Every Victorian deserves the opportunity to get the skills they need for the job they want. We work with training providers to make sure training is accessible to everyone.
We support our state's growing economy by meeting industry skills and training needs.
Our role is to support vocational education and training (VET) in Victoria, and oversee adult community and further education.
We also protect the quality of Victoria’s training sector, with TAFEs at the centre of the market. We have a role to steward the apprenticeship system in Victoria. In all of our work we stand beside First Peoples to embed their aspirations to improve skills outcomes.
We work collaboratively with Victorian universities and the Australian Government in relation to higher education, to leverage the strengths of universities to deliver the skills needed in the Victorian economy.
We deliver this work through the department’s Skills and Employment Group in partnership with the Victorian Skills Authority, which supports the Minister for Skills and TAFE.
Our goals are to:
- increase participation in and completion of training, skills and higher education
- provide skills to deliver Victoria's critical workforces in areas like housing, care economy and clean energy
- give Victorians portable skills that hold value wherever they go
- build awareness of higher learning as a recognised and valued pathway
Our work is led by the following branches:
Adult, Community and Further Education, Higher Education and Workforce
Our Adult, Community and Further Education (ACFE), Higher Education and Workforce branch works with industry and community to ensure Victoria has a pipeline of skilled workers in the sectors that need them. Some of these sectors are a priority for government, such as construction, clean energy and the care economy.
ACFE provides adult education in local community settings known as Learn Locals. Learn Locals are not-for-profit community organisations offering a wide range of courses including literacy, numeracy, English language, employability and digital skills.
Through this branch, we collaborate with universities to improve outcomes for tertiary students in Victoria and manage appointments to university councils and the Boards of ACFE and AMES Australia. We also work with the Australian Government to make sure more Victorians can benefit from quality higher education.
Apprenticeships Victoria
We set up Apprenticeships Victoria in 2021 to support safe, high-quality apprenticeships and traineeships.
We promote and improve career pathways for apprentices and trainees through policy reform and delivery of safeguarding initiatives and innovative programs. These aim to address skills shortages and how we can increase participation in apprenticeships and traineeships with a particular emphasis on women and First Nations people.
We use our connections with industry, the training system and across government, to boost quality and innovation in the apprenticeship system.
Apprenticeships Victoria’s Apprenticeship Support Officer program provides advice and support to apprentices across Victoria to support their journey and enhance completion rates.
We oversee initiatives like a new mental health support and training program for apprentices. We will also support initiatives and reform stemming from the work undertaken in the Apprenticeships Taskforce.
Apprenticeships Victoria will implement the Priority Apprenticeships model which will work to improve the pipeline of apprentices and trainees into housing, construction, clean economy and other priority industries. Apprenticeships Victoria will work to ensure that the apprenticeship and traineeship system in Victoria is responsive, inclusive and aligned with the needs of both local communities and the state economy.
Office of TAFE Coordination and Delivery
The Office of TAFE Coordination and Delivery (OTCD) leads Victoria's TAFE Network. OTCD drives innovation in how TAFEs provide their training and coordinates Network delivery of the Victorian Skills Plan.
The OTCD works with 12 TAFEs and 4 dual-sector university TAFE providers in Victoria. We lead the TAFE Network to provide courses and training that meet the needs of industries, communities and students.
We carry out this work through two branches. The TAFE Partnerships and Implementation branch is responsible for:
- strategic planning and coordination, with a focus on improved outcomes and quality
- implementation of TAFE reform initiatives and program delivery
- managing partnerships with individual TAFEs and the TAFE network
The TAFE Service Delivery branch is responsible for
- TAFE training provision planning and delivery against the Victorian Skills Plan
- strategy for reform including shared resources, ICT and procurement
- oversight of the TAFE Network’s financial performance and health
- developing and implementing performance and accountability frameworks
- overseeing construction projects and strategic asset planning
For more information, read the TAFE Network Statement of Priorities.
For advice about learning through TAFEs, contact the TAFE and Training Line:
Policy and Strategy
Through our Policy and Strategy (PSB) branch, we set policy, monitor performance and manage the budget for VET in Victoria. PSB is also responsible for the key policy settings enabling strong VET system stewardship in Victoria, including subsidies, funded courses and Free TAFE policy.
We partner with the Australian Government and other states and territories to progress reform and shape initiatives under the National Skills Agreement and other relevant national agreements.
We lead on whole-of-group strategy for training, skills and higher education across all government departments. This ensures consistency and helps government to meet its priorities.
We collate and analyses VET data, including through national data reforms.
Strategic Skills Projects
This branch responds to skills and employment priorities. It does this using agile project teams to work across the department.
Our projects include:
- leading the government response to the Apprenticeships Taskforce
- implementing the recommendations from the Apprenticeships Taskforce
- developing the business case and implementation plan for the SEC Centre of Training Excellence.
Training Operations and Assurance
The Training Operations and Assurance branch funds and oversees contracted training providers. We also support programs that improve student participation in VET.
Our work ensures that the training sector provides value for money, supports students, and leads to job and skills outcomes. It does this by:
- managing funding contracts
- monitoring contract compliance
- processing training reports
- administering payments and grants to training providers
We oversee government-funded training at Victoria's TAFEs and more than 200 other training organisations.
Victorian Skills Authority
The Victorian Skills Authority (VSA) ensures Victoria meets current and future skills needs. We do this by gathering and analysing data to identify where there are skills shortages in Victoria’s workforce. We work with stakeholders to develop ways to fill these gaps.
The VSA's services and products include:
- the annual Victorian Skills Plan, which provides a skills roadmap that sets out Victoria's future training needs
- the Employment Projections Dashboard, for information on in-demand and emerging jobs in Victoria
- student and employer satisfaction surveys, which monitor the performance of our VET sector
- the Victorian Skills Gateway, to help current and prospective students find information about VET courses
- Skills and Jobs Centres, which provide free career, employment and training advice
- the TAFE and Training Line, for free over the phone advice about TAFE and training courses
- the VET Development Centre, which delivers professional development for training practitioners
- the annual Victorian Training Awards, which recognise outstanding achievements in the Victorian TAFE and training sector.
For more information, visit: Victorian Skills Authority.
