Pod - Youth

Kira Clarke

Senior Research Fellow 
Senior Policy and Research Centre 
Brotherhood of St Laurence 

Kira has more than 18 years experience of academic and applied research in the Australian university and not for profit sectors. Her work has included contributions to the Victorian Qualifications Authority (VQA) October Scanning Paper (2005), the Next Step survey for the Queensland Department of Education (2005, 2006), the Victorian On Track survey (2005–07), Review of Critical Skills for OTTE (2008), an examination of post-compulsory provision in Melbourne (2008–09), and a national study examining the Provision of Pastoral Care in Apprenticeships for the Joint DEECD/DIIRD Policy Unit on Youth Transitions. Kira was also the research fellow on an ARC Discovery Project (2010–2012) tracking a cohort of VET in Schools students in three Australian states, this work led to two outputs in 2011 and 2021. As a national expert in vocational education and training policy, particularly as it relates to youth transitions and young people, Kira led the widely cited Entry to Vocations study of VET in Schools (2012–14) for NCVER. She completed two research studies (2014–15, 2015–17) funded through the competitive National Vocational Education and Training Research (NVETR) program and in partnership with the Brotherhood of St. Laurence, examining the role of the vocational education for early school leavers. Her most recent work Unlocking the potential of Australian apprenticeships has just been released. Kira is a long-time executive member of the Australasian VET Research Association (AVETRA) and current AVETRA Vice President.

To view Kira's work and further information please see her institutional profile.

Critics say career advice given to students is outdated and unhelpful 
(Source: ABC News, October 2024)

Youth employment: why are anxieties among young people growing even as youth unemployment rates fall?    
(Source: ILO, September 2024)