Young people who complete Year 12 tend to make a more successful transition from school to work, but employment outcomes for those who complete an apprenticeship or traineeship are just as good.
New research released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), examines data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), which tracks young people from the age of 15 to 25 as they move from school to work or further study.
Year 12 completion and youth transitions looks at young people who are at risk of making an unsuccessful transition from school to work and finds that for young men, completing an apprenticeship provides the best pathway to employment, followed by completing Year 12.
However, for young women, completing Year 12 leads to the best outcomes, followed by completion of a traineeship and completion of an apprenticeship. Young women who complete Year 12 are more likely to be in full-time work or study, spend less time in unemployment and earn more money than those who do not complete Year 12.
Completing a vocational education and training (VET) qualification at certificate II or III level as an alternative to Year 12 leads to worse outcomes on average than completing Year 12.
Dr Chris Ryan, author of the report, said these findings suggest further effort needs to be devoted to building on new models of schooling that encourage young people to complete their senior school certificates, regardless of their academic orientation.
"Year 12 retention targets are expressed as 'Year 12 or its vocational equivalent' and this research highlights that more work is needed to specify exactly what is meant by equivalence," Dr Ryan said.
"Completing Year 12 is beneficial, even for those who don't intend to go onto further study, but there are other pathways available such as apprenticeships that also lead to a successful transition into the workforce, but these alternatives must be completed for young people to see the benefits."
Copies of Year 12 completion and youth transitions are available from www.lsay.edu.au/publications/2370.html
Copies of Year 12 completion and youth transitions: research overview are available from www.lsay.edu.au/publications/2371.html
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