VET certificates giving Gold Coast students a head start on earning good money

Well over half of Gold Coast students are leaving high school qualified for a trade — and they are set to be earning more than their uni-trained schoolmates.

WELL over half of Gold Coast students are leaving high school qualified for a trade.

New figures from the Queensland Curriculum Assessment Authority revealed that 3688 Coast graduates had some form of Vocational Education Training (VET) last year — the second highest number in the state.

VET certificates include training in hospitality, construction, media, physiotherapy, graphic design, ICT and even health.

Brisbane produced the most VET students.

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Kayleigh Higgins is a Veterinary Nursing student who loves working with animals. She Graduated from High School in 2017 without an OP/ATAR score and has continued on to study the Cert IV and is currently doing placement at Vetlove in Helensvale. Kayleigh Higgins with Obi. Picture: Jerad Williams

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Overall on the Gold Coast, 64 per cent of students graduated secondary school with a certificate one, two or three in a trade — well above the state average of 60 per cent.

Eight in every 10 public school students completed VET training. In private schools, it was 53 per cent.

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Rob Sobyra, the director of evidence and data at Construction Skills Queensland, said VET-trained students made up a majority of the post-school landscape and needed to be celebrated.

“We have more Year 12 students graduate with a VET and those with an OP so we need to look at more than university,” Mr Sobyra said.

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Kayleigh Higgins is already studying her next certificate. Picture: Jerad Williams

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Mr Sobyra said recent modelling outcomes found by the age 25 an apprentice makes more than a bachelor degree graduate.

“In construction, some apprentices can be making at least $76,000 a year by the time they are 25, which is a great outcome and one that deserves more attention,” he said.

The Gold Coast building and construction industry alone received $3.5 million in training this year — 18 per cent of the total funds allocated in Queensland. The sector employed at least 10 per cent of people nationally.

Mr Sobyra said he wanted more students to be actively encouraged into the area.

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“A lot of schools do have training pathways, but more can be done to lift the attitude toward the training.”

Upper Coomera State College graduate Kayleigh Higgins was one of the many in 2017 to graduate already qualified for her dream job.

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The 18-year-old studied a certificate II in animal studies while in her senior year and is now completing a certificate VI in veterinary nursing at TAFE.

“Completing the training opened my eyes to the animal industry and means I am already working at surgeries,” Ms Higgins said.

“The training means I didn't need to go to university for my dream job as a veterinary nurse.”

“I think students nowadays think an OP is a big achievement and something you absolutely need to get, but that isn’t the case at all,” she said.

The Gold Coast Bulletin has extensively covered the OP results of local seniors over the past week, celebrating our schools for their top marks.

Figures have revealed the city to be leading the state in many areas.