Portfolio — 27 June 2026

Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth, alongside Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles, released new Jobs and Skills Australia research on 26 June that reframes a longstanding policy question: whether partial VET completion delivers real workforce value [TA-260626-dewr-b5dda87c205f]. The answer from the data is unambiguous. Partial VET completers achieve a 90% employment rate — well above the 75% national average for that cohort — and a median income uplift of $13,800, nearly double the $7,000 uplift recorded for VET completers overall [TA-260626-dewr-b5dda87c205f].

These findings draw from the VET National Data Asset, which links government administrative records to track employment, earnings and further study outcomes across the VET student population [TA-260626-dewr-b5dda87c205f].

The research carries particular weight for priority cohorts. Regional Australians, women and First Nations graduates all show stronger-than-average outcomes, giving the government an evidence base to defend targeted investment in Free TAFE and the Key Apprenticeship Program to these groups specifically.

Rishworth's public statement framed the findings in income-support terms — arguing that VET participation reduces reliance on income support while lifting earnings by thousands of dollars — a framing that connects the Skills portfolio directly to the Employment and Social Services domains [TA-260626-dewr-b5dda87c205f]. Giles characterised the results as evidence that government investment in TAFE and apprenticeships is addressing skills shortages that accumulated over the previous decade.

The release is a one-source day with no parliamentary contribution from Rishworth recorded. The policy signal is consistent with the portfolio's recent trajectory: using administrative data linkage to build a quantitative case for VET access expansion, anchored in employment and earnings outcomes rather than enrolment volumes alone.