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Since 1990, the Australian higher education system has experienced ongoing reform resulting in the number of universities and student populations more than doubling. Despite this expansion, inequalities in access to higher education related to family background and location persist. Due to the concentration of higher education campuses in the capital cities of each Australian state, inequalities related to geographic location may be as important as those related to socio-economic status.

Our analysis of data collected by the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research programme shows that students from regional and rural areas are less likely than their urban peers to enrol at university. Furthermore, this trend persists when levels of academic achievement at age 15 and Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) are accounted for. Given that demand for highly educated workers is increasing and that workers with no post-school qualifications are the most likely to experience unemployment or underemployment, the inaccessibility of educational opportunities may consign the current generation of non-metropolitan youth to extended periods of precarious employment.

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This report examines student equity stratification by field of education and institution. A large focus of the report is on student equity across selective institutions and disciplines, which we take to mean those that require a high achievement threshold for entry. Unequal representation within selective institutions and disciplines carries consequences for individuals, universities, professions, and the broader society. For individuals, access to selective institutions and disciplines is typically correlated with higher incomes, and perceptions of a better fit between qualifications and employment. For universities, raising student diversity within selective courses is important for both equity and learning quality. At the broader professional and societal levels, research suggests diverse graduate cohorts are critical for maximising economic efficiency and social cohesion (Wakeling, 2010).

The report examines two key research questions: (1) To what extent are equity group students underrepresented within selective study areas and institutions? (2) What are the course choices of high [Australian Tertiary Admission Rank] ATAR students from equity groups, and how might these choices inform our understanding of equity within selective disciplines and institutions? We begin by providing a background section on equity and selectivity, including reference to the international literature. The analysis section of this report covers six equity groups, including: Indigenous students, students from no-English speaking backgrounds (NESB), students from low [socioeconomic status] SES backgrounds, students from regional and remote areas, students with disability, and female students. Our quantitative analysis first maps equity access rates across institutions and courses, using the aggregated 'study areas' framework developed by the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) survey reports. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for government, institutions, and the sector generally, with reference to policy recommendations. We close by outlining some limitations of our study and offer avenues of inquiry for future research.

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Emerging public discourse about making a 'tree change', 'green change', or 'sea change' emphasizes the putative benefits of working and residing in regional Australia. Yet, attracting and retaining workers in the regions is a challenge for policymakers, governments, and industries. The present research involved two separate surveys of people residing in regional Australian communities to discern demographic and psychological predictors of their intent to stay in their region: income, years in the region, family, life satisfaction, job satisfaction, and place identity. Multiple regression analyses found incremental evidence of place identity as a predictor of intent to stay. The findings regarding place identity have implications for career development practice, human resources recruitment strategies, and public policy focused on regional Australia.

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University degree completions by equity groups in Australia have grown. It is, however, unknown whether graduates from equity backgrounds have equitable work and study outcomes. This study uses national graduate survey data linked to student administrative records from 19 participating Australian universities to examine post-degree study and employment outcomes of domestic undergraduates around six months after graduation. The results indicate that graduates from low socioeconomic status background, with disability, or from a non-English speaking background were less likely to be employed after degree completion. However, graduates from nearly all equity groups were more likely to be in further study after undergraduate degree completion relative to graduates from non-equity backgrounds. Academic performance was found to be influential on the graduates' propensity to be in further study or employment. Participation in further study appears accessible for graduates from equity backgrounds, however, action to address their poorer labour market outcomes is needed.

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Levelling up without levelling down, and levelling up within the nations, regions and localities of the UK as well as between them is the core mission of 'Levelling up the United Kingdom', the Government white paper published in February 2022 [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 148.196]. The white paper covers the devolved nations of the United Kingdom (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) as well as England and identifies six factors critical to driving forward levelling up: (1) physical capital (infrastructure, machines and housing); (2) intangible capital (innovation, ideas and patents); (3) financial capital (resources supporting the financing of companies); (4) social capital (the strength of communities, relationships and trust); (5) institutional capital (local leadership, capacity and capability); and (6) human capital (the skills, health and experience of the workforce). Crucially, as the white paper makes clear, it is the interaction between these factors which both explain why certain places in the UK have persistently low outcomes than others and how they can level up. In the area of English post-18 education and skills, the white paper proposes three new policies: the creation by the Department for Education (DfE) of a Unit for Future Skills working with the DBEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP); the development of Pathfinder areas to bring together greater alignment between employment and skills interventions, and a mission to increase the number of people successfully completing high-quality skills training by 200,000 annually as part of a commitment to lifelong training for all adults.

