Australia's national VET data custodian

2012 publications

1 – 11 of 11 results
Lower-level qualifications as a stepping stone for young people

By Damian Oliver

This report compares the outcomes for young people who complete certificate I or certificate II qualifications with the outcomes for similar individuals who are not participating in post-school education and training, using data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth.

Assessing the impact of research: a case study of the LSAY Research Innovation and Expansion Fund

By Jo Hargreaves

An increasing and important requirement of any funded research program is the ability to demonstrate that it is relevant and useful to public policy and to practitioners. This study takes the framework NCVER developed for measuring research impact to assess the outcomes from research and activities funded under the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth Research Innovation and Expansion Fund. It finds that the purpose of the fund, to start a ripple effect in the use of the LSAY data, was met, and that the research undertaken had strong resonances in the media as well as proving useful to government officials and practitioners working in the area of youth transitions.

An investigation of wellbeing questions in the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth

By John Stanwick, Shu-Hui Liu

This report investigates the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) for its coverage of wellbeing questions. It is an area of considerable interest to policy-makers, and having a valid set of wellbeing questions in LSAY will enhance the capacity to investigate the links between wellbeing and other domains of interest for young people. The analysis finds three robust factors, which can be termed social wellbeing, material wellbeing and career. The three factors do not cover all the dimensions of wellbeing discussed in the literature, particularly the psychological aspects. Suggestions are made for enhancing the current list of wellbeing questions in LSAY.

Youth transitions in Australia: lessons for other countries?

By Tom Karmel

This conference paper was presented to the Third International Congress on Technical and Vocational Education and Training, 13–16 May 2012, in Shanghai. It argues that there are two key factors behind Australia's good record of employment for young people: high levels of post-school education with the consequence that there is not a large cohort of people in their mid-to-late teens flooding on to the labour market; and a flexible education system which gives individuals multiple choices.

Who takes a gap year and why?

By Marilyn Lumsden, John Stanwick

This paper discusses how a 'gap-taker' can be defined, noting that gap-taking is not the same as deferral.

Doing well: helping young people achieve their potential

By NCVER

This summary looks at the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), which follow young people as they make the transition from school to further study and work. It particularly focuses on research which gauges how concepts such as wellbeing and social capital are measured for students, as well as pathways from school to work, ‘at risk’ youth, and the effect of combining school and part-time work.

Research messages 2011

By NCVER

This highly-popular annual publication provides a collection of summaries of research projects published by NCVER in 2011.