National Skills Week kicks off today, and this initiative is all about celebrating the significant role that Vocational Education and Training (VET) plays in helping Australians unlock a world of career opportunities.
This year’s theme, Explore All the Options, invites Australians to explore all the options when thinking about education, training and next steps in their career. From apprenticeships, full qualifications, microcredentials to higher education pathways and career changes, there is a pathway for every learner and every stage of life.
One of those pathways belongs to Clarisse, whose story reflects the opportunities and real-world outcomes that VET can deliver.
From Student to Bakery Owner: Clarisse’s VET Journey
Clarisse has always dreamt of opening her own business and wanted to blend her passion for catering and customer service with her French heritage. When she first arrived in Australia from France, she was working two jobs to support herself. For her dream to come true, Clarisse knew she would need nationally accredited Australian qualifications, and so she embarked on a VET study journey.
She completed a Certificate III and IV in Hospitality and a Diploma in Hospitality Management, all while working full-time. Her hard work paid off. With the support of inspiring trainers and a mentor who later became her business partner, Clarisse now co-owns a French bakery and a catering business in Canberra.
“I have always dreamt of opening my own business and wanted to blend my passion for catering and customer service with my French heritage.” Clarisse Ambroise-Rees
While this is a true success story, it represents just one of the many pathways available through VET.[1] No two journeys look the same, and that is what National Skills Week celebrates. It is an opportunity to rethink assumptions and celebrate the diverse and flexible ways VET can build real-world, future-ready careers that are just like Clarisse’s.
Strong VET Engagement in the Service and Creative Sectors
Across Australia, thousands of others in our service and creative sectors are also building their careers through VET. The latest enrolment data shows how VET is developing a strong pipeline of future talent for our sectors. Among the 54 training packages, SIT – Tourism, Travel and Hospitality ranked 3rd in 2023, accounting for 10% of total VET program enrolments. CUA – Creative Arts and Culture also had strong representation, ranking 13th. These figures show the important role VET plays in our sectors, as well as the opportunity it offers to shape the workforce of tomorrow.
Building Futures: How VET Opens Career Pathways
While the above figures show the scale of participation in VET across our sectors, the benefits of VET go well beyond gaining a qualification: it could improve income, open up employment opportunities, and create pathways to further study. Evidence from Jobs and Skills Australia’s VET National Data Asset and NCVER’s VET Student Outcomes Survey shows:
Improved Income after Training [2]
- In the year following completion, VET graduates had a median income uplift of $11,800, earning a median employee income of $48,500.
- Among graduates who received income support prior to study, 39% were no longer on income support two years after completion.
Improved Employment after Training [3]
- Nationally, 45% of those unemployed before training found a job after completing their qualification.
- In SIT – Tourism, Travel and Hospitality, the outcomes were stronger, with 47% of previously unemployed students gaining a job after training.
- Nationally, 35% of those employed before training moved into a better job after completing their qualification. This figure was higher in SHB – Hairdressing and Beauty Services, with 39% of previously employed students securing a better job after training.
Pathways to Further Study [4]
- Nationally, 33% of students commenced further study after completing their training, while 22% progressed to a higher-level qualification.
- These figures were higher in CUA – Creative Arts and Culture, with 47% of graduates pursued further study, and 37% progressed to a higher level.
Showcasing Career Pathways in the Service and Creative Sectors
At SaCSA, we are proud to play an active role in this space. In partnership with industry and data custodians, we are creating a visual representation of career journeys across our service and creative sectors.
One example is our current Scoping Creative Futures: Career Journey Mapping project, which will deliver up to 40 career maps across subsectors including Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Design, Writing and Publishing, Digital Games, Screen and Music. These maps will make visible the complexities of career pathways, showing how workers move through education into the workforce and progress over time.
Insights from this work will inform strategies to improve career pathways, refine training products and guide workforce planning in the upcoming years.
About National Skills Week
National Skills Week 2025 takes place from 25 – 31 August 2025, under the theme “Explore ALL the Options”. For more information and details on how to get involved, visit National Skills Week.
[1] Your Career, VET success stories (2024).
[2] Jobs and Skills Australia, Strong and Responsive VET Pathways: 2019-20 Graduate Outcomes from the VET National Data Asset (2024). Based on 2019-20 qualification completers.
[3] National Centre for Vocational Education Research, VET Student Outcomes (2024).
[4] Ibid
Author: Teresa Chan is a Research and Analysis Lead at SaCSA, where she specialises in labour market economics. Teresa analyses the dynamics of workforce demand and supply, and she provides insights that inform workforce planning and address industry challenges.