VET National Data Asset (VNDA)

The statistics from VNDA track changes to students’ income, employment and reliance on income support, both before and after training. It’s a unique data set that’s providing greater insights and more opportunities for analysis and advice. 

In addition to being a policy tool for government, the statistics from VNDA will better inform everyone involved in the VET sector – students, teachers, workers, employers, training providers and researchers.

How does the data work? VNDA leverages the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) managed by the ABS. It links records from the Total VET Activity data collected by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research with other government administrative data, including data from the ABS, the Australian Taxation Office, Department of Education and Department of Social Services.

It’s worth noting the VET sector serves a diverse student base. The statistics from VNDA do not account for the impact of individual attributes or socio-demographic circumstances. JSA acknowledges the challenges in interpreting results when the capabilities, preferences, experiences and ambitions of students vary. Therefore, direct comparisons – such as between qualifications, jurisdictions, or student demographic groups – should be made cautiously and always with appropriate contextual information.

Our latest VNDA data release is summarised in our report Pathways to economic mobility and improved equity: unlocking enhanced VET analysis through the VET National Data Asset (VNDA).  The report explores the national level outcomes for domestic, non-school, VET graduates, who completed a nationally recognised VET qualification in 2020-21. Analysis is focused on priority cohorts (female graduates, First Nations graduates, and graduates with disability), and a range of different student types, including age group, location and prior employment status of graduates. 

The report is accompanied by an extensive data release, providing national outcomes on approximately 500 qualifications, alongside state and territory results, Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and field of education data. The release introduces a range of data items, including outcomes for Culturally and Linguistical Diverse (CALD) students, outcomes by socio-economic measures, part-time employment and partial VET completers as well as occupational outcomes. 

The VET sector serves a diverse student base. The statistics from VNDA do not account for the impact of individual attributes or socio-demographic circumstances. JSA acknowledges the challenges in interpreting results when the capabilities, preferences, experiences and ambitions of students vary. Therefore, direct comparisons – such as between qualifications, jurisdictions, or student demographic groups – should be made cautiously and always with appropriate contextual information.

Additionally, due to the nature of administrative data, the statistics in this report (e.g. employment rates, income) are derived using business rules specific to VNDA. As a result, these figures are not directly comparable with labour statistics published from other data sources.

While the descriptive statistics offer useful insights, JSA is advancing analyses within VNDA, including rigorous modelling to better understand the relationships and impact of students’ demographic characteristics on their outcomes. Furthermore, JSA is continuously working to enhance VNDA’s methodology and explore deeper insights, such as the impact of the partial completion of VET study and graduate mobility as well as exploring approaches to improve timeliness and reduce the reporting lag of VNDA, while maintaining the integrity and quality of the data.

JSA releases student outcomes data from VNDA annually.

A webinar providing further detail and analysis on the latest VNDA Report will be held in the new year. Further details will be available shortly. 

JSA is advancing analyses within VNDA, including rigorous modelling to better understand the relationships and impact of students’ demographic characteristics on their outcomes. Furthermore, JSA is continuously working to enhance VNDA’s methodology and explore deeper insights, such as the impact of the partial completion of VET study, industry profiles and graduate mobility.

JSA welcomes feedback and engagement to help shape the focus of future VNDA analysis.

Please get in touch at VNDA@jobsandskills.gov.au.

The results of this release are based, in part, on data supplied to the ABS under the Taxation Administration Act 1953, A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999, Australian Border Force Act 2015, Social Security (Administration) Act 1999, A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999, Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 and/or the Student Assistance Act 1973. Such data may only used for the purpose of administering the Census and Statistics Act 1905 or performance of functions of the ABS as set out in section 6 of the Australian Bureau of Statistics Act 1975. No individual information collected under the Census and Statistics Act 1905 is provided back to custodians for administrative or regulatory purposes. Any discussion of data limitations or weaknesses is in the context of using the data for statistical purposes and is not related to the ability of the data to support the Australian Taxation Office, Australian Business Register, Department of Social Services and/or Department of Home Affairs’ core operational requirements.

Legislative requirements to ensure privacy and secrecy of these data have been followed. For access to PLIDA and/or BLADE data under Section 16A of the ABS Act 1975 or enabled by section 15 of the Census and Statistics (Information Release and Access) Determination 2018, source data are de-identified and so data about specific individuals has not been viewed in conducting this analysis. In accordance with the Census and Statistics Act 1905, results have been treated where necessary to ensure that they are not likely to enable identification of a particular person or organisation.