Can the international experience in the Australian VET System be improved? If so, how?
Our summary
The Australian vocational education and training (VET) system holds a crucial role in accommodating international students. Long term monitoring of international student feedback along with analysis of existing systems, highlighted recurring identified concerns across diverse international student clusters, such as culture and enrolled courses. Recognised existing systems, including communication platforms, access to information and supports, flexibility in course delivery, and self- advocacy, were utilised as a basis for discussion and opinions.
The research was conducted to:
- Examine how international students discovered and chose VET courses.
- Assess initial expectations versus actual outcomes among international student experiences.
- Identify areas for improvement in the current experience of international students within the VET system.
- Propose actionable strategies for enhancing international student experiences in the Australian VET system.
Overall, the article concludes that improving the international VET experience requires both systemic change and targeted strategies to support equity, quality, and employment pathways.
This article is published in the Australian Journal of Community Work, edition 4, which can be accessed below.