ELICOS commencements fall 61.6% for June 2021 YTD
At the halfway point for the year, the full effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and Australia’s border closures has become even more apparent in the latest data from the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE).
While June is traditionally a quieter month for ELICOS commencements, June 2021 saw just 1,508, 69% down on June 2020 and 78% down on June 2019. June’s commencements are the second lowest for any month since the begining of the pandemic, beaten only by December 2020, which saw just 1,101 commencements.
YTD June 2021 ELICOS commencements down to just 17.4% of YTD June 2019 figures
June’s YTD data reveals that Australia’s ELICOS commencements (16,690) are now just 17.4% of the commencements recorded by YTD June 2019 (96,174). This data clearly shows the sector’s urgent need for support.
VET onshore grants drop significantly in June 2021
The VET sector has arguably been the more robust sector during the pandemic, but June 2021 has seen an alarming fall in onshore VET visa grants. YTD June 2021 recorded an 11.0% decline in onshore VET visa grants or 3,423 fewer grants. This decrease is significantly larger than YTD May 2021, which recorded 1,370 fewer onshore VET visa grants.
While further analysis is needed, a factor could be the changes that were made to student visa holder working hours and 408 visa access in May 2021. These changes saw the removal of the existing work hour caps for Student Visa holders and increased access to the 408 COVID-19 Pandemic Event Visa for temporary visa holders working in hospitality and tourism.
