Search Results

The authors examine factors that influence young people’s plans to complete Year 12, their aspirations to commence university study in the first year after leaving school and their expected occupation at age 30. They also examine the extent to which the occupational aspirations of teenagers align with their actual job outcomes a decade later. The findings in this report demonstrate just how important parents and peers are in relation to young people’s aspirations. The findings also indicate that the aspirations of 15-year-olds are somewhat unrealistic. By age 25 years, which is the age until which data are available for analysis, a significant portion of young people fall short of what they set out to achieve occupationally. However, this does not mean that they cannot achieve their desired occupations at a later stage in life.

Published abstract. Show less

This article examines the importance of schools relative to individual characteristics in explaining Tertiary Entrance Rank scores, using Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth data. The school characteristics explain around 20 per cent of the variance in Tertiary Entrance Rank scores, with the measured school characteristics explaining around 7 percentage points, indicating that idiosyncratic factors - which we interpret as reflecting schools' ethos - dominate. School sector is an important explanator; whilst the government, independent and Catholic systems all contain 'good' schools, schools that have low Tertiary Entrance Rank scores, after controlling for individual characteristics, are dominated by the government sector.

Published abstract. Show less

At every five-yearly census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics recalculates both the SEIFA (Socio-economic Indexes for Areas) indexes and also recalibrates the borders and sizes of the geographic areas from which these SEIFA measurements are derived. The NCVER reports vocational education and training (VET) participation rates at least annually, and the question that arises is how well the SEIFA indexes perform over the interim years. The authors find that there is little distortion in the measurement of participation in the intervening periods.

Published abstract. Show less

This paper uses the 2011 Census data to quantify the impact of educational disadvantage among Indigenous Australians for labour market participation, employment and occupational destinations. The paper provides a snapshot of key demographics; information on participation and outcomes from senior secondary education, vocational education and training (including apprenticeships and traineeships) and higher education; and a detailed account of employment outcomes across regions and occupations. The paper then reports on studies that have looked at the need to take into account the multiple elements of economic participation, and focuses in more detail on the role of social capital and cultural attachments and employer discrimination. The paper concludes by emphasising the key findings about the role of education and the need to streamline programs and strategies.

Edited excerpt from publication. Show less

This article examines the occupational aspirations of 15-year olds. [The authors] first determine the drivers of occupational aspirations before comparing aspirations with actual employment outcomes a decade later. Whilst actual jobs held at age 25 years do not quite meet young people's initial aspirations, they compare favourably with the overall job distribution of the Australian workforce, particularly for young women. It is suggested that these positive outcomes reflect the higher education levels of young cohorts, compared to older ones. One likely reason why young women exceed young men regarding occupational status is the higher proportion of women completing university studies.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

This article provides an overview of youth longitudinal surveys in Australia and introduces five papers from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth research forum 'Are We There Yet? Youth Transitions in Australia', held at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney, on 11 April 2013. Youth longitudinal surveys have a long history in Australia, dating back to the Youth in Transition study, which commenced with a cohort of young people born in 1961. The latest incarnation is the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth, which has tracked cohorts of Year 9 students selected in 1995 and 1998 and 15‐year olds in 2003, 2006 and 2009. These young people are interviewed up to the age of 25 years as they move from school into further study and work.

Published abstract. Show less

This research investigates the impact of an expanding higher education sector on the quality of apprentices. Using two cohorts of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth, [the authors] find that during the period 1995 to 2006 there was a general expansion in both higher education and in apprenticeships. The findings show that, at this time, both university students and apprentices had lower maths and reading achievement while at school.

Published abstract. Show less

This article describes the main institutional features of Australia's [technical and vocational education and training] TVET sector, focussing particularly on the qualifications framework, how it relates to the labour market, and the role of industry. It also looks briefly at two current policy challenges for Australia. Seeking lessons for other countries in the Asia Pacific region, it discusses the importance of context, particularly the size and structure of the economy, and notes that TVET can be judged to be effective as an investment if it leads to employment and better-paying jobs.

Published abstract. Show less

Using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Education and Training (SET), the author estimates the impact of increasing education levels on economic growth in Australia between 1997 and 2009. The author finds that increasing education levels are contributing to improved productivity at a rate of 0.14 per cent per annum as well as having had a considerable impact on the hours worked by the Australian workforce.

Published abstract. Show less