Initial and Continuing VET in Australia: Clarifying Definitions and Applications. Research Report

This report examines whether a distinction can be made in Australian VET between initial vocational education and training (IVET) and continuing vocational education and training (CVET), as applies in a number of other countries. Assisting students to more effectively identify and undertake courses that will optimise their outcomes from VET is the major rationale for this investigation. The other objective of this research is to enhance our understanding of VET, enabling useful input into future policy development and implementation. This report covers the following: (1) a brief overview of key aspects of IVET and CVET internationally (with a focus on Europe) and commentary on the Australian context; (2) an outline of the context of the Australian VET system and the features pertinent to the IVET/CVET distinction; and (3) a summary of expert views in relation to six questions on the distinction between IVET and CVET.