News & Events
ACE: Re-engaging young learners for success
By Alison Anlezark
Quest
23 April 2010
Ask most people what they would expect to see in an adult and community education centre and they'll probably think of a group of mature adults learning a language or doing a short course on how to use a digital camera. Yet it's increasingly likely they will also see teenagers learning at ACE centres.
With recent policy initiatives such as the Youth Compact and state-based legislation to raise the school leaving age to 17 years in most jurisdictions, this number could soon include more school-aged students who want to finish their secondary education outside the traditional school environment. There are already alternative pathways for completing high school, such as the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), the Introductory Vocational Education Certificate (IVEC) and the Certificate of General Education (CGE).
Prior to the legislative changes these young people would have been labelled as early school leavers, who, as pointed out by Gary Marks and Nicole Fleming from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), tend to be students with lower aspirations, of lower socio-economic status and lower academic ability. Early school leavers may also be facing issues such as homelessness and drug abuse as well as difficult family relationships and financial problems. These students present new challenges to adult learning providers.
In 2007 Janet Taylor from the Brotherhood of St Laurence investigated the lives of eight early school leavers who are participants in the Life Chances Study. These young people often lead complex and tough lives with education being just one part of the mix of difficulties. Taylor stresses the importance of trying to understand the whole range of factors impacting on these students’ lives. Many of those she followed had moved in and out of schooling, sometimes for reasons not related to the education environment. Often it was the alternatives to mainstream schooling which brought them back to education. One such example is ‘Maddie’, who re-engaged with learning through the Vocational Certificate of Adult Learning (VCAL).
Maddie lived with her sole parent mother in her early years which were disrupted by health and housing problems. After her mother died, she lived with relatives and then with her father as a sole parent. At 15, in Year 9 she ran away from home and missed a lot of school. She returned but finally left school the following year at 16. She worked at a fast food outlet and later undertook VCAL as a TAFE program. At 17 she had completed her VCAL year and was hoping to get an office traineeship.
ACE and VET providers have worked with early school leavers for many years and have developed many positive programs which enable young people to complete their secondary schooling in an adult learning environment.
In research published in 2004, Johanna Wyn from the University of Melbourne and her colleagues looked at six individual ACE/TAFE programs delivered in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia that provided effective re-entry points for young people. By speaking with both students and teachers the researchers identified aspects of the programs which made them successful. They found that students were attracted to the programs by features such as the quality of relationships between students and staff; flexibility in the mode of delivery; choice of study areas; and, opportunities for personal autonomy.
In addition, it was found that teachers and students thought that student-centred approaches to learning, for example self-paced learning, were important. Flexible delivery and timetabling allowed students to balance study, work and other interests.
Of course education does not finish at school. On completion of their initial program, students had the chance to uncover opportunities to continue their education. However, moving to higher level courses often depended on advice and advocacy by program staff. Consideration must also be given to addressing young people's personal issues, such as living arrangements and finances, all of which can hold a student back. The researchers suggest an integrated approach with advice and advocacy linked to youth services can help students cope with their problems.
What can other types of research tell us about youth transitions? The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) is a rich resource that can help. LSAY tracks young people as they move from school into further study, work and other destinations. It uses large, nationally representative samples of young people to collect information about education and training, work, and social development.
Last November a group of researchers came together to present their analyses of LSAY data. A theme discussed during the forum was the need for diversification. As Tom Karmel, Managing Director of NCVER notes in his summary of the key findings from this event, channelling resources into a one-size-fits-all approach to boost Year 12 and higher education participation will not reach those groups of young people at risk of becoming disengaged. More prominence needs to be given to alternative pathways which combine education and training, which is where the VET and ACE sectors can offer their expertise.
Another theme to emerge from the forum was the need for young people to have a plan about what they want to do with their lives, and the importance of having aspirations. Career advice that takes into account the many pathways available to students is also vital. Indeed, many young people have to complete a ‘Personalised Learning Plan’ as part of their secondary school education. Joanna Sikora from the Australian National University highlighted the need for careers advisors to pay special attention in helping students take steps to meet their career goals when these goals and interests are quite different from their parents. This means that school teachers and parents need to better understand what ACE and VET pathways can offer students. Kylie Hillman from ACER demonstrated how students from low socio-economic backgrounds can overcome disadvantage when they have high career aspirations.
Young people frequently experience periods of unemployment and inactivity in the labour market. Most of these, happily, still go on to find work or undertake further study by their mid-20s. Fewer than 10% are genuinely 'at risk' for significant periods of time between the ages of 15 and 25 years. My investigation of the LSAY data makes clear that one of the strongest factors associated with being at risk of long-term disengagement is having low literacy and numeracy skills. This, coupled with other factors such as coming from a low-socioeconomic background and having no intention to complete Year 12, can lead to a dislike of school and to a lower likelihood of completing school or going onto post-school education and training. If a young person doesn’t complete their schooling it can increase the probability of experiencing protracted spells of unemployment, which weakens their chances of gaining full-time work.
ACE and VET providers, who do run programs for young people, may well have to offer remedial classes. We know that many ACE providers are already adept at teaching literacy and numeracy and also have a wealth of experience in dealing with people of all ages who have disengaged from learning and who have gone through periods of unemployment.
So clearly there can be a role for ACE to play in re-connecting young people with learning by providing a supportive adult learning environment, helping young people deal with their personal problems and assume control of their lives and by fostering positive career aspirations.
Alison Anlezark is the Manager of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth branch at the National Centre for Vocational Education Research.
References
Anlezark A, forthcoming, At risk youth – A transitory state?, NCVER, Adelaide.
Karmel T, 2009, Young people: Finding their way in a new era – Summary of key findings of the policy forum, 25 November, NCVER, viewed 15 March 2010 www.ncver.edu.au/newsevents/opinionpieces/op_3.html
Marks G, Fleming N, 1999, Early school leaving in Australia: Findings from the 1995 Year 9 LSAY Cohort, ACER, Victoria.
Sikora J, Saha LJ, forthcoming, Lost talent? The occupational ambitions and attainments of young Australians, NCVER, Adelaide.
Taylor J, 2009, Stories of early school leaving: Pointers for policy and practice, Brotherhood of St Lawrence, Victoria.
Thomson S, Hillman K, forthcoming, Success despite the odds? Post school pathways of low mathematics achievers in Australia, NCVER, Adelaide.
Wyn J, Stokes H, Tyler D, 2004, Stepping stones: TAFE and ACE program development for early school leavers, NCVER, Adelaide.
