Opinion piece
By Nhi Nguyen
VOCAL Journal, Volume 8, 2010-2011
1 September 2010
Introduction
In the fourteen years since VET in schools was introduced to the Australian school curricula it has become an integral part of each state and territory’s Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE). Over 90% of Australian schools offer VET subjects and programs and almost half of all senior secondary students participate in these courses. Historically, these programs developed out of concerns about the school to work transition of young Australians, and the need for a senior secondary certificate with a broader range of curriculum to encourage Year 12 retention. But stagnant year 12 retention rates against increasing participation in VET in schools raises questions about how effective these programs are at improving completion of Year 12 and providing a pathway to post-school VET study.
This article explores whether participation in VET in schools assists the transition of young people by looking at research using data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY). LSAY tracks young people as they move from school to work, providing information about their school, post-school, employment, and social outcomes. Therefore, these data provide us with the opportunity to assess the impact of VET in schools programs on young people’s educational and employment outcomes.
However, significant changes to VET in schools programs and the variation in program delivery across Australia means that measuring exactly what impact VET in schools has on young people is difficult.
This article begins by looking at the current landscape of VET in schools using recent data from the VET in schools collection. This information is released annually by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).
Recent VET in Schools activity
Latest data from NCVER (2010) show that in 2008, 220,000 students were participating in VET in schools programs, an increase of 25.8% from the previous year. This means that 41% of all senior secondary students are involved in VET in schools. Close to 9% of students participating in VET in schools in Australia are undertaking a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship, with the highest proportion in Queensland (14.0%).
Indigenous students enrolled in VET in schools programs represent a lower proportion of VET in schools students (3.5%) compared with the proportion of Indigenous students aged 15 to 19 years in the public VET system (5.2%, NCVER, 2010). This is probably because many have left school by Year 11 – apparent retention rates for Indigenous students from Year 10 to Year 12 were 45% in 2009 (ABS, 2010). This compares to 77% of non-Indigenous students completing their schooling (ABS, 2010).
The majority of VET in schools students are enrolled in VET courses leading to a Certificate II level qualification. In contrast, 30.4% of 15 to 19-year-old public VET students enrolled in Certificate II qualifications in the same year. Tourism, hospitality and events is a popular training package among VET in schools students while management and commerce continues to be the most popular subject area. These choices may reflect the increasing trend for young people to combine part-time work and post-school study. Around a third of school students combine school and work (Anlezark and Lim, forthcoming), and in 2006, nearly 71% of full-time domestic undergraduate students reported working during the semester (Bradley, 2008). These students are more likely to work in industries such as hospitality (fast food) and retail sectors.
Measuring the impact of VET in schools
Measuring the impact of VET in schools is complicated by a number of issues.
Firstly, VET in schools activity collected by longitudinal data currently provides information about programs undertaken between 1997 and 2005. To assess the long-term effects of these programs on post-school and employment outcomes, we need to wait some years after the students have left school and therefore we need to look at the VET in schools activity between 1997 and 2000. Additionally, because students self report participation in VET in schools¹ there may be significant under reporting because those doing programs that are embedded into the curriculum may not be ware they are in fact undertaking ‘VET in schools’.
As a result of looking at VET in schools up to 2000, the research drawing from longitudinal data does not capture the significant structural changes in arrangements in VET in schools that have occurred in the last decade. Over time, these programs have responded to industry standards for VET delivery and the need to strengthen links between senior secondary schooling and employment. For example, in New South Wales and Western Australia, the recent development of industry-specific courses aims to provide skills which will be of particular value on the job. School-based apprenticeships and traineeships, which have been implemented more substantially in Queensland, are also gaining popularity among students in other states.
Adding to the complexity of evaluating the effectiveness of VET in schools is the variety of programs available across the country. The nature and structure of VET in schools programs are largely influenced by the policy directions in each state and territory, particularly the way each jurisdiction structures their SSCE. Consequently, there are many variations of VET in schools models available across different jurisdictions. For example, schools can deliver VET in schools directly as registered training organisations, as is the case for most schools in Queensland and New South Wales. However, in Western Australia, VET in schools is offered mainly by training providers. Partnerships are also common across jurisdictions, where schools work with providers such as TAFE institutes to deliver training programs. Additionally, many states offer stand-alone VET subjects and courses along with curriculum-based VET in schools programs. These variations in VET in schools delivery can potentially affect student outcomes, but these differences are difficult to categorise and hence measure.
