Young people and vocational education and training options: At a glance

Vocational education and training (VET) programs for young people have significantly expanded over the past decade.This publication provides an overview of all the different VET options and details the emerging benefits and outcomes of the options that fall within the recognised VET framework. Current implementation issues are also summarised.

• Students, while still at school, can now undertake VET subjects, full course programs or a school-based New Apprenticeship as part of their senior secondary certificate, which also contribute towards a recognised VET qualification. Previously, students could only undertake school curriculum, which focused on preparing them for higher education.

• The social benefits of recognised VET qualifications in schools are starting to be realised, and include improved student maturity, independence and motivation for learning, reduced absenteeism and greater understanding of career options.
• Stakeholder groups overwhelmingly acknowledge that structured workplace learning, where students gain industry-specific skills from real work, is central to achieving the above-mentioned social benefits and to raising the profile of VET as a worthwhile education option. However, only school-based New Apprenticeships always include structured workplace learning.To meet the demand, new models of quality structured workplace learning may be needed.

• Preliminary data are available on the destinations of students who undertook recognised VET as part of the senior secondary certificate. One year after doing so, they tend to be in VET and at higher levels than they were in at school. By contrast, those not undertaking VET at school were much more likely to proceed to university.
• There are three main challenges to implementing recognised VET options in schools.These are: different perceptions of the value and quality of the vocational education and training being delivered; delivery issues associated with meeting the requirements of both schools and VET; and resourcing challenges.

• There are also challenges for the VET sector in relation to school students who leave early—before completing Year 12.Within two to three years after leaving school early, between two-thirds and three-quarters of young people reconnect with education through VET or adult community education providers.They can also undertake pre-apprenticeships, but the availability of this option has reduced since the introduction of VET in Schools.

• To get a true and full picture of the educational foundation of young people, the research suggests we need to track them to the age of 25 years, rather than the current age of 19 years, in order to take account of gap years, and the fact that many undertake a mix of education and work for several years.