The public vocational education and training (VET) system in Australia encompasses formal learning activities intended to develop knowledge and skills that are relevant in the workplace for those past the age of compulsory schooling, but excludes bachelor and post-graduate courses and learning for leisure, recreation or personal enrichment. Some of the highlights for 2002 include that more than 1 in 10 Australians over 15 years studied in the public VET system; the number of students enrolled in the system rose by 0.3% to 1.69 million; annual hours grew by more than the number of students; growth occurred in the number of students studying at technical and further education and other government providers and in the number of students enrolled in nationally recognized qualifications under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF); and training activity associated with national training packages continues to increase. Key factors affecting VET activity during 2002 include the following: (1) a continued increase in the promotion of VET-in-schools as a pathway from schools to post-school activities; (2) a continued growth in the apprenticeship system since the introduction in 1988 of New Apprenticeships; and (3) a major impact on programs delivered by the ongoing replacement of national courses and modules by national training package qualifications and units of competency. (Contains "at a glance" sections on students, providers, states and territories, courses; a historical perspective; and 11 tables, each with key points. (MO)