A half-open door: pathways for VET award holders into Australian universities
The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has today published a research report titled ‘A half-open door: pathways for VET award holders into Australian universities.’ The report:
- presents data on the distribution of VET award holders between universities and jurisdictions in Australia, the characteristics of VET award holders in higher education, and variations between fields of education
- uses cluster analysis to investigate differences between universities and fields of education
- considers the admission rates of VET award holders by field of education (FOE) and the interaction between the institutional factors and fields of education revealed in the cluster analysis, and
- examines institutional policies and practices in regard to VET and higher education pathways.
Key messages from the report include:
University policies and practices appear to influence the rate at which institutions admit students on the basis of a VET award. While all Australian universities have policies to promote VET to higher education pathways, there are subtle differences between universities in the way these policies are implemented.
Inconsistencies in the policies and practices of universities mean that access for VET award holders will differ and depend on the university to which they apply. Consequently, this may restrict the access of VET award holders to higher education in some regions.