What would prompt people to undertake education and training in their mid-20s and beyond and what are the benefits? The authors investigate what motivates people to undertake education and training at more mature ages and the impact of this on their labour market outcomes. They found that males who undertake further education and training after the age of 25 years did so for reasons related to their current employment (for example, towards promotion or a different job), whereas for females a key motivator was simply getting a job. For both males and females, a sustained increase in job satisfaction following completion of the study was also found. Data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia Survey and the Survey of Education and Training was used in this report.
Increasing the number of people with vocational qualifications at the certificate III level or higher was one of the targets set by the Council of Australian Governments in late 2008 as a way of increasing the skill levels of the Australian population. But why enrol in vocational education and training (VET)? This study looks at the employment and earning benefits for individuals in completing a VET course and how these benefits may change over time. Compared with those who have completed Year 12, employment and earnings benefits are only gained from completing a VET course at the diploma level. However, compared with individuals who do not complete Year 12, such benefits can be gained from completing a VET qualification at any level.