Research

Summary page

Research

Pathways and barriers: Indigenous schooling and vocational education and training participation in the Goulburn Valley region

This project investigates vocational education opportunities for young Indigenous people in the rural Goulburn Valley region of north-east Victoria and the barriers the Indigenous community faces in gaining access to these opportunities. The specific area investigated is the City of Greater Shepparton. Most of the Goulburn Valley population resides in or near the large provincial city of Shepparton.

The research aimed to:

report on the aspirations, expectations and experiences of the Indigenous community in the Shepparton region in relation to education

map the existing pathways in relation to education, training and employment

reveal the specific barriers and inhibiting factors associated with vocational education and training (VET) provision.

Some of these aims were modified as the study progressed due to difficulties in data collection. The study involved:

a literature review of relevant national and state policies, trends and research on the topic of education and training for Indigenous youth

the collation and analysis of previously unpublished data on Indigenous education and training participation and employment assistance, especially in the Shepparton–Mooroopna area

focus groups interviews with 50 participants; 33 attended the groups, 29 of whom were Indigenous. The three groups were convened in different sites, with participation intended to cover the full range of potential VET participants in the community, by gender, age, educational attainment and labour force status

interviews with 26 people involved in school education, vocational education and training, local government and employment agencies.

Indigenous population in the Shepparton region

The Shepparton Indigenous community is the largest Indigenous community in Victoria outside the Melbourne metropolitan region, although there is some uncertainty about its actual size. The community accounts for 2.7% of the region’s population, according to census data, and 7.4%, according to the local Rumbalara Medical Centre data. The latter figure indicates that the real Koori population in the region may be three times greater than that shown in the 2001 census figures.

The community is a non-traditional community, in that it no longer follows a traditional Indigenous lifestyle and the community speaks English, although Aboriginal English is part of the language mix. An unspecified proportion of Indigenous young people, particularly those of secondary school age, do not appear to be enrolled in schools. School enrolment data represent an alternative school-age population estimate to census data, one which is 17% higher than census estimates; Rumbalara Medical Centre data estimates for the age group are 162% higher than census data.

School education

At most, 40% of Indigenous young people in the compulsory secondary school years (Years 7–10) may be enrolled in the region’s schools. More than one-third (43% in Shepparton–Mooroopna) of Indigenous students apparently leave the school system either after primary school or in very early secondary school. The average point for Indigenous male and female students leaving school for the period 1999–2004 was before the end of Year 8. By Year 12, less than one-quarter (23.8%) of the Year 7 cohort were still at school (14.3% males, 28.6% females). Retention rates to Year 12 appear to be falling, comparing unfavourably with those for the total regional youth population (69.8% in the broader region in 2003), and for the whole of Victoria (85.8% in 2003). They are significantly below national average Indigenous school retention rates and trends (35.7% in 2001, 39.1% in 2003).

Focus group participants and interviewees identified a number of school-based issues that are contributing to the low participation and retention rates, including culturally biased curricula, the lack of Koori educators in schools, and the absence of a more general affirmation of Indigenous culture and identity. The ‘white middle class’ language of teachers was also identified as a contributing factor.

Literacy and numeracy issues are not being adequately addressed. Koori children bring a language mix of Indigenous words, Aboriginal English and Standard English to school, but literacy programs and texts recognise only Standard English. ‘Koori English’ is not used as a literacy teaching tool. One result is a growing gap in literacy levels between Koori and non-Koori students in the region and in reading abilities in particular.

Vocational education and training opportunities appear to be provided too late to engage students since, by the time these become evident, many Indigenous students have already disengaged from formal education and training. It would appear, based on enrolment evidence, that the former technical secondary schools more successfully engaged Koori students than do current mainstream state schools.

The indirect financial loss to the regional Koori community from early school leaving is estimated to be $2.6 million a year in government education funding.

