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The data for this briefing paper were collected from two LSAY cohorts: the Year 9 class of 1995 and the Year 9 class of 1998. Information on the education and labour market activities of these groups has been collected annually. The findings reported here follow the experiences of university entrants from these groups up to age 23. The findings are discussed in further detail in three recent LSAY research reports on the first year experience (Hillman, 2005), university completion (Marks, 2007) and unmet demand (Marks, 2005). Earlier LSAY research, based upon previous groups of young people followed over longer periods of time, are also used. Show less

The Australian Government has set the ambitious target that 40 per cent of all 25 to 34 year olds will hold a qualification at bachelor level or above by 2025. Funding to increase the participation of persons from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds is proposed as a key initiative for achieving the broader attainment goal. In order to meet the attainment goal, however, it will not only be essential to ensure that more students enter higher education, but that these students are able to successfully navigate through their courses, raising issues of retention and ultimately completion. As new enrolments are expected to come disproportionately from low SES backgrounds and other groups that are historically under-represented in the sector (Edwards, 2011), the performance of these groups after entering university will be crucial for the meeting of the attainment target. Previous Joining the Dots research briefings have focused on demand for higher education and enrolments. In this briefing, attention turns to how students who commence higher education studies progress through their courses. The briefing provides a synthesis of currently available information on student retention, attrition, and completions, as well as the reasons underlying course non-completion. The retention of students from low SES backgrounds, a group targeted in current Australian Government participation initiatives, will form the focus of the second half of the briefing.

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How do young people engage in courses of study at institutions of technical and further education (TAFE)? Who studies at TAFE after school? When do they start their studies? What else do they do before and during their TAFE studies? Where do they go once they complete their studies? Are there different patterns for different qualifications? Using data from the 1995 Year 9 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), this paper traces the pathways of TAFE students not participating in apprenticeships or traineeships, examining entry into their courses, progress through their study and completion/non-continuation. Factors influencing course persistence are also reported.

Published abstract.

The collected proceedings are indexed at TD/TNC 82.500; the collected PowerPoint presentations are indexed at TD/TNC 82.501; available papers are indexed from TD/TNC 82.502 to TD/TNC 82.528. Show less

This report details the findings from a research project funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) that explores new data tracking student cohorts through the higher education system – from commencement to completion. In a time of rapid growth in the Australian higher education system, resulting in expanded opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, it is critical to understand which characteristics are linked to a lower likelihood of completion, in order to target retention policies for 'at-risk' groups at the national and institutional levels.

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This briefing describes the post-school education, training and labour market activities of young people in Australia between 1996 to 2000 and identifies factors that affect their chances of getting full-time employment or not becoming unemployed. It is based on the findings of two LSAY research reports: ‘School leavers in Australia: profiles and pathways’ and ‘Dynamics of the Australian youth labour market: the 1975 cohort, 1996-2000. Highlights include: the early career and labour markets of Australian youth are largely positive; less than 10 per cent of young people remain outside full-time education and training or full-time work over a sustained period of time; completing an apprenticeship lowers the risk of unemployment for those who leave school without completing Year 12; and part-time work can be a stepping-stone into full-time employment. Show less

This briefing paper provides initial analysis of national data on university enrolments, tracking students from commencement to completion of university. The research briefing focuses on the completion of university among key equity groups in higher education, offering new insight into the outcomes for a number of groups underrepresented in the higher education sector. This work is part of a larger project funded by a research grant from the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE). The project explores the outcomes of equity groups using complex administrative data that allows for the tracking through university of all undergraduates enrolled in Australia. The research discussed in this briefing offers a new perspective on analyses of equity in higher education by focusing on the outcomes of those disadvantaged students who succeed in reaching university. The underlying question that guides this research is - are outcomes equal once students are through the gates of the university?

