Jobs and Skills Australia is the new power in training but the estimable National Centre for Vocational Education Research keeps producing the data the system depends on

Amongst all the easy announcements of change to perhaps the most complex policy province in the Commonwealth, the NCVER is oft overlooked. But it does the work that gives interest-groups the evidence to argue about.

Work such as Michelle Hall, Melinda Lees, Cameron Serich (NCVER) and Richard Hunt’s (Deloitte Australia) new paper, “Evaluating machine learning for projecting completion rates for VET programmes.” They conclude it might work, but the disruptions of the pandemic mean they can’t be sure. VET-wise this is as wonky as it gets – but it addresses an immensely important problem – delays in stats mean policy can be made with data that is years out of date.