The vocational education & training (VET) sector in Australia continues to churn out excellent outcomes for its students and for the economy.

Despite the positive outcomes for VET graduates, the perception about the sector is that is it still the "poor cousin" of universities. A recent report from the Skilling Australia Foundation aims to prove that is not the case.

Myth: VET graduates earn low wages

Many Australians believe that by choosing VET over university they will make less money. Almost one in three believe that the wage gap between a VET graduate and university graduate is over $20,000.

In reality, according to the study, the wages between the two are comparable and can even exceed that of a university graduate. The median full-time income for a VET graduate is $56,000. The median graduate salary for students completing a Bachelor's degree is $54,000.

Myth: VET graduates cannot get a job

Nearly 30% of Australians believe to get a full-time career you need a university degree. This is untrue as more than 78% of VET graduates are employed after completing training. The graduate employment rate of VET students who train as part of a trade apprenticeship is as high as 92%.

Myth: VET is not for Australia's future

59% of Australians agreed that in a globally competitive world we need more university education than VET.

According to the Commonwealth Government Department of Employment, the VET sector currently provides training courses for 9 out of 10 occupations predicted to have the greatest growth of new jobs over the next five years.

You can learn more about the study and the VET sector by downloading the report.