All publications

This report investigates the effect of post-secondary education and training on the occupation and… Show more

This report investigates the effect of post-secondary education and training on the occupation and earnings of young people. The majority of young Australians undertake further education and training after leaving school, and it is important to better understand the pathways that they follow, and the impact of different types of experience on the early career. Such analyses can help young people Show less

This report examines non-completion of Year 12 at school for a nationally representative sample of… Show more

This report examines non-completion of Year 12 at school for a nationally representative sample of young people who were 15 years old and still attending school in 2003. The study explores relationships between non-completion and selected socio-demographic and school-related factors, and changes in rates of school non-completion from the early 1980s to 2005. Research report no. 54 This report, Show less

This report examines young people's participation in career advice activities while at school and… Show more

This report examines young people's participation in career advice activities while at school and their perceptions of the usefulness of the advice they receive. The data are from the 2003 15 year old cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY). Research report no. 53 This report, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Show less

This report examines the vocational education and training (VET) pathways pursued by young people… Show more

This report examines the vocational education and training (VET) pathways pursued by young people since leaving school. It investigates the characteristics of those who pursue VET, their persistence in those programs, and the labour force and related outcomes that they experience following their VET participation. The investigation uses data collected as part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Show less

This report looks at factors that influence university course completion by young Australians. It… Show more

This report looks at factors that influence university course completion by young Australians. It follows a group of young Australians over a period of nine years. It provides understanding into course completion rate, in particular, the socio-demographic and educational factors. It also documents labour market outcomes of those who leave university before obtaining qualifications. In addition, Show less

This report follows the final years of secondary school and post-school pathways of young people… Show more

This report follows the final years of secondary school and post-school pathways of young people residing in non-metropolitan areas. This includes geographic mobility, participation in education, training and employment. The study investigates why some young people leave these areas, who does so and whether some young people eventually return. The report indicates that the main reasons were to Show less

This report looks at the transition to full-time work of young Australians who did not attend… Show more

This report looks at the transition to full-time work of young Australians who did not attend university after leaving school. It focuses on identifying the factors that are important in promoting full-time work. It analyses the influences of social background and demographic factors, effects of education and first experiences in the workplace in post-school years. Research report no. 49 This Show less

This report looks at the impact of vocational education and training (VET) provision on school… Show more

This report looks at the impact of vocational education and training (VET) provision on school completion rates and on initial post-school outcomes for different groups of students. Schools were grouped into seven types with three broad models: (1) school model with workplace learning; (2) TAFE model with workplace learning; and (3) VET without workplace learning or no VET. The findings were that Show less

This report examines recent school leavers who commenced non-apprenticeship vocational education… Show more

This report examines recent school leavers who commenced non-apprenticeship vocational education and training (VET) courses in Australia during the late 1990s. It focuses on the early post-school years, up to age 20. The report aims to describe educational, training and labour market pathways of non-apprenticeship VET course entrants and identifies factors associated with persistence in these VET Show less

This report focuses on New Apprenticeships. New Apprenticeships provide a pathway from school to… Show more

This report focuses on New Apprenticeships. New Apprenticeships provide a pathway from school to adult working life for a significant proportion of young people. New Apprenticeships are based on a combination of study and work, linking learning in the workplace with learning in an educational institution. This report asks two questions: What, overall, are the character traits of young people who Show less

This report focuses on Year 12 students who applied to go to university but were not offered a… Show more

This report focuses on Year 12 students who applied to go to university but were not offered a place. It also explores the social and educational backgrounds of these students. The main reason for students missing out on a place was due to a lower level of academic performance. The study found that by 2003, approximately 45% of students analysed in 2001 were engaged in post-school education and Show less

This report focuses on young people who are not in full-time study, nor in the labour force. It… Show more

This report focuses on young people who are not in full-time study, nor in the labour force. It investigates two groups of young people who had experienced time outside of work and full-time education. The report looks at: who spends time outside the labour force and full-time study; what their activities are during this time; and what factors contribute to these young persons returning to Show less

This report aims to describe and assess the relationship between life satisfaction and… Show more

This report aims to describe and assess the relationship between life satisfaction and participation in further education, training and employment in young Australians. The overall discovery was that young Australians are generally very satisfied with their life and careers. It was found that those in full-time education, training or employment, or a combination of these, had higher levels of Show less

The subjects that Year 12 students choose to study for their secondary school certificate have a… Show more

The subjects that Year 12 students choose to study for their secondary school certificate have a major influence on the educational and career options left open to them after finishing school. This study looks at what the typical clusters of subjects or course types studied by Year 12 students are. It also investigates whether these have changed as a result of the increased participation in Show less

This report investigates the relationship between students' attitudes to school and their… Show more

This report investigates the relationship between students' attitudes to school and their intentions to participate in education and training. It follows how these attitudes influence participation in Year 12 and also in further education and training. Their educational intentions and attainments are looked at within the context of earlier school achievement, social background, geographic location Show less

This report looks at the pathways of recent school leavers who enter the higher education sector in … Show more

This report looks at the pathways of recent school leavers who enter the higher education sector in Australia. It focuses on the first three years following senior secondary school. It aims to provide estimates of the proportions of entrants who change courses or leave the higher education sector before completing a course. It will also identify factors associated with course change and attrition Show less

The aim of this study is to discover whether it is beneficial for all young people to complete… Show more

The aim of this study is to discover whether it is beneficial for all young people to complete school. It provides estimates of the benefits of additional years of schooling for young people assessed as non-academically inclined. Evidence shows that further years of education can be detrimental to some young people. The report concludes that policy makers should ensure reasonable alternatives Show less

This report aims to research the importance of the transition from secondary school to higher… Show more

This report aims to research the importance of the transition from secondary school to higher education as the first year experience can have a major impact on later study options and participation. It questions how satisfied tertiary students are with their initial experiences of education at university and TAFE and what areas of their transaction have been difficult; looks into who are most Show less

The transition from school to work continues to be difficult for some Australian school-leavers and … Show more

The transition from school to work continues to be difficult for some Australian school-leavers and youth unemployment remains high. This report looks at the methods used by Australian school-leavers to find employment, focusing on the social processes involved. The aim of the report is to assess various relationships. In particular, the relationship between schooling, social background and job Show less

This report exploits a policy change that occurred in South Australia in the mid-1980s to generate… Show more

This report exploits a policy change that occurred in South Australia in the mid-1980s to generate a causal estimate of the effect of schooling on full-time employment outcomes. The results of this study provide evidence that the process of schooling itself has an effect on labour market outcomes and that education reform may have complex outcomes, all of which need to be identified and analysed. Show less