Secondary students benefit when exposed early to diverse higher education and training pathways. NSW Minister Mr Steve Whan explains how schools and governments nationally are broadening opportunities beyond university.
For many decades, the most common message given to students finishing secondary school was simple: get into university. A degree was widely viewed as the surest route to success. Yet the reality has always been more complex, and today the narrative is finally catching up. With the growing demand for skilled workers, rapid shifts in technology, and increased recognition of vocational education and training, the focus is broadening. Schools are being asked to prepare students for a wider set of futures, where TAFE, apprenticeships, micro-credentials and work-integrated learning sit alongside university as equally valid choices.
This evolution is not just about expanding options. It is about ensuring that every young person leaves school with a plan and the confidence to pursue it. Mr Steve Whan, NSW Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, says the need has been sharpened by national reforms.
“The Australian Universities Accord tells us we need nine out of every ten school leavers doing a post-school qualification,” he explains. “That focuses our attention nationally on the need to provide pathways information early, so young people in Years 9 and 10 can make active choices.”
Across Australia, governments, schools and industries are responding to that call. What was once an occasional careers talk in Year 12 is evolving into a much more integrated approach, where pathways discussions begin earlier, industry engagement is ongoing, and schools are supported to guide students toward a diverse set of opportunities.
Every year, the Department of Education offers VET curriculum to more than 30,000 students (Years 10-12) in NSW public schools through its own Registered Training Organisation.
The NSW Department of Education RTO has 38 VET qualifications on scope for delivery in its schools. Every public school is required to set a pathways improvement measure in its School Excellence Plan, ensuring leaders take responsibility for student outcomes beyond the school gates. The target is to lift post-school engagement from around 88 per cent to 92 per cent by 2027. That emphasis is mirrored nationally: Victoria has embedded Vocational Major streams within the VCE, Queensland continues to expand school-based apprenticeships, and Western Australia is strengthening links between secondary schools and local industries through its VET Delivered to Secondary Students strategy.
What these approaches share is a recognition that post-school preparation cannot be left to the final year. Students benefit when career education begins early, and when schools have access to the resources, partnerships and programs needed to make those pathways real.
Mr Whan highlights two NSW initiatives as examples of what this looks like in practice. The Educational Pathways Program (EPP), which began as a pilot in 24 schools in 2020, is now running in 183 high schools. It enables students to complete vocational qualifications, gain exposure to employers, and secure the equivalent of a year’s credit toward an apprenticeship before they finish school.
“It’s producing really positive results,” Mr Whan says. “When I talk to the young people involved, they’re genuinely excited. And many say their parents hadn’t thought about these options before, but can now see how valuable they are.”
The Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) program goes a step further, embedding staff who work directly with local employers to create bespoke opportunities for students. More than 4,000 industry partners have been engaged so far, offering students across the entire state of NSW direct exposure to industries they might one day join.
“It’s about bespoke opportunities,” Mr Whan says. “Students get hands-on experiences that show them what’s possible in their own backyard.” Similar models are evident elsewhere: South Australia’s Flexible Industry Pathways initiative, for example, allows students to begin vocational training in secondary school and continue it seamlessly after graduation.
These programs are not only about building skills but also about shifting perceptions. For too long, many young people were guided towards university as the singular measure of success. Mr Whan sees this mindset as outdated. “Society has said for decades that university is the default,” he says. “That’s simply not true for everyone. What matters is that young people know all the options – whether that’s a trade, a micro-credential, or a degree.”
Parents are a crucial part of that conversation. “Most apprentices I speak to say they joined because they knew someone in the industry. And many trainees say their mum encouraged them,” Mr Whan notes. Ensuring families are informed about the value of vocational pathways is just as important as ensuring schools can deliver them.
The changing labour market reinforces this point. While traditional trades remain vital, the fastest growth areas include sectors such as health, aged care, and technology – all of which offer multiple pathways. In health, for example, a student may start as a school-based trainee, progress to TAFE as an enrolled nurse, and later transition to university for a nursing degree. In technology, companies are increasingly recognising skills gained through short courses and practical experience rather than insisting on a formal degree.
Digital skills, in particular, are reshaping the conversation. In July, major firms including Microsoft, IBM and Accenture joined the NSW Digital Compact, pledging that 20 per cent of entry-level digital jobs will be filled through non-degree pathways. “It’s being driven by industry itself,” Mr Whan explains. “And what’s particularly encouraging is that companies are sharing how they’re achieving these targets, not keeping it to themselves.”
NSW’s Institutes of Applied Technology – a collaboration between TAFE, university partners and industry – is a case in point. Since launching, IATs have had more than 300,000 enrolments in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity and data analysis. The model delivers microcredentials and microskills, enabling workers to upskill quickly while staying in the labour force.
These initiatives signal that the future workforce will be built through multiple entry points. University remains important, but so too are TAFE, Registered Training Organisations, industry partnerships and flexible learning models.
For schools, the linchpin is still the careers advisor – the person best placed to translate these pathways into practical choices for students. Yet across the country, advisors have often been stretched thin. In NSW, the recent review of the VET system called for integrating localised careers support functions with clarity on the roles, scope, and interactions of these positions in supporting career advisors.
“During COVID and with teacher shortages, advisors were often covering other classes,” Mr Whan says. “We’re reinvigorating those networks because they’re central to linking students with EPP, RIEP and industry partners.”
Clarity is equally important when it comes to the relationship between vocational and higher education. At present, credit transfer is inconsistent, leaving students unsure of how their previous study will be recognised by universities.
“In health, the pathway is clear,” Mr Whan says. “A school-based trainee in nursing knows they can move through TAFE into university. But in many other areas, it’s not obvious. We need national consistency so students can map their journey with confidence.” That push for clearer articulation is a major focus of current federal reforms, which aim to create a more integrated tertiary system.
Ultimately, Mr Whan sees these reforms as part of a larger cultural reset. Education is no longer something completed once and for all in young adulthood. Instead, lifelong learning and reskilling are becoming the norm, driven by technological change, shifting industries and longer working lives.
“Whether it’s a degree, a trade, or a micro-credential, young people need to know there are multiple entry points,” he says. “And re-skilling later in life is not unusual – it’s becoming expected.”
For secondary schools, the challenge is to ensure students are aware of this diversity of options early, supported by teachers, families and employers. Programs like EPP and RIEP show what is possible when systems commit to building strong pathways, but there is more to do. The national picture is uneven, and not every school has the same level of access to industry or training opportunities. Yet the direction of travel is clear: a move toward greater flexibility, stronger integration and a recognition that success takes many forms.
“The more we can show young people the range of pathways open to them – and the more we involve parents and schools – the stronger their future choices will be,” Mr Whan says.
