We desperately need skilled workers. So why is vocational education treated as the ‘back‑up plan’ for school leavers?
Kellie McGlynn and Shaun Rawolle
June 8, 2026
At the end of each school year, we see the same ritual play out. Year 12 results are released and newspapers publish league tables, ranking schools by their exam results.
What you almost never see on the front page is a student who finished a vocational program and walked straight into skilled work.
This doesn’t make sense. There is constant commentary from governments and employers that the country needs more skilled workers in construction, nursing, aged care, early childhood, teaching and trades.
Yet we still treat the pathways that produce these workers as the option you take when the “real” one doesn’t work out.
Why is this? And how can we fix it?
