For more than 20 years, vocational education and training (VET) has been offered to school students in year 10 and above as part of the secondary education in approximately 140 secondary schools across South Australia.   

An initiative to lift the quality, relevancy, access, and overall perception of VET delivered to school students was launched in 2019. The department worked with schools, industry, employers, and registered training organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic to implement the new approach in the 2022 school year. 

VET in Schools in South Australia was relaunched to provide students with a curated list of more than 200 VET courses that are suitable for school-enrolled students. All courses are delivered by providers that meet prescribed benchmarks for quality delivery, to ensure school students meet appropriate levels of competency within their secondary education timetable.  

All VET courses for school students are endorsed by industry as suitable, and recognised for skills development for entry-level employment, or post-school apprenticeships and traineeships in the areas of workforce needed in South Australia.