This paper contains 18 brief articles on aspects of levelling up and post-16 education and skills in England. The paper concludes with an assessment by the Campaign for Learning on the Levelling Up white paper and post-16 education and skills policy, and a series of recommendations to take the agenda forward. The contents are as follows: Introduction / Julia Wright and Mark Corney. Part one, 'National and place-based strategies', contains the following articles: Levelling up and the Department for Education / Andy Westwood; Levelling up and post-16 education and skills / Sam Freedman; Levelling up the West Midlands by 2030 / Fiona Aldridge; Levelling up London by 2030 / Mark Hilton. Part two, 'Levelling up and young people', contains: Levelling up and education: lots of stuff but little substance / Geoff Barton; Levelling up 16-19 education / Sam Tuckett; Levelling up participation by 16-18 year olds / Becci Newton; Levelling up and 18-24 year olds in England / Kathleen Henehan. Part three, 'Levelling up and lifelong training', contains: Placing vocational education at the heart of levelling up / Olly Newton; Higher technical education, higher and degree apprenticeships and levelling up / Mandy Crawford-Lee; The role of employer training in levelling up / Ewart Keep. Part four, 'Levelling up and lifelong learning', contains: Levelling up in England through lifelong learning / Stephen Evans; Levelling up as a nation of lifelong learning / Susan Pember; The future of adult learning is in the hands of local leaders / Simon Parkinson. Part five, 'Levelling up and post-16 providers', contains: Well-funded colleges to serve every community / David Hughes; A 'higher education institution' in every community / Nick Hillman; Levelling up and widening participation into higher education / Chris Hale; Levelling up is as much about people as places / Jane Hickie. Conclusion: Campaign for Learning assessment.

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In Italy, small gender differences are present among 'young' NEETs (not in education, employment or training, 15-24 years), while the gender gap increases considerably among 'older' NEETs (25-34 years). We analyze the socioeconomic factors that influence the NEET gender gap, which increases with age. We consider regional data on four groups of NEETs (by age and gender) adopting a system generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM) estimator on a 2010-2018 panel dataset. Group analysis makes it possible to detect specific determinants (problems related to the study and work choices of young people) causes of the gap.

Our results suggest that women are exposed to a higher risk of persistence in NEET status due to labor issues, while family/social obligations lose their influence with age. General economic and unemployment issues are connected to the NEET status mainly among men.

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The progressive democratisation of Australian higher education has numerous causes including the increase in the number of universities and therefore university places across the later 20th and into the 21st century, as well as initiatives by governments of different ideological hues to increase the total percentage of the population with a university degree. This latter impulse, in particular, has increased significantly the number of students entering university via pathway programs, meaning programs which provide the opportunity to undertake study to inculcate university-standard skills and enable matriculation into university for people who are otherwise ineligible. The students in pathway programs are sometimes disengaged from learning, coming from so-called non-traditional pathways that may signify a disconnect between them and their institutions of learning. This practice report, therefore, examines efforts to address 'connectedness' in pathway programs at a regional university in Australia. The pathway programs at [University of Southern Queensland] UniSQ College are underpinned by an inclusive and holistic teaching philosophy that supports students' access to higher education. Through the lenses of social, emotional, cognitive, behavioural, and collaborative engagement, practitioners examined and reflected on ways in which this philosophy was embedded in the day-to-day work of UniSQ College through deliberate efforts to promote and maintain connectedness. By reflecting on and articulating these connections, we have provided a base for developing a future evaluative framework that will critically examine the extent to which our practices, through student engagement, foster connectedness.

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We study how the presence of a college affects the local economy using administrative data. Our analysis exploits the opening of new institutions of tertiary education across Germany in the 1980s and 1990s. The new college substantially increased the student population and share of high-skilled workers in the region. Yet, we find no effect on regional wages or employment indicating that the local economies did not experience additional growth through skill-biased technological change, for instance. Instead, there is sizable heterogeneity in the local gains: high-tech firms in manufacturing absorb most of the new college graduates, esp. in engineering professions. We find little impact on the low- or high-skilled service sector or employment in managerial professions. Finally, we show that local labor market conditions prior to the opening matter: in regions with a more dynamic labor market, the opening encourages firm creation and a permanent upskilling of the workforce. Areas with a less dynamic labor market experience little sustained growth in high-skilled workers who are absorbed by incumbent firms.

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STEM education and skills are front of mind for the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) as they are critical to Australia reaching its technology-powered, human-driven potential. ATSE's expert Fellowship has identified five key areas for exploration where the current and possible future lack of skilled workers will hold Australia back from reaching its aspirations. These areas are: (1) Mathematics in regional, rural and remote schools; (2) Digital skills: from coding to skills for the entire workforce; (3) Capacity development for a technology-driven agricultural transformation; (4) Addressing the engineering shortages; and (5) Promoting entrepreneurial skills in Australia.

Across July and August 2022, ATSE held a series of national roundtables to explore key issues in each of these domains, and potential short and medium-term solutions to solve our skills shortages. The sessions were led by ATSE Fellows and were attended by over 120 individuals across industry, academia, and government. Findings highlight that collaborative national action between government, industry, education, unions, peak bodies, and individuals will be required to drive rapid and sustainable action. The overarching recommendations from the series of five roundtables are provided in this report, along with topic-specific recommendations.

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The objective of this article is to analyse how the territory operates in the employability of young people who have failed or dropped out of school. As a starting hypothesis, we propose that the local traditions and the productive model linked to the territory condition the training and work expectations of the young population. A case study conducted within the framework of the AJOVE project 'Millorant l'ocupacio de la joventut al territori' funded by the Observatori Catala de la Joventut is presented. The methodological strategy followed is qualitative, so we could compare the training and labour trajectories of three production models linked to different territories, specifically industry, services, and agriculture.

The results indicate, on the one hand, common aspects shared by young people, regardless of place of residence, according to their training experience, family status, and gender. On the other hand, the territory is important in the construction of expectations that underlie the decisions made about school and work.

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