Vocational Education Teachers teach one or more subjects within a prescribed course of study at a technical and further education (TAFE) institute, polytechnic or other training institute to tertiary students for vocational education and training purposes.
Occupation description
Vocational Education Teachers teach one or more subjects within a prescribed course of study at a technical and further education (TAFE) institute, polytechnic or other training institute to tertiary students for vocational education and training purposes.
Occupations considered suitable under this ANZSCO code:
- Polytechnic Teacher (NZ)
- Adult Education Teacher
- TAFE Lecturer
- TAFE Teacher
- Workplace Trainer and Assessor
Occupations not considered suitable under this ANZSCO code:
- University Lecturer
- University Tutor
- Primary School Teacher
- Middle School Teacher
- Secondary School Teacher
- Special Education Teacher
- Private Tutors and Teachers (Private Tuition)
These occupations are classified elsewhere in ANZSCO or are not at the required skill level.
Vocational Education Teacher (non-trades) is a VETASSESS Group A occupation
This occupation requires a qualification assessed as comparable to the educational level of an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Bachelor degree or higher, in a field highly relevant to the nominated occupation. Applicants must also have at least one year of highly relevant, post-qualification employment, at an appropriate skill level completed in the last five years. Applicants will not meet the required skill level if:
- The qualification(s) are not at the required educational level
- The qualification(s) are not in a highly relevant field of study
- The employment has been completed prior to the completion of the qualification.
A positive assessment of both qualifications and employment is required for a positive Skills Assessment outcome.
Qualification & Employment Criteria
AQF Bachelor degree or higher degree in a highly relevant field of study.*
The qualification must be highly relevant to your area of teaching, known as your ‘vocational competency’, in a non-trades field. For example, a teacher of a VET qualification/units in Business, must hold a qualification in Business. Alternatively, a qualification in Adult Education or Vocational Education and Training (VET) is also considered a highly relevant field of study. General subjects in the field of Vocational Education and Training may include, but are not limited to:
- Course Design
- Delivery and Evaluation
- Adult Learning and Assessment
- Teaching in a Tertiary Setting
- Teaching and Training in VET
- Language, Literacy and Numeracy in VET
- Research in VET
- Educational Research Methodology
* This includes qualifications assessed at AQF Bachelor, Master and Doctoral level If your qualification at AQF Bachelor degree (or higher) is neither related to your vocational competency nor in Adult Education or VET, we will consider additional qualifications related to your vocational competency on a case-by-case basis, as long as the additional qualification is at the level you teach, or higher. For example, if you teach VET subjects in a Diploma of Early Childhood Education course, it would be expected that you hold a Diploma of Early Childhood Education. This would be in addition to a qualification at AQF Bachelor degree level.
Employment
Highly relevant tasks include, but are not limited to:
- Identifying the various needs of students and creating effective learning options to meet these needs
- Liaising with individuals, industry and education sectors to ensure the provision of relevant programs and services
- Planning, designing and developing course curriculum and method of instruction
- Advising students on courses and related matters
- Teaching students using teaching aids, including presentation of lesson materials, discussions, workshops, laboratory sessions, multimedia aids and computer tutorials
- Marking and grading students’ assignments, papers and exams and providing feedback to students about their progress Maintaining records of students’ progress, attendance and training activities
- Consulting with Education Managers, Librarians, Student Counsellors and other support staff.
Employment Information
Vocational Education and Training teachers typically work in TAFE (the public provider), private registered training organisations (RTOs), community colleges, corporate training centres or, increasingly, in workplaces. They may teach full time, have a portfolio of jobs across several providers, or may still work in their industry while they teach part-time. VET teachers teach subjects in which they have specialised knowledge, skills and experience, such as building and construction, business and commerce, commercial photography, hairdressing, horticulture, hospitality and tourism, retail, music, art, science, engineering and areas of health. Some VET teachers teach in non-industry specific areas such as languages, literacy and general workplace preparation within the context of a vocational outcome.
VET teachers are considered ‘dual professionals’, meaning that they are experts in their specific industry area as well as in teaching.
A typical career progression might be as follows:
- Complete an industry qualification
- Work in the industry for a considerable period of time
- Complete an Adult Education qualification
- Gain employment as a VET teacher.
For the purposes of a VETASSESS Skills Assessment, applicants should not be teaching higher education courses/qualifications. Higher education qualifications include any course from Bachelor Degree level. Graduate Certificates and Graduate Diplomas are examples of higher education qualifications. Note that University Lecturers and Tutors are elsewhere classified in ANZSCO. If you are nominating this occupation, you must be a teacher of a non-trades qualification. VET teachers of trades qualifications are not assessed under VETASSESS’ authority.
Supporting Material for Assessment
When applying for a Skills Assessment, please ensure you submit sufficient evidence supporting your proof of identity, qualification and employment claims. A full list of the documents required can be found on the VETASSESS website under Eligibility Criteria. If you are nominating this occupation, you are required to provide a Statement of Service issued by your employer which clearly outlines the courses, or units of study, you teach in addition to the other required employment information as outlined on our website.
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