Further education and training

The proportion of Indigenous people in the Goulburn Valley who have post-school qualifications or participate in accredited training is lower than the state Indigenous average. Areas of study appear to be linked more with anticipated future employment in Koori organisations, such as the Rumbalara Co-operative, than with mainstream employment. Many Indigenous early school leavers in the region, particularly males, move into the post-school VET sector through attendance at technical and further education (TAFE) institutes. This provides a stepping stone to vocational education pathways and potentially into employment. There are, however, a number of barriers to successful course completion and (skilled) employment, including:

student issues, such as low levels of literacy and numeracy and low motivation

education and training issues, including culturally inappropriate content and teaching methods, lack of Indigenous staff and space, and lack of vocational and pastoral support

poorly developed Indigenous networks, including poorly developed links with industry and employers

family and community influences, including lack of education, experience and support for students

social–contextual factors, including apparent fear of mainstream work experience and placements, and racism in and beyond the school/TAFE grounds.

VET–employment links, labour force and employment

There are fewer VET providers and fewer workforce opportunities in rural areas compared with urban areas. As a consequence, formal and informal training and employment networks may be more important in rural areas. Koori people’s access to mainstream networks is weak, which may provide a significant barrier to industry-based vocational education opportunities.

In the Goulburn Valley, Indigenous labour force participation rates are particularly low (50.5%), compared with national rural/regional Indigenous rates (58.4%) and extremely low compared with rural/regional non-Indigenous rates (76.1%) (ABS 2001). Even given this, Indigenous unemployment rates in the region are very high, ranging between 68% and 78%, ten times higher than non-Indigenous rates (Alford 2002; Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research 2004). If Indigenous labour force participation rates were the same as non-Indigenous rates, Indigenous unemployment rates would be higher again.

Employment in the Community Development Employment Projects scheme (CDEP) accounts for a startling two-thirds of all Indigenous employment in the Goulburn Valley. Indigenous job seekers are 8.4% of registrations at Centrelink Goulburn Valley, but account for only 3.5% of job placements. About a half are young (less than 24 years), compared with a third of non-Indigenous placements. Very few Indigenous placements involve either skills or interaction with the broader community, for example, in retail, hospitality or office work.

Outcomes and areas for improvement

There are limited tangible gains evident to date in either skills or employment when young people move from schools to the VET sector. Indigenous students lack effective monitoring, vocational guidance or mentoring. This appears to be related to insufficient resources and a jurisdictional vacuum, whereby no particular agency is responsible for facilitating meaningful, sustainable vocational pathways for Koori students.

The system needs more effective and efficient coordination and more resources to ensure that reluctant students are supported culturally, emotionally, educationally and vocationally to enable them to become committed and continuing students and, subsequently, workers. The need for individual case and pathway management and support of Koori students is evident. Greater emphasis on Koori culture and Koori language in curriculum and the education and training context overall may be fundamental prerequisites for improving the levels of achievement of Indigenous students.

Koori community and government costs of low education and training levels

In an area that is economically established and growing, the Indigenous community accesses little of this wealth or opportunity and, according to one estimate, shares in only 0.18% of the region’s gross domestic product (Koori Economic Employment and Training Agency 2004). High attrition and low retention rates among Kooris in secondary schools result in foregone education subsidies in the order of $2.6 million every year. The cost of the overall skills loss to the community and to the region more generally is greater again.

Links between unemployment and low levels of formal educational attainments are well established. The direct costs to government of Indigenous welfare and the Community Development Employment Projects scheme (Indigenous ‘work for the dole’) payments in the Shepparton region were an estimated $3.4 million in 2004 and projected to increase to $4 million by 2011. Indirect ‘macro’ costs, including foregone output and tax revenue, increase the overall cost.

Conclusion

The Indigenous community of the Goulburn Valley, a thriving region of Victoria, deserves better educational and employment outcomes. Attention must be drawn to the neglect experienced by this community, and greater efforts must be made to tap the largely unrealised potential within the community—potential which is strikingly evident in the vibrancy, goodwill and success surrounding the Rumbalara Football Netball Club. Clearly, education attainment is a key to the community’s long-term development, and vocational education and training that leads to employment must be a major component. As the report shows, the problems of educational participation are complex, but should not be seen as insurmountable. Strategies that might boost successful VET participation include: the establishment of an ‘entitlement fund to 12 years of education’ to offer alternatives to young Kooris who leave school early; intensive investment in early literacy and numeracy programs; highly coordinated individual case management; and the greater involvement of the community in the planning and leadership of educational programs.