education in both VET and higher ed.
“All it takes is that spark and it completely rewrites the narrative for students, and I think that when you deliver VET with empathy and strategic intent, it truly does transform communities and lives.”
UNIVERSITY MICROCREDENTIALS
Microcredentials are short courses that provide “bite-sized pieces of learning” to give workers exact skillsets that they need to further their career.
The new Adelaide University, which integrates the existing University of Adelaide and University of South Australia and will begin operating on January 1, 2026, will provide microcredentials among its variety of bachelor degree and postgraduate qualifications.
Microcredentials can be nationally recognised qualifications, or recognised at a company level, says Professor Susan James Relly, head of the School of Education at the University of Adelaide.
“They’re a great way of dipping back into the learning sphere if you’ve been out of it for a while and you can develop that knowledge and skill that you feel you need without having to go back and start again or move into a postgraduate degree,” she says.
“Most often they are pieces of learning that people can do in their own time.
“They don’t have to have this particular day at this particular time to do it; they can log in and out and complete the learning at their own pace.
“They are ways of upskilling the workforce that allows busy professionals to get that professional development that they might not otherwise look for.”
For example, teachers can complete microcredentials on teaching phonics or managing a classroom.
It is one of the ways Adelaide University will provide equity and access for students. Another aim is to increase pathways between VET and higher education. For example, it plans to give credit for an early childhood educator to enrol in a shortened teaching degree, and improve links for technical college students to enrol in degrees such as engineering.
DEGREE APPRENTICESHIPS
Degree apprenticeships are an emerging style of learning that gives students the higher education as well as the practical education they require to be well-rounded professionals.
BAE Systems is one of the employers offering the new qualification in software engineering and mechanical engineering to skill its workforce.
Degree apprentices get on-the-job training in their role within the company as well as academic learning, says Tom Johnson, principal of Apprenticeships and Traineeships at BAE Systems.
“You’re getting that experience and the skills that come with working within the workforce and you’ve also got the academic and qualification piece as well,” he says.
“As the name suggests, you go to a university and study a degree, and you’re doing that alongside spending time to learn those on-the-job skills.
“Not everybody who’s leaving school knows that they want to go straight into uni. And likewise, someone might love the engineering aspect of it and doesn’t feel like they want to go down that trade route.
“So this degree apprenticeship sits in between those.”
He says degree apprenticeships also provide individuals who want to go to university with the ability to earn while they learn, which can be particularly advantageous for career changers.
“This is a way of opening the door and removing some of the obstacles and barriers that are in the way to go to uni, once you’ve passed the school-leaving age,” he says.
He says it is one of the ways industry and employers are working with education providers to tailor learning and equip employees with the right amount of information to do the best possible job they can.
CASE STUDY: LARA WILSON, STUDENT SUPPORT OFFICER AND TEACHING STUDENT
Lara Wilson, 18, is studying at university to become a primary school teacher after a vocational traineeship helped to confirm her interest in the field.
In high school, she sought advice from the VET coordinator about the career options that would suit her interest, and applied for a Certificate III in School Based Education Support traineeship at Hospital School SA.
She was paid for work, completed the qualification and gained credits for her high school certificate.
While she did not gain credit towards her university degree, her VET course still contributed to her being accepted.
“I achieved one of the highest ATARs in my grade, thanks to the VET course,” she says.
“I could still do my studies and still earn a qualification and get a job all at the same time, in a career that I was wanting, instead of staying at school and doing subjects that didn’t really align with where I wanted to go.”
She is still working part time at Hospital School SA as a student and education support officer while doing her university study.
“I’m able to bring a lot of practical knowledge into what we’re learning about in class, and I’m having some really meaningful conversations, particularly with the lecturers, about the topics that we’re going through,” she says.
“It’s given me a step up.
“I’m in my third year here now and I still come home every day thinking this is just amazing, this is the place I want to be and I’m helping people.
“The power of VET and university is that both are such strong pathways, but neither one is right or wrong and it’s about the individual choosing an option and pathway that is right for them and not being pressured by what other people believe and think you should be doing.”
CASE STUDY: LAWSON CONNOR, EMERGENCY CALL TAKER AND PARAMEDICINE STUDENT
Lawson Connor, 17, completed a Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance as part of a traineeship at school through the advice of his school’s career advisor.
Lawson regularly was taken to hospital in an ambulance during his childhood because of his epilepsy so was interested in pursuing a healthcare career.
The experience confirmed it was where he wanted to work – and particularly as a paramedic.
“I think I did over 200 hours of clinical placement in various different areas of healthcare and it was from this experience that I knew I definitely wanted to do paramedicine, given my personal experience,” he says.
“Because I had missed out on so much school because of my epilepsy, I wasn’t able to get an ATAR.
“I knew I wanted to do paramedicine but I didn’t have a pathway because I wasn’t going to get an ATAR (to be able to apply for the bachelor degree after school), which was a bit scary.
“Then I realised I could use the certificate at a pathway, so I did and now I’m in university studying paramedicine.”
His university outlines a certificate III qualification is one of the ways students can meet the application criteria.
READ MORE: James Schifferle’s story
Meanwhile, Lawson applied for another traineeship, in which he obtains a Certificate III in Ambulance Communications while working as a Triple 0 call taker, giving him further skills and an income while he studies paramedicine.
“It’s really good industry experience, especially for the role I want to go into with paramedicine,” he says.
“I started that a couple of months ago and have been loving it.”
When considering your higher education pathway, keep an open mind and Explore All The Options
Cara Jenkin is a freelance journalist with more than 20 years’ experience working in the print, digital and television media. It included 10 years as the editor of NewsCorp’s Careers employment section, covering topics ranging from education and training to workplace career advice.