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Every year, the vocational education and training (VET) sector, through
the Student Outcomes Survey conducted by the National Centre for Vocational
Education Research (NCVER), measures
student destinations shortly after completion of training. However, little research
has been
undertaken into the longer-term outcomes of these students.
This study examines outcomes from technical and further education (TAFE)
training over time for young people aged 15 to 24. Key outcome measures
include employment status, wages, occupation, pathways to further study,
and other personal outcomes. The data analysis was based on 15 to 24-year-olds
who undertook training in 2001 and who participated in the NCVER’s Student
Outcomes Survey in May 2002 and in a follow-up survey in September 2004,
known as the Down the Track survey. This allows for information to be
reported six months prior to training, approximately six months after
training in May 2002, and approximately two-and-a-half years after training
in September 2004.
- By comparison with their pre-training conditions, young
people who undertake TAFE training experience substantial improvements
in employment levels, wages, skill levels and occupation approximately
two-and-a-half years after training.
- Not all students are employed immediately after their
training; however, employment outcomes for these students improve
over time. Around
two-thirds of those students who were unemployed in 2002 were
employed by September 2004. Likewise, over half of those not in the
labour
force (not working and not actively looking for work) in 2002
were employed
by 2004.
- TAFE training is used by many as a pathway into further
study. Some students enrol in further study immediately after
training. By September 2004, 43% of graduates (students who had completed
a
full qualification) had completed an additional qualification
and around
a third of module completers (students who had completed at least
one module) had completed a qualification. Around a fifth of graduates
had
completed an additional qualification at a higher level.
- Students reported many personal benefits from their TAFE
training; in particular, in improving skills both generally and
in relation to specific jobs. Students also reported their earlier
TAFE
experiences
as being important to them, with nearly nine out of ten graduates
and two-thirds of module completers rating their training as important
to
them two-and-a-half years later.
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