Curriculum and careers: the education and labour market consequences of Year 12 subject choice

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) project studies the progress of several groups of young Australians as they move from school into post-secondary education and/or work. The oldest group in the project was born in 1961 while the youngest were in Year 9 in 1995. Issues investigated in the LSAY project include school achievement and school completion, students in part-time work and employment and unemployment levels. This publication examines patterns of course enrolments in Year 12 and the consequences of students' course enrolments on their education, training and work experiences to age nineteen. It analyses what happens to young people enrolled in different senior school subjects as they move from school to education and training and then into the workforce. The report found that subject choices vary according to gender, early school achievement, socioeconomic status, type of school attended and ethnicity. Students from different backgrounds tend to enrol in different groups of subjects and as a result are located in different parts of the curriculum. The findings suggest that while the senior school curriculum operates to transmit the influences of student background and early school achievement on post-school education and career trajectories, it also has an independent influence. These findings show that student course-taking in Year 12 is a strong predictor of post-school outcomes.

Further publications arising from this research program may be found at: TD/TNC 56.13; TD/TNC 56.14; TD/TNC 56.15; TD/TNC 56.16; TD/TNC 59.91; TD/TNC 59.139; TD/TNC 59.140; TD/TNC 59.141; TD/TNC 60.62 and TD/TNC 60.70.

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) project studies the progress of several groups of young Australians as they move from school into post-secondary education and/or work. The oldest group in the project was born in 1961 while the youngest were in Year 9 in 1995. Issues investigated in the LSAY project include school achievement and school completion, students in part-time work and employment and unemployment levels. This publication examines patterns of course enrolments in Year 12 and the consequences of students' course enrolments on their education, training and ...  [+] Show more