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Participation in senior secondary schooling increased substantially between 1980 and the early 1990s, but has been static since that time. Since the mid 1990s curriculum offerings in the senior school years have been broadened in order to cater for a wider range of student interests and aptitudes. The offering of vocational courses in schools has been a prominent component of this curriculum broadening. At the same time, changes have occurred in the post-school vocational education and training (VET) landscape with rapid growth in traineeships. The labour market context has also changed with a decline in full-time youth employment accompanied by growth in part-time youth employment for both males and females. Policies on youth participation in education and training have emphasised persistence at school or participation in a vocational alternative. Trends in school completion, VET-in-schools participation, post-school VET enrolments and labour force statistics are examined in order to explore possible causal relationships. The immediate post-school destinations of young people who do not complete secondary schooling are examined. For these young people, VET participation is an important component of their transitions between compulsory education and work. For some young people, especially males, post-school VET qualifications ameliorate their lower school completion rates. For others, post-school VET does not provide this compensation. Policy implications are considered.

Published abstract.

Available papers from the 11th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) Conference are indexed from TD/TNC 92.459 to TD/TNC 92.499 and from TD/TNC 92.701 to TD/TNC 92.716. Show less

This report, based upon data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program, examines the process of school leaving and the transition from school to postcompulsory education, training and the labour market. Young people who do not stay on to complete senior secondary school and are perceived as ‘at risk’ of experiencing a problematic transition are a major focus of the study. Three research questions are asked: (1) What are the influences on school non-completion, and have these influences changed over the past two decades? (2) What are the post-school experiences of school non-completers, and how do these differ from young people who complete Year 12? (3) How do sociodemographic and human capital factors influence the labour market activities of young people? The study found that the same sociodemographic factors that influenced school non-completion in the early 1980s were still in operation by the late 1990s. However, the influence of some factors (socioeconomic background for example) declined while representation among non-completers of young people with Australian-born parents and those living in non-metropolitan areas increased. A majority of non-completers reported that they left school for positive, work-related reasons such as getting a job or an apprenticeship. Analysis of the post-school activities of non-completers revealed that approximately half the non-completers were engaged in some form of education or training. Approximately half the non-completers who entered full-time work immediately or soon after leaving school, combined work with education or training. However, non-completers are less likely than completers to engage in postcompulsory education or training, and non-completers experienced less successful transitions than completers. The evidence presented here suggests that females, especially non-completers, face greater difficulties than males in the early post-school years. The report concludes that it is important to ensure that alternative educational and training pathways are available to all groups of young people. Show less

The current composition of the degree-qualified labour force in Australia reflects a combination of a range of factors, most notably the operation over time of the domestic higher education system and the migration system. While policies in each of these areas influence the extent and mix of skills in the Australian workforce, analyses of higher education and migration policies often focus on one or the other of these areas in relative isolation. Given the central importance of a skilled workforce to Australia's future as an innovative economy, the intertwined effects of policies in each of these areas must be recognised. This briefing aims to inform this debate by presenting evidence on the changing balance of skills from domestic and migrant sources in recent years, and comparing the labour market outcomes of persons who obtained their qualifications domestically with those of skilled migrants. The focus is on persons holding a bachelor degree or higher qualification, and occupations with a level of skill commensurate with these qualifications, which comprise the majority of managerial and professional occupations in Australia. It should be noted that this is wider than some definitions of skilled work, which also include technical and trade occupations.

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Australia invested $111.8 billion in education in 2015. The sources of this funding and the pathways it follows through various systems are complex. Rarely are all the components of this system captured in the one place. This report offers a detailed insight into investment in Australian education, capturing data from all levels - from early childhood to higher education - and all funding sources - the federal government, state governments, private contributions and the transfers that take place between these. The purpose of this report is to provide this information in a format that will enable others to extract elements of relevance to them in order to make informed commentary relating to education investment in Australia. The key source for this data is the Australian Government Department of Education and Training submission for the annual joint UNESCO Institute for Statistics, OECD and Eurostat (UOE) data collection on education statistics (UOE, 2017, 2018).

The Australian education system is built around three pillars that consume the bulk of expenditure on education: primary schools (27 per cent of all expenditure), secondary schools (28 per cent) and higher education (26 per cent for Bachelor and above education level). The remaining 19 per cent of education expenditure is spread between early childhood education, preschool, vocational education and training (VET) Certificates, Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas. The report examines three key questions: How much is spent on education - in total and per student? What proportion of national income is spent on education? What proportion of government spending is devoted to education? For each of these questions, statistics are presented by level of education, sector and funding source. In addition, trends in funding over time are explored. The main body of the report offers overall highlights and graphical representations of the data. Appendix A contains detailed tables with the underlying statistics, while Appendices B and C offer technical information used in making calculations.

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