Staying on course: Factors which impact on students' completing their courses

Introduction

This report presents the findings of an exploration of possible reasons why students enrolling in VET courses do not complete those courses. The findings are based upon evidence of two kinds:

• evidence obtained from a statistical investigation of the outcomes of course enrolments
• evidence obtained from phone interviews with past students

The study adds to our understanding of completion patterns in vocational education and training, and takes us beyond the observation common amongst TAFE teachers that students tend to leave when things get tough on 'the first cold night in winter'.

There have been relatively few studies of course completion rates in TAFE. The most detailed study is Student flows through Australian TAFE courses by Foyster, Hon and Shah (NCVER 2000). That report develops and applies a methodology for analysing the flow of students through TAFE courses based on national VET data collected for the period 1994 to 1996. While it is important to note that not all those who enrol in a course intend to complete it or may recommence their studies later, it was found that most students leave with a positive outcome. The study found very little difference in outcomes based on gender. However, success rates vary substantially by both stream and field of study. Age is also a factor but the pattern is complex. Partial completion of courses is significant and illustrates the flexibility of the TAFE system to accommodate the needs of those who wish to acquire skills and competencies rather than qualifications. Concentration on qualifications alone may therefore seriously underestimate the skill base of the Australian workforce.

The present report focusses on the relationship between course completion rates and course structure, a factor which could not be considered in the earlier study. The scope of this report is more restricted than the national study by Foyster et al., since it covers only TAFE in the States of New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia; however, the results support the earlier analysis in concluding that course completion rates are mostly from 18% to 34%, but with a much wider overall range. Course structure emerges as one in a suite of factors which appear to influence course completion rates.