ABSTRACT
TVET is perceived as being crucial to the development of an economy that embodies a high degree of skill and expertise. Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, the tertiary education sector in Australia went through a series of reorganisations culminating with the formation of the TAFE institutes in the 1970s, the Unified National System of universities in the late 1980s and the introduction of private TVET providers in the 1990s. Throughout this process, the linking of education to employability has been a key underlying motivation, both in terms of very specialised, high-knowledge employees and middle-order and lower-skilled employees. By analysing the structural changes over the long term it is possible to get a greater understanding of the way in which changes in government policy and public demand impacted upon the structure of TVET institutions in Australia. The particular stress is on the manner in which the sector has been influenced by the demands of government, industry and students.
