How can the contemporary Australian Vocational education system respond to the fast-paced motion of AI integration into education and maintain relevance with a changing labour market?

This fellowship report investigates how Australia’s Vocational Education system can respond to the disrupted global labour market and the accelerating pace of digital innovation. Drawing on two years of institutional ethnographies, it examines whether AI will widen the digital divide or create more inclusive, equitable, and dynamic learning environments. The report offers a roadmap for the VET sector as it transitions from Industry 4.0 to 5.0 and underscores the need for federally funded and mandated AI training, curriculum development, and human-centric AI campaigns.