Allies and advocates of the TAFE system argue universities now enrol students better suited to training, so the Innovative Research Universities group had a look at study data for Year Nine students in 2006 and 2009 from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Youth to see what’s what.

The IRU accepts the demand driven system allowed all who wanted a university education and met entry requirements to study, but suggests VET’s quality and availability issues aren’t HE providers’ fault.

“The errors of VET are no reason to complain about the successes of universities,” the IRU argues.

The study finds 80 per cent of the survey population complete training, higher education, or both, qualifications. Of those that don’t, people predominate from the lowest SES quintile, 33 per cent, compared to 14 per cent -15 per cent for those in the top two quintiles. There is also an apparent gender-occupation skew, with 54 per cent of young women and 37 per cent of men graduating from university while 28 per cent of female have VET-only qualifications, compared to 40 per cent of males. IRU suggests this may be due to men choosing apprenticeships and accredited trade study.

Overall, the IRU argues that for all but the 20 per cent who abandon education and training, the data shows young people making, “sensible decisions” according to their circumstances and influences –professional families encourage children into university, voced trained parents point their kids towards, “practically oriented education and work.”

The IRU also positions itself for a push from the TAFE sector if a Labor Government establishes its promised post-compulsory education inquiry after the next election.

“There is much to resolve to ensure VET, led by TAFEs, works well. The relationship with a functioning higher education system is important. The long-term question for higher education is how universities and non-university providers can complement each other to provide a coherent tertiary offering for students.”