The institute trained around 25,000 students each year and operated at five campuses[2] in the Perth metropolitan area: Central Institute of Technology also catered for 1500 students from overseas each year and had offshore contracts for the delivery of Australian vocational qualifications in mainland China, Hong Kong, Mauritius, India and Kuwait.

[4] A new building at the East Perth campus provided facilities for training in the mining and renewable energy industries.

30 Aberdeen Street housed training portfolios[clarification needed] for the areas of engineering, architecture design and building and programs for the "lifestyle industries", including massage and beauty therapy treatment rooms.

The first enrollment was of 69 students in classes including chemistry, metallurgy, mineralogy, geology, woodwork, metalwork, art and design.

Between 1905 and 1914, courses including pure mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology were taught at Perth Technical School on behalf of the University of Adelaide.

Olympian Shirley Strickland taught mathematics and physics to returned servicemen in her spare time at the school in the period after World War II.