Despite these issues, research drawing from the LSAY data provides an insight into the impact that VET in schools programs have on young peoples’ educational and employment outcomes.
LSAY Research findings
LSAY research suggests that while participation in these programs has positive effects on attitudes to, and satisfaction with, school it does not necessarily lead to increased Year 12 retention. Instead, school VET programs assist in post-school employment choices and in the transition to the workforce for young people by providing a greater exposure to the world of work. Although this is viewed as an ‘unsuccessful’ school outcome if the transition occurs before Year 12 completion, it may, depending on the nature of the job, be a successful employment outcome.
Lamb & Vickers (2006) found that the attitudes of school VET students in Year 12 were as positive about school as a place of learning as students who never engaged in VET. This was a significant change from their attitudes in Year 9 when VET in schools students had less positive views of school as a place of learning. Recent analysis of LSAY data finds that for the majority of students, their post-school plans change little between Years 11 and 12, and participation in VET in schools in the senior years of their secondary education may be too late to influence their post-school plans. Only a small proportion of students in Year 9 indicated an intention to leave school before finishing Year 12, with the proportion slightly larger for VET in schools students than non-school VET students in 1997 (5% and 2% respectively of the LSAY Y95 cohort, Nguyen, forthcoming). By 2005, all 15 year olds first interviewed in 2003 indicated an intention to complete Year 12 regardless of VET exposure in school. This suggests that these programs are unlikely to improve school completion.
However, participation in VET in schools can influence a small group of students, who are intent on getting a job straight after school, to change their post-school plans to include further VET study or an apprenticeship or traineeship (Nguyen, forthcoming).
Participation in school VET provides a pathway to further post-school VET for some students; however, participation is not a prerequisite for participating in post-school VET study. Among those students who do continue with post-school VET, most undertake study that is not related to their school VET subjects (Anlezark et al, 2006; Fullarton, 2001). This suggests that their first response renews their awareness and interest in post-compulsory VET study, rather than providing a direct pathway.
Anlezark et al (2006) found that VET in schools students who left school after Year 11 made a smoother school to work transition than those who did not participate in these programs. Outcomes from VET in schools programs also depend on the composition of VET studies, including the level of structured workplace learning (Coates & Rothman, 2008). Rural VET in schools courses with a strong emphasis on structured work place learning were found to be more successful in retaining students who were otherwise likely to have left school early and assisted the transition into local employment and apprenticeships (Johns et al, 2004).
Conclusion
Overall, the future for VET in schools looks promising; the numbers of students participating in these programs continue to increase and state government funding continues to support further development. These programs also provide students with a taste of working life, which can make moving from school to work a lot easier.
As discussed, measuring the effectiveness of VET in schools is not straightforward. NCVER, with the Department for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and the Wallis Consulting Group² , is currently developing the LSAY questionnaire to improve the collection of VET in schools activity. It is hoped that this improved questionnaire design will allow us to gain a clearer understanding of the impact VET in schools programs on young peoples’ journeys from school.
Nhi Nguyen is a Research Officer at NCVER.
References
Anlezark, Karmel, & Ong (2006). Have school vocational education and training programs been successful? Adelaide: National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER).
Anlezark & Lim (forthcoming). Does combining school and work affect school and post-school outcomes? Adelaide: National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER).
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2010). 4707.0 – The health and welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 2010. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Bradley (2008). Review of Australian Higher Education Report. Canberra: Australian Government.
Coates & Rothman (2008). Participation in VET in Schools, LSAY Briefing paper number 15. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).
Dumbrell & Smith (2007). Pre-apprenticeships in three key trades. Adelaide: National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER).
Fullarton (2001). VET in Schools: Participation and pathways, Research Report 21. Melbourne : Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).
John, Kilpatrick, Loechel, & Prescott (2004). Pathways from rural schools: Does school VET make a difference? National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER), Adelaide.
Keating (1998). Australian Training Reform: Implications for schools. Melbourne: Curriculum Corporation.
Lamb & Vickers (2006). Variations in VET provision across Australian Schools and their effects on student outcomes, Research Report 4. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).
National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER) (2010). Australian Training Statistics: VET in Schools 2008. Adelaide
Nguyen (forthcoming). The impact of VET in schools on the intentions and achievements of young people. Adelaide: National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER).
Acknowledgements
The author acknowledges the help of the ACACA VET in Schools Subgroup for providing background information on recent program developments, particularly Ian Fyfe.
¹In Longitudinal data collection of VET in schools participation.
²Wallis Consulting Group is the field contractor for the LSAY program.