An extra 4000 training places have been made available in 2024 for secondary school students to undertake vocational qualifications as part of their WA Certificate of Education.

The State Government’s investment to fund additional places will allow for a total of 10,600 enrolments in publicly-funded VET Delivered to Secondary Schools (VETDSS) courses this year.

“We want more young people to take up apprenticeships, and the State Government’s investment … is helping pave the way for them to do just that,” Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk said in a statement.

“The additional funding means [these] Year 10, 11 and 12 students can explore vocational training options while they’re still at school – also developing critical skills to help them become ‘job ready’.

The VETDSS program gives secondary school students an opportunity to learn more about industries of interest and the vocational pathways available once they finish school.

Women’s Interests Minister Sue Ellery said it’s encouraging to see participation of women in pre-apprenticeships continuing to grow – “but we must keep at it”.

“Supporting and enhancing pathways for women into vocational training is crucial to helping achieve gender balance, which benefits women, employers and the economy,” Ellery said.

“The Women in Pre-apprenticeship program is a practical initiative helping more young women get the skills they need to get an apprenticeship in in-demand trades.”

McGurk yesterday met with students in the Women in Pre-apprenticeship program (WIP) at South Metropolitan TAFE’s (SMT) Rockingham campus.

The young women are undertaking a Certificate II in Engineering (Heavy Fabrication Pre-apprenticeship). 

With the State Government funding of additional VET places, SMT developed the WIP to support and enhance female participation in VET pre-apprenticeship pathways.

The program provides young women an opportunity to build their engineering skills through hands-on learning in state-of-the-art facilities, using the latest industry-standard technology.

Following completion of the two-year pre-apprenticeship program, the participants will be ready to transition to an apprenticeship in engineering within the manufacturing and defence sector.

South Metropolitan TAFE’s efforts to improve female participation in pre-apprenticeships are already paying off, with the proportion of enrolments by females up from 16 per cent in 2023 to 22 per cent in the first semester of 2024.

Early preliminary data for 2024 shows that there have been almost 7000 enrolments in publicly funded VETDSS courses at WA TAFE colleges.

“The program is a practical example of South Metropolitan TAFE’s efforts to create greater gender balance in engineering and address the skills shortages so many of our priority industries are experiencing,” McGurk said.

The top five most popular VETDSS courses at WA TAFE colleges in 2024 are:

  • Certificate IV in Preparation for Health and Nursing Studies (725 enrolments)
  • Certificate II in Electrotechnology (Career Start) (413 enrolments)
  • Certificate II in Building and Construction (Pathway – Trades) (379 enrolments)
  • Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Preparation (327 enrolments)
  • Certificate III in Screen and Media (268 enrolments)

To further support the VETDSS program, the State Government is continuing to deliver its $243.3 million investment in upgrading facilities at WA TAFE colleges, and implement the $25 million Modern TAFE Equipment program to ensure VETDSS students have the latest industry-standard training equipment with which to train.

For more information about the training opportunities available for secondary students through VETDSS, click here.