What Factors Explain the Likelihood of Completing a VET Qualification? Support Document

People participate in vocational education and training (VET) for a variety of reasons and at different stages of their life. Some undertake VET to gain the vocational skills necessary to enter the labour market for the first time, while others enter in order to upgrade existing skills, learn new ones, or simply for personal interest. Successful completion of a VET qualification may not be the prime objective for all students. This consideration, together with the fact that not all people are equally capable of coping with the education and training demands required of some qualifications, suggests that measures of VET qualification completion rates may not be adequate for determining the full effectiveness of the sector. Hence, a number of different performance measures exist. However, little information is available on the likelihood of success for individual students or on the characteristics of those students more or less likely to succeed in completing their qualification. Consequently, there is a need to identify the various learner groups undertaking VET and determine those factors that impact upon their likelihood of success in completing their qualification. Complementary to the publication "Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics: VET Program Completion Rates 2011-15," the aim of the project is to identify the factors affecting the likelihood of completing a VET qualification among government-funded students. In doing so it is hoped that the findings prompt discussion on ways to improve VET completion by identifying the characteristics of those students most likely to complete a VET qualification. A further aim of this research is to explore the feasibility of using advanced data analytics to examine the factors that influence the likelihood of completing a VET qualification. Three appendices are included. [To view "Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics: VET Program Completion Rates 2011-15," see ED575989.]