This page provides information and data on the Defence sector, which is one component of the Corrections and Public Safety industry.
It is important to note that only a small number of enrolments and completions in the Defence sector are reported for operational and security reasons. The information on this page is therefore focused on general skills needs and information, as the number of students reported yearly is not representative of the training being undertaken within the sector.
The Defence sector is primarily composed of those serving in the Australian Defence Force, though it may include civilian roles and contractors. The Australian Defence Force operates to defend and protect Australia, and includes the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Airforce and the Royal Australian Navy.
Vocational education is available for occupations involved in:
Nationally recognised training for Defence is delivered under the DEF – Defence Training Package, which is within the Scope of Registration for 36 Registered Training Organisations.
All data sources are available at the end of the page.
Employment levels in the Defence sector have varied since 2001, with a low of about 17,800 in 2002 and a peak of around 34,300 in 2012. Employment levels in 2021 were approximately 29,000, and projections indicate employment will remain relatively stable to 2025. Top VET related occupations in the Defence sector are generally projected to have little to no increase in employment levels until 2025, with the exception being General Clerks which is expected to grow by 13%.
Limited training information is available because only a small number of enrolments and completions in the Defence sector are reported for operational and security reasons. The information presented above details those enrolments and completions that were nationally reported.
Although the program enrolments and completions that were reported in the Defence sector have declined overall between 2016 and 2020, slight increases have been recorded between 2018 and 2019. Enrolments increased from around 330 in 2018 to 350 in 2019, however have declined to around 280 in 2020. Completions increased from a low of approximately 100 in 2018 to around 115 in 2019 and remained at a similar level in 2020. The proportion of subject only enrolments that were delivered as part of a nationally recognised program has increased overall, from 58% in 2016 to 76% in 2020.
For more data specific to your occupation, industry or training package, visit NCVER’s Data Builder.
For more data specific to your region visit NCVER’s Atlas of Total VET.
If you are interested in extracting NCVER data to construct tables with data relevant to you, sign up for a VOCSTATS account.
According to the Public Safety IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast, the top priority skills for the Public Safety industry include:
In addition, the top generic skills for the industry were identified as:
According to the Public Safety IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast Australia’s Defence industry faces some key challenges and opportunities which it needs to be prepared for, including:
In addition, the report Defence Industry Skilling and STEM Strategy by the Australian Department of Defence has identified, after extensive consultation, four key areas of focus for the purpose of sustaining and developing the workforce into the future. These include:
A recent article by the Australian Government Defence Industry reveals the Government is investing $87 million in funding (to the end of FY2021-22) into the Defence Industry Skills Flexible Funding Pool to deliver new and existing initiatives to help industry engage, attract, train and retain a capable STEM workforce. For 2020-2021, initiatives will include:
The Public Safety IRC’s 2021 Industry Outlook reports that the capacity of the emergency services, particularly defence and police, in meeting the resourcing and logistical requirements of quarantining and border closures during COVID-19 has at times been stretched. The report also notes that constant deployments at such events and the threat of infection has placed a heavy burden upon the continued wellbeing of all frontline personnel. It is anticipated that COVID-19 will continue to impact Defence as it supports the whole-of government responses to the pandemic through the COVID-19 Taskforce.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported in late 2020 that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) saw a significant increase in interest from aspiring recruits, partly driven by the COVID-19 pandemic leaving a large amount of people out of work. Another reason suggested for the increase is due to Defence being in the public eye for its response to disaster relief, Operation Bushfire Assist and also its response and assistance with COVID. As well as prompting more people to apply to the ADF, the pandemic has also changed the way the military manages the recruitment process, now using online aptitude testing, virtual information days and virtual selection boards.
The Public Safety IRC’s 2021 Industry Outlook states specific priorities for Defence are to professionalise the workforce in roles critical to delivering and sustaining Defence’s capabilities. Building greater leadership capability in the executive level workforce also remains a priority, with the Defence sector seeking to ensure that Defence colleges and educational institutions are best equipped to develop the future leaders and workforce of the Australian Defence Force.
The report Defence State Sector Strategy 2030 has outlined five actions required to ensure the South Australian Government has the volume of workers with the required skill levels and experience to meet the demand for upcoming roles in naval shipbuilding, information warfare and the sector more broadly. These actions include collaborating with the university and VET sectors to provide education and training, and engaging with defence industry in SA to ensure their workforce requirements are fully understood and education and training is tailored to suit the demands of industry.
The significant positive economic impact of Defence industry contracts has been highlighted across a range of state-based reports. States including Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia have released strategies and plans to secure Defence industry contracts into the future. These will not only provide direct local employment, but also enable other state-based industries and businesses to provide a supporting role to the larger overarching Defence industry contracts. Please see the relevant research section for links to these reports.
Below is a list of industry-relevant research, organisations and associations. Hyperlinks have been included where available.
Public Safety Industry Reference Committee
Defence Industry Skilling and STEM Strategy – Australian Department of Defence
Defence State Sector Strategy 2030 - South Australia, Defence SA
Drawn to Serve: Pandemic Sees Spike in Number of ADF Recruits - Sydney Morning Herald
How We are Helping to Grow The Workforce Behind The Defence Force - Australian Government Defence Industry
Queensland Defence Industries 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan – Queensland. Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning
The Tasmanian Defence Industry Strategy 2023 – Tasmanian Department of State Growth
Western Australia Defence and Defence Industries Strategic Plan – Defence West
Australian Government Department of Defence
Department of Employment 2021, Employment Projections, available from the Labour Market Information Portal
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021, 6291.0.55.001 - EQ08 - Employed persons by Occupation unit group of main job (ANZSCO), Sex, State and Territory, August 1986 onwards, viewed 1 August 2021, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/may-2021
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, 2016 Census – employment, income and unpaid work, TableBuilder. Findings based on use of ABS TableBuilder data.
Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Students and Courses from the following training package or qualifications:
This includes superseded qualifications and training packages.
Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:
Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Location data uses student residence. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions, please refer to the Total VET Students and Courses: terms and definitions document.
Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.
Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. This can lead to situations where the total sum of proportions in a chart may not add up to exactly 100%.
