Vocational trajectories within the Australian labour market

This report explores the movements that workers make in the workforce and whether there are any commonalities. It also considers whether these movements can be characterised as vocational pathways. Workers within the finance, primary, health and electrical trades/engineering industries were interviewed about their employment and study history, career progression and reasons for any movements. They found that, within medium- to high-skill roles, workers either move upwards into roles with greater responsibilities or they move laterally into related roles expanding their technical skills...  [+] Show more

This report explores the movements that workers make in the workforce and whether there are any commonalities. It also considers whether these movements can be characterised as vocational pathways. Workers within the finance, primary, health and electrical trades/engineering industries were interviewed about their employment and study history, career progression and reasons for any movements. They found that, within medium- to high-skill roles, workers either move upwards into roles with greater responsibilities or they move laterally into related roles expanding their technical skills and knowledge. Within low-skill roles, movements are associated more with ensuring an ongoing livelihood rather than a career pathway. This work is part of the three-year research program, Vocations: the link between post-compulsory education and the labour market.