The statistical report, based on 2024 data, provides information on the flow of government funding for vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. 

VET in Australia is funded by the Australian and state and territory governments. The state and territories provide funding to support VET delivery for local and national skills needs, and the Australian Government provides funding to support national skills. In addition, the Australian Government supports the states and territories with VET services by means of funding provided under intergovernmental funding arrangements.

Key findings

• Nationally, total government expenditure on VET increased 55.8% between 2019 and 2024 to $10 billion.
• The largest increase was employer assistance expenditure mainly driven by temporary Australian Government subsidies introduced to support apprenticeship commencements and completions during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 to 2022).
• Expenditure on apprentices increased by $2.9 billion (129%) between 2020 and 2022.
• VET delivery expenditure increased 36.1% between 2019 and 2024 reflecting a period of COVID-19 pandemic support, Fee Free TAFE from 2023 and National Skills Agreement policy initiatives which began in January 2024.
• As part of the National Skills Agreement, funding for VET has increased across key student cohorts, with a clear focus on equity and inclusion.

The report is accompanied by terms and definitions, explanatory notes, and jurisdictional accounting policies for property, plant and equipment.