South Australia has emerged as the national leader in government-funded vocational education and training (VET), with student numbers, course enrolments, and hours of training all showing record increases.
The latest National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) report covering January to September 2025 reveals the state recorded the largest percentage growth in the nation across multiple VET measures.
Student numbers rose by 4 per cent to 67,915, while subject enrolments jumped 7.6 per cent and training hours increased 8.3 per cent. Program enrolments also grew by 0.6 per cent—the only increase nationwide.
Blair Boyer, South Australia’s Minister for Education and Child Development, hailed the figures as a sign of the state’s growing workforce capabilities. “South Australia is leading the nation when it comes to training more skilled workers for secure, well-paid jobs in areas such as AUKUS, building more homes and boosting renewable energy,” he said.
“By training more South Australians we are making sure everybody shares in the benefits of our government’s economic transformation.”
The rise in TAFE enrolments was particularly striking. In the first nine months of 2025, 35,085 students attended TAFE, up 3 per cent from 2024 and 20.4 per cent from 2022, when the sector was recovering from previous cuts and closures. Boyer credited this growth to government investment in rebuilding TAFE.
“TAFE SA was on its knees when we came to government. We’ve now re-built TAFE to ensure South Australians have access to a high-quality, public training provider—and more South Australians are studying there as a result.”
Growth was not limited to TAFE. Other training providers recorded a 5.5 per cent increase in student numbers, reaching 34,120—13.1 percentage points above the national decline of 7.6 per cent. Enrolments in courses aligned with government priority areas such as construction, defence, care, manufacturing, and clean energy rose by 4.8 per cent, with electrotechnology programs seeing a 38.8 per cent surge.
Joe Szakacs, Minister for Innovation and Skills, highlighted the broader economic importance of the trend. “The South Australian economy needs an additional 80,000 skilled workers over the next five years,” he said.
“That’s why the Malinauskas Labor Government is investing in TAFE and training—and we’re seeing the benefits of that through more South Australians being skilled up for the job they want.”
The increase was evident across diverse student groups. School students grew 11.3 per cent, apprentices and trainees 5.7 per cent, and unemployed students at enrolment 9.2 per cent. Female students, young people under 25, regional and remote learners, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students all saw significant growth—the highest percentage increases in the nation for their groups.
Szakacs emphasised that the government’s deliberate focus on priority areas was paying off. “Enrolments are particularly strong in construction, health and education.”
“We’ve had a deliberate strategy to align our training system with the areas in which we need more skilled workers. This data shows the strategy is working.”
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