Australia has a world class system of vocational education and training (VET). With thousands of options, the VET system delivered training in practical workplace skills for 1.65 million Australians in 1999. That's more than 1 in 10 working age Australians and it continues to grow.
VET has pathways. That means students can start as beginners and progress through a lifetime of getting new skills. A certificate in metal fabrication work can lead to an engineering degree!
VET is for every industry - from beauty to building, mining to child minding - it's about traditional skills and the latest technologies.
VET is flexible - training and assessment can happen where and when it suits your business.
If you’re already convinced move on to information about getting started.
Getting started in the training system is just like buying any other service. You need to do some thinking about what your business needs and can afford, before you go 'shopping'.
Start with the basic questions about training: who, why, when, where and how much?
Australia's training system is now based on nationally agreed industry competencies, qualifications and assessment. The national approach with local flexibility means you can build the training which best suits your business needs.
There are now training options for all your staff, from entry level to board level. You can specify exactly what you need for your business, including what training will be delivered, where and when. And because it is a competitive marketplace, you can negotiate the best value for your training dollar.
But make sure you are dealing with a registered training organization (RTO), because they are the only ones able to provide nationally recognised training for you and your staff.
Now that you know how flexible the training can be, it's time to shop around. And here are some starting places:
- Registered training organisations (RTO) in your industry or location
These organisations will probably advertise in your trade journals or in the local area. Ask them to give a presentation on what they can offer you.
- Industry associations
Many industries have got together with RTOs to ensure that training is available to suit the exact needs of their industry.
- Industry Training Advisory Bodies
These organisations have built strong links between their industry and training.
- National Training Information Service (NTIS):
This is the database of all industry competencies, courses and providers in Australia.
Training Packages have been developed in many industries. They are nationally agreed competencies, qualifications, assessment and teaching resources designed to deliver maximum flexibility for industry.
Training packages will enable you to negotiate a highly flexible arrangement with an RTO to suit your situation.
Australian Apprenticeships 
* have expanded the opportunities for apprentices and trainees into hundreds of new occupations. Based on competencies, Australian Apprenticeships are flexible, can be undertaken by people of all ages and can even be started by students while still at school.
That means you can employ students undergoing practical training on a part-time basis or recruit school graduates with practical skills and qualifications actually learned on the job - a great way to bring young people to your business!
You could also consider contacting a group training company . They employ apprentices and trainees, and then place them with 'host employers', usually small to medium sized enterprises.
*In some States and Territories Australian Apprenticeships are only known as apprenticeships and traineeships.