Why research?

We believe that research allows for insight to the various components that matter to vocational education and training and the VET workforce.

It allows for many benefits including:

  • Understanding the current state, emerging trends, and opinions and preferences of stakeholders
  • Identifying and sharing best practices and innovations 
  • Identifying and analysing gaps
  • Sharing insights that can support quality vocational education and training

What are we doing?

In 2025 we will be re-igniting our explorations into various aspects of VET.

See the project overviews below. Interested participants are encouraged to submit their response/s.

VET PD Needs, Practices and Preferences

January 2025

What this is about

This study builds on research undertaken by Skills Education in 2020. 

This is an in-depth survey that aims to update and expand understanding of what happens in relation to PD for various roles within VET. 

We are interested to know:

  • How stakeholders view VET PD
  • About the methods of interaction with PD offerings
  • Opinions about PD activities 
  • About any relationship between circumstance, and cost and time to take PD, with perceived outcomes 


We believe this study will add value to the VET sector by providing insight to the role of PD in overall workforce capability.

Results from this study will be used to generate a white paper that will be shared on completion.


Invitation to participate

Anyone working in the VET sector is invited to complete the questionnaire. Participation is voluntary.

We estimate the online survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. Please respond only once.

As an incentive, we are offering respondents the chance to be one of three people to win tickets to 2 x standard Skills Education webinars in 2025*.

Take the survey here.


What we will ask

Firstly we will ask some questions about your role before going on to understand your opinions about various aspects related to PD. We'll ask some questions about you at the end of the survey to better understand demographic aspects of the VET workforce. 


Your information

Any personal information collected as part of this study will only be used for the purposes of this research. Survey data will only be accessed by the researchers on this project. It will remain confidential and will be securely stored. 

Responses can be anonymous and if provided, your name will not be published in relation to survey results. But if you are the winner of the prize draw, your first name and initial will be shared. 

There is space at the end of the questionnaire for you to enter your name and email and to indicate whether you would like to be entered into the incentive draw.


Other information and terms

MAE Projects t/as Skills Education is not receiving any funding for this project. The principal researcher is Michelle Charlton.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]. Our service standard is to reply within 2 working days.

If anything upsets you during completion of the questionnaire, you may wish to seek counselling from an organisation such as Lifeline: phone - 13 11 14

*There will be three (3) winners drawn at random for the incentive prize. The draw will take place on conclusion of the survey response period and winners notified via email. The first name and last name initial of winners will be published on the Skills Education website and may be shared via our social media channels. Participants will be eligible if they have supplied a valid name and email address for their response. Each winner may select two (2) registrations to a 'standard' Skills Education webinar whereby a 'standard' webinar is either a public live event up to one hour in duration or a publicly accessible recording from the PD Library. Memberships, subscriptions or any other product or service will not be a valid prize selection. Registrations are for the survey participant who won the draw and are not transferable. Winners' PD must be accessed in 2025. 

This study is open for responses from 10 January 2025 until mid-April 2025.