Search Results

This report presents the findings of a survey of students who participated in programs funded by the Enterprise & Career Education Foundation (ECEF) during 2001 and left school in that year. Of the 42,000 questionnaires issued, 14,306 responses were received, providing a clear picture of outcomes for those young people when they left school in terms of employment, unemployment and further study. The report also examines the links between work placements and industry, apprenticeships and traineeships, and other kinds of training. The majority of respondents (74.3%) were in either full time work or full time study. Of the employed respondents, 40.2% were working in the same industry sector as their work placement and 40.7% were in apprenticeships and traineeships. For the 1999, 2000 and 2001 cohorts, female respondents were significantly more likely to be in full time study and less likely to be in full time work than their male counterparts. From 2000 to 2001, the proportion of respondents with a disability in full time study increased from 27.5% to 40.8%. Although the rate of unemployment in this group was almost halved during this period, they were significantly less likely to be employed on a full time basis. The proportion of Indigenous respondents studying full time was lower than the overall percentage of respondents in full time study. The rate of unemployment in this group was higher than the unemployment rate of respondents in general. Show less

Students with an identified disability (SWD) who participate in career and technical education (CTE) in high school tend to have better graduation and employment outcomes than SWD who do not participate in CTE. Recent research has shown that these differences in graduation and employment hold when accounting for observable differences between SWD who do and do not participate in CTE (in both dedicated high schools and comprehensive high schools), and when accounting for differences in the likelihood that a student with an identified disability participates in CTE. In this report, we examine the relationship between SWD and CTE across different educational policy settings and for students receiving special education services for different disabilities. We use data from three states - Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Washington - to summarize CTE participation, graduation, and postsecondary outcomes for students with different identified disabilities in these states.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

This report investigates the participation and success of disabled people in tertiary education, using data from the 2013 Disability Survey. The purpose of the report is to inform policy to support the needs of disabled people in tertiary education. The 2013 Disability Survey estimated that 21 per cent of all 16 to 64-year-olds had a disability. The proportion was higher among older people, due to health conditions or injuries occurring later in life. The most common main impairments were mobility, hearing and psychological/psychiatric. Around half of disabled people had more than one type of impairment. The responses in the Survey can be used to identify a group of disabled people with higher support needs, who made up 23 per cent of all disabled people aged 16 to 64. This proportion was consistent across age groups.

This report broadly describes the participation and achievement of disabled people in tertiary education. It is not intended to offer solutions, but rather inform conversations about what needs to be done and for whom. It relies entirely on quantitative data, and as such, does not explore the diverse lived experiences of disabled people.

Edited excerpts from publication and publisher's website. Show less

Whilst the literature consistently argues that vocational education and training, including apprenticeships and traineeships, contribute to positive employment outcomes for people with disability, little is documented regarding their post-course outcomes, particularly over time. This paper presents a retrospective outcome analysis of 253 apprentices and trainees with disability who were placed and supported by EDGE Employment Solutions (EDGE) between 2000 and 2010. EDGE, established in 1984 as a Disability Employment Service (DES) in Perth, Western Australia, has actively pursued apprenticeships and traineeship for people with disability in Australia since the 1990s. Post-course outcomes, including income, hours worked, and job durability, were analysed and compared with matched pairs of current EDGE registrants with similar socio-demographic characteristics who had not commenced an apprenticeship or traineeship. The retrospective outcome analysis found significantly better post-training outcomes for participants in the 'completed' apprenticeship cohort than those achieved by their matched pairs. Improved outcomes were evident in higher hourly wages, more hours worked per week, higher weekly wages, and greater job durability. Better outcomes were also achieved by participants in the 'completed' traineeship cohort and 'did not complete' apprenticeship cohort. The outcomes for participants in the 'did not complete' traineeship cohort did not differ significantly from the comparison group on most outcome measures.

