TAFE Queensland Gold Coast vs. uni: Surprising truth about graduate salaries revealed

In a world where tradies make megabucks and PhD grads make flat whites, a TAFE boss asks why so many still opt for university. READ HER INTERVIEW

If tradies are earning megabucks and PhD graduates are making flat whites, why does “vocational cringe” still exist?

Why are schools and parents still pushing students to accrue debt they may never repay, for a university degree they may never use?

It’s the conundrum perplexing one of the Gold Coast’s top tertiary leaders, who questions how vocational education has become one of our last bastions of snobbery.

After all, TAFE Queensland Gold Coast general manager Karen Dickinson knows research shows university graduates have a lower employment rate than TAFE graduates.

Karen Dickinson, General Manager of TAFE Gold Coast, outside the Southport Campus. Picture Glenn Hampson

She knows the average TAFE graduate earns similar, if not more than, the average university graduate.

She also knows TAFE graduates have a median annual starting wage of $2000 more than university graduates.

What she doesn’t understand is why, in the decade from 2011 to 2021, the number of Australians with a university degree increased almost 70 per cent, while vocational qualifications increased by just 25 per cent.

Even when it comes to selling our city’s incredible education institutions, it seems TAFE is viewed by some as something of an ugly stepsister – overlooked and under-appreciated.

But Ms Dickinson is here to educate schools, parents and students that smart kids don’t just go to university, especially in this era of a national skills shortage, where TAFE qualifications are more in demand – and highly paid – than ever.

“TAFE is not a second choice. It’s smart, practical, and delivers well paid, secure careers – often with less debt and faster entry into the workforce,” Ms Dickinson said.

“It has been incredibly undervalued – and there’s increasingly more literature out there that says just that.

“Unfortunately, there has been this pervasive attitude from schools and parents that is just ingrained where students are really only being steered in one direction, towards university – but that is not always going to be the right direction.

“We are doing a lot of work to address that perception and overturn that hierarchy. Really, universities and TAFE should be equal partners that serve different uses.

Karen Dickinson, General Manager of TAFE Gold Coast, outside the Southport Campus. Picture Glenn Hampson

“I do think we are on the cusp of change now, because in the next few years we are really going to see that as jobs and technology change, studying at university is not necessarily going to secure your employment.”

Ms Dickinson said the 2024 Jobs and Skills Report showed 90 per cent of future employment growth in Australia would require secondary education, with half of the jobs requiring a university degree and half filled by vocational training.

Nine out of 10 of the fastest growing jobs in the next five years will require a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification.

But Australian Bureau of Statistics2024 data showed 42 per cent of students were enrolled in higher education institutions, while 16 per cent were studying at TAFE institutions.

Ms Dickinson said this disparity could spell future disaster for the country.

“This skills shortage has been there for a while, but we have now reached a crisis point,” she said. “For Australia to be productive into the future, we need to have qualified tradespeople and right now we do not have enough electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painters, bricklayers and more.

“We’ve been promoting and encouraging students to go from secondary school into university and now we don’t have the skills balance right, it’s inefficient because we have a real mismatch. That means not only are employers left without workers, but university graduates end up disappointed without a job in their field of study.

“We also have a lot of students who end up at uni and it’s not the right fit, their confidence is knocked.

“With TAFE, we move fast and according to what skills the job market needs. So any course that we offer, you can be pretty sure that there will be a job at the end of it.”

Ms Dickinson said trades and healthcare, specifically electrotechnology and nursing, were TAFE’s most popular courses.

She said hands-on industries were also the most likely to be future-proofed against advances in technology, such as artificial intelligence.

“AI won’t be taking the jobs of plumbers. In an uncertain world, these hands-on skills will serve you well,” she said.

“We are always looking at where the jobs are and aligning the training.

“A few years ago it became obvious aged care was going to see massive growth, so we’ve expanded our capacity for that qualification, which is called individual support. Nursing is also extremely popular, and very much in demand, and we offer both a diploma and a higher education qualification.

“We also see real growth in trades like electrotechnology, carpentry, plumbing, engineering, welding, advanced manufacturing, bricklaying, boat-building … we should be so proud of our tradies, Australia is known around the world for our apprenticeship system and the skills and work ethic our tradespeople have.”

However, Ms Dickinson said hospitality and tourism courses had seen a significant decline, a surprising trend for a city built on those industries.

Karen Dickinson, General Manager of TAFE Gold Coast, outside the Southport Campus. Picture Glenn Hampson

She said while there were staff shortages in those areas, many businesses were now training employees on the job as they couldn’t wait for qualifications to be completed.

“The shortage is such that businesses are prepared to take on people with a great attitude and they’ll do the rest in-house,” she said.

“The numbers have dropped to a point that we’re not even offering those courses this semester. We normally would but we just didn’t have the numbers to make a viable class.”

Ms Dickinson said she would love to see the Gold Coast’s tertiary sector work better together in order to maximise the offerings for students.

She said higher education and vocational education should not be seen as hierarchical or competitive, but complementary.

She said many students ultimately completed courses at both institutions at different times of their lives and it was important to direct students to the most appropriate institute depending on their needs.

“TAFE and university should really be seen as on equal standing, we each bring something different to the table,” she said.

“One of the key recommendations of the Australian Universities Accord released last year was about how VET and higher education can work more collaboratively, but we have yet to nail that.

“I would love to see us collaborate more, and co-designing courses will be in our future. Working in partnership is especially important in our national pursuit of efficiency and productivity.

“I have spoken with (Griffith University Vice Chancellor) Carolyn Evans. That’s certainly the environment being established now, so those conversations take place more frequently. There are gaps we can fill for them, and vice versa.

“It’s not just the schools that win by bringing more students here but the city as a whole, and especially our businesses.”

Originally published as TAFE Queensland Gold Coast vs. uni: Surprising truth about graduate salaries revealed