This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Flinders University researchers examined AOD VET provision in Australia in 2024, comparing it with a 2011 review, and found there has been a contraction in programs despite a major increase in the share of private providers—while demand for qualified support workers continues to increase. "We found the AOD training landscape in Australia has contracted significantly over the past 13 years—fewer providers, fewer programs and a shift away from public TAFE toward a majority private market," says lead author Dr.
Kirrilly Thompson, from the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) at Flinders University. "This contraction is happening while demand for AOD services continues to grow. That's the part that concerns me most—that we're scaling training down, but not because the need is shrinking." NCETA—Australia's premier research center for workforce development in the AOD sector—has specialized in the AOD space for more than 30 years, and Thompson is concerned that shortcomings in training provision will have substantial implications for a workforce that already faces serious challenges around capability and retention.
The researchers say changes in training delivery point to constraints in training pathways. This is particularly important in a sector where many workers rely on VET to develop the skills, knowledge and attributes needed to support people affected by AOD. NCETA Director Professor Jacqueline Bowden says the findings highlight the importance of AOD VET access being available, accessible and consistent—and that this has important implications for the quality of support provided to people affected by AOD in Australia.
"Vocational education is often the main entry point into AOD work for people who don't have a health degree. When training access shrinks, it doesn't just affect course enrollments—it affects who can get into this workforce at all, and how prepared they are once they're in it." Thompson says findings from the new research are broadly applicable to other important areas of health care. "This isn't just about people accessing dedicated AOD services.
It's about anyone affected by AOD who is seeking help from various social and health services," Thompson says. "Substance use intersects with so many other areas—mental health, family and domestic violence, homelessness. Therefore, a huge range of workers support people affected by substance use, often without specialist training.
"That's exactly why accessible AOD VET matters beyond the AOD sector and why training is not just about supporting workers but providing effective and nonstigmatizing care for their clients." While an increase in online AOD training offerings may improve accessibility and reduce geographic barriers, the researchers point to unequal access to digital, financial and organizational resources that will limit participation in AOD VET, particularly for the rural and remote workforce. Increased cultural diversity among people who receive AOD training is also necessary. "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accounted for 18% of those receiving AOD treatment or support in 2023–24, yet only 6% of participants in NCETA's 2019–2020 national AOD workforce survey identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander," Bowden explains.
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