There is renewed interest in better aligning vocational education and training and higher education to enable students to move between, and draw from, both sectors. This is not a new concept, with a long history of policies, research projects and reports examining and promoting pathways between the two sectors.

The aim of this synthesis piece is to provide an overview of some aspects of apprenticeships and traineeships in Australia. In particular, the synthesis brings together research and data on what could be considered five enduring issues.

There is general consensus that the Australian VET sector faces a number of workforce issues, including the ageing of VET teachers, the high level of casualisation, industry currency and the need to increase the capacity of trainers. Through interviews and surveys with registered training organisations and current VET practitioners, this research sought to better understand...

This report investigates skill underutilisation in Australian workers by examining patterns of over-skilling and over-qualification and the pathways of people into jobs where they are over-skilled. It also examines what businesses are doing, if anything, to maximise skill usage.

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) celebrates 40 years of operation on 2 November 2021. To commemorate this major milestone, this publication briefly outlines its history, including a chronology of key NCVER events over the past forty years.