On 26 June 2003, DEST appeared before the Committee in Canberra to represent the Australian Government. The DEST team who provided evidence at the hearing (Hansard PDF 
, PDF 25 pages) comprised representatives from Schools Group, Vocational Education and Training Group and the Enterprise and Career Education Branch of Schools Group.
The team provided an outline of the development in a number of DEST’s initiatives in enterprise and vocational learning, including tabling a report on the Cost of VET in Schools, which identified the national average cost of delivering VET in schools across each jurisdiction, and DEST’s initiatives in addressing the national skills shortage in traditional trades in partnership with peak industry associations.