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The purpose of this research is to examine whether, for those who have left full-time education, a low-skill job provides them with a good start to their working lives. It was found that starting out in a low-skill job gives lower payoffs than starting out in a high-skill job. Five years after leaving full-time education, the wage penalty (after conditioning on education and other characteristics) still exists but this scarring effect diminishes over time. However, any job is better than having no job.

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Vocational education and training (VET) provides employment related training at the certificate and diploma level, aimed at all occupational groups with the possible exception of professionals - which are largely served by higher education. It is delivered within both an institutional and workplace setting. An important element is the apprenticeship/traineeship that incorporates formal training within an employment relationship. The aim of this paper is to look at the contribution of VET to the labour market. Three aspects are focused on: the relationship between the training and occupations VET graduates work in; the extent to which the qualified proportion of the workforce has increased (skill deepening) and the link between VET and skills acquisition. The unifying theme of these aspects is that there is no deterministic link between VET and the labour market-skills are not raw materials consumed in a manufacturing process; rather they are akin to capital that has alternative uses. Before examining these aspects, however, I will briefly describe the sector, to show the breadth of its provision.

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This paper begins by describing the impact of economic and social conditions on the demand and supply of skills in Australia. It then discusses the current Australian policy environment relating to vocational education and training (VET) before looking at the SEAMEO region and the global trends that are likely to impact on member countries. In the final section, the paper looks at some of the implications for training and research. Major trends and issues discussed include: the increasing extent of part-time work and casualisation; increasing female participation in the labour market; the importance of increasing the level of education and training for teenagers; the spread of information and communication technologies (ICTs); and an ageing population. The paper concludes that in setting research priorities, it is important to take note of the structural changes that impact on VET. There are a number of trends that affect all countries - the growth of service sectors and the knowledge economy, the ageing population, and the general increase in educational levels - and these need to be taken into account.

The collection of keynote and inspirational papers is indexed at TD/TNC 74.370; selected papers are indexed at TD/TNC 74.371 and TD/TNC 74.372. Show less

School vocational education and training (VET) programs were introduced to provide more diverse pathways to work and further study for young people. This report investigates whether these programs provide successful outcomes for participants, in terms of retention to Year 12 (or its vocational equivalent) and full-time engagement with employment or learning. The report finds that participation in school VET programs has a small negative impact on retention from Year 10 to Year 12 overall but that there is a positive impact on Year 10 to Year 11 retention. There is a clear positive impact on post-school outcomes for students who participate in school VET programs in Year 11 but do not go on to complete Year 12. Finally, the report looks at whether school VET programs have been successful in establishing post-school VET pathways. The results show that these programs provide a clear pathway for some students, particularly for boys studying in the areas of building and engineering. For most students, however, the pathway is not so direct.

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Nationwide, community colleges struggle with how to improve the poor outcomes of students referred to developmental education. Based on a case study of an urban community college system, this paper sets forth an opposing forces framework to help diagnose the underlying issues that may thwart colleges' efforts to improve developmental outcomes. [The authors] identify three sets of opposing forces: system-wide consistency versus institutional autonomy; efficient versus effective assessment; and promotion of student progression versus enforcement of academic standards. Within each set, both goals are important and worthy, but they also tend to work in opposition to one another, creating confusion, frustration, and other barriers to meaningful reform. [The authors] describe how each of the three tensions shape developmental policy and practice. [The authors] also provide suggestions on potential reforms that could bring these apparently opposing forces into alignment and, thus, create a developmental education system that works to meet all its stakeholders' goals.

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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.

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This paper presents the findings of an investigation into university responsiveness to student demand at both an aggregate level and the broad field of study with the conclusion that universities exhibit some degree of flexibility. The chapters are: Introduction; Student demand; Applications, offers and enrolments; Demand and supply by field of study; Conclusion. 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.

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In this 30 minute podcast, Steve Davis talks with Tom Karmel, Erica Smith and Damian Oliver on insights from research into apprenticeships. Interested in the story behind the numbers, Tom discusses the findings from his work on individual completion rates that show occupation and employers' size matters, with the implication being that the relationship between employer and apprentice is critical. Erica talks about the all too often unspoken expectations of apprentices and employers: the psychological contract. She finds that writing down these expectations at the start of an apprenticeship does help all parties. Damian examines whether pre-apprenticeship programs deliver on their promise of improved retention rates and finds their impact varies by occupation and prior education level. Implications for policy-makers and training providers are drawn out throughout the podcast. Show less

Education levels in the workforce increased substantially over the 1980s and 1990s, a trend that was expected to continue as rising school retention rates and increasing numbers of tertiary education graduates fed into the workforce. Simple economic analysis suggested that the increase in qualification levels must have occurred either because the demand for or supply of places at education institutions had increased. Supply of education places, at least in Australia, was less amenable to analysis because of its dominance by the government. However, analysis of changes in the structure of labour demand gave some insight into why there had been such an expansion in education.

This paper looks at shifts in labour demand as reflected in changes in the occupational structures. [The authors] then find that the occupational structure has changed in a way which is most favourable to the most highly qualified individuals and least favourable to those with the poorest qualifications. Changes in relative earnings across education levels, suggesting that labour demand has increasingly favoured educated workers, are also discussed. However, these changes cannot explain the whole of the increase in education levels.

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