Published abstract. Show less

This report outlines the findings of a consultancy undertaken by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to inform the New Apprenticeships incentives review being conducted by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). The consultancy comprised five phases: (1) Statistical overview. A statistical overview of New Apprenticeships detailing: apprentice and trainee characteristics (e.g. age, gender, part-time/full-time, indigenous, disabled, rural and remote etc.); employer characteristics (e.g. size, industry and occupations); nature of training undertaken (e.g. field of study, qualification levels, hours); providers of training; growth in numbers of apprentices and trainees (e.g. commencements); and number of completions and non-completions (e.g. withdrawals/cancellations), as at June 1998 and June 2001; (2) Trend analysis. A trend analysis of New Apprenticeship data (commencements, recommencements, completions, withdrawals/cancellations) on a full-time and part-time split and on an industry by occupation basis since 1994. the analysis outlines the effect of policy changes on commencements and completions and identifies differences in apprenticeship commencements and completions in the areas of the traditional trades youth, females, indigenous Australians, disabled, and rural and remote New Apprentices as well as the duration of New Apprenticeships by AQF level for trades and non-trades; (3) Commencement projections. A range of commencement projections are provided under a range of assumptions; (4) Simulation model of completions. A simulation model of completions was developed from a forecasting model that has been developed by NCVER to forecast completions. The forecast model projects expected completions based on past and present commencements. The model takes account of differences in contract duration, occupation, qualification level, full-time/part-time status; and (5) Policy simulations. A range of proposed policy changes are simulated to assess the likely impact on new apprentice completions. The simulations are carried out under the assumption that the current patterns of contract duration, full-time/part-time status and qualification level by major occupational grouping continue into the future.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

The rate of higher education participation in Australia has increased over the past decade for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. This study contributes to the knowledge on the outcomes of disadvantaged individuals who complete higher education by looking at the employment and earnings outcomes of university graduates from equity groups. The number of Indigenous graduates and graduates with disabilities was found to be very low, suggesting that more needs to be done to improve higher education completion for these two groups. The labour market outcomes for other equity groups are mixed, with those from low socio-economic status backgrounds and regional and remote Australia generally performing well in the labour market, while graduates from non-English speaking backgrounds and female graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields experience substantial disadvantage in the labour market. The findings suggest selection processes prior to the graduates' entry into the labour market are important. Policies targeted at these groups during and before university study are required.

Published abstract. Show less

This rapid evidence assessment (REA) presents the available evidence on work experience and work experience-related support for young people aged 16 to 19 with less complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and who are studying vocational or technical study programmes in the further education (FE) or training sectors.

Abstract from publisher's website. Show less

The state-federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) program has been challenged to demonstrate the effectiveness of VR services provided to eligible consumers. State-federal VR agencies are under pressure to develop a foundation of evidence-based practices that lead to competitive employment outcomes for people with disabilities. This article provides a qualitative analysis of the organization structural elements and service delivery practices related to the provision of effective best practices that enhance employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Using a Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) approach, a multi-stage qualitative analysis of four high performing state VR agencies was conducted to identify promising organizational and service delivery practices that facilitate employment outcomes. Twenty-nine practices were identified as being supportive of the successful outcomes of persons with disabilities being served by these agencies. The identified practices reflect unique and similar service patterns across the four VR agencies studied. Practices were divided into Promising Organizational Practices and Promising Service Delivery Practices. The culture of an organization is an important factor in the development and sustainability of innovative practices. Best practices reconsider traditional rehabilitation counselor roles and offer new methods for delivering services. Rigorous research and program evaluation are required to identify which practices will ultimately constitute evidence-based practices.

Published abstract. Show less

This paper was presented at the third AVETRA conference. For over 25 years Australian federal and state governments have implemented equity programs in education and training targeted at specific social groups. Equity programs are sector-specific and implemented separately in each of four sectors: schools, vocational education and training (VET), higher education, and adult community education. Since the 1980s commonwealth labour market programs have directed training and education assistance to the long-term unemployed. This paper reviews the available data for six major equity groups (indigenous Australians, women and girls, people with a disability, people from rural and isolated areas, non-English speaking or low socio-economic (SES) backgrounds). Improvements to government equity strategies are suggested: targeting low-SES students within all equity groups; identifying two new target groups (those with low skills and the unemployed); focusing on the outcomes (and not just the outputs) of education and training; strengthening genuine pathways into employment; and improving data collections across the sectors.

Volumes of collected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 64.481 to TD/TNC 64.483. Individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 62.625 to TD/TNC 62.632 and from TD/TNC 64.484 to TD/TNC 64.541. Show less

This article examines the effect that postsecondary education has on earnings and the duration of time spent in the Social Security disability programs for young persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. The authors hypothesize that investments in postsecondary training increase the likelihood of employment for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and thus reduce dependency on disability-related income support programs.

The authors found that those who graduate, even those who graduate with vocational degrees, experience significant earnings benefits and reductions in the duration of time spent on federal disability programs when compared with those who do not graduate with a degree. This finding suggests that reductions in the duration of time spent on Social Security programs are not limited to those with the highest level of scholastic aptitude and that investments in post-secondary education can benefit a broad group of deaf and hard-of-hearing persons. In addition, the data show that individuals who attend college, but withdraw before graduation, fair no better economically than individuals who never attended college.

Edited excerpts from published abstract. Show less