All publications

The purpose of this research is to examine whether, for those who have left full-time education, a… Show more

The purpose of this research is to examine whether, for those who have left full-time education, a low-skill job provides them with a good start to their working lives. It was found that starting out in a low-skill job gives lower payoffs than starting out in a high-skill job. Five years after leaving  full-time education, the wage penalty (after conditioning on education and other Show less

The authors of this paper explore whether low socioeconomic status (SES) students benefit to a… Show more

The authors of this paper explore whether low socioeconomic status (SES) students benefit to a greater or lesser extent from attending high-quality schools when compared with their more advantaged peers. Show less

This report uses Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data to look at the impact of… Show more

This report uses Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data to look at the impact of schools on a student’s tertiary entrance rank (TER) and the probability of them going to university (controlling for TER). Show less

Using data from the 2009 Student Outcomes Survey, this report looks at the pay-offs of completing… Show more

Using data from the 2009 Student Outcomes Survey, this report looks at the pay-offs of completing of a vocational education and training (VET) qualification on a range of outcomes, and identifies the groups for whom completion is particularly important. Show less

This paper aims to explain the extent to which variation in apprenticeship completion rates can be… Show more

This paper aims to explain the extent to which variation in apprenticeship completion rates can be attributed to factors relating to 'culture' of the employer and apprentice.  Show less

Pre-vocational programs, including VET in Schools, are increasingly providing a pathway into… Show more

Pre-vocational programs, including VET in Schools, are increasingly providing a pathway into traineeships in the same way that pre-apprenticeships are an established route into apprenticeships in the traditional trades. This report uses data from the 2010 Apprentice and Trainee Destination Survey and finds that the benefits of pre-vocational programs are mostly apparent for early school leavers Show less

In this paper, the authors identify various educational paths involving school and post-school… Show more

In this paper, the authors identify various educational paths involving school and post-school study and assess the effectivness of these in relation to post-school outcomes at age 25 years. They use the 1995 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth and find that, for males, undertaking an apprenticeship after completing senior secondary and university are attractive paths. For Show less

This paper updates an earlier paper by Karmel and Mlotkowski and looks at how the probability of… Show more

This paper updates an earlier paper by Karmel and Mlotkowski and looks at how the probability of getting a job, in addition to wages, impacts on completion rates. It finds that for trade apprentices the premium (or extra wage completing an apprenticeship brings) attached to becoming a tradesperson is a significant factor, whereas for non-trade trainees the training wage matters more. It also Show less

This paper was presented at the International Symposium on Lifelong Learning for Poverty… Show more

This paper was presented at the International Symposium on Lifelong Learning for Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development: Developing a Research Agenda for the Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong, 12-13 January 2011. Tom Karmel suggests that there are four implications of an ageing population: the need to improve labour force participation and productivity; the ageing population will provide a Show less

This paper was prepared for the Australian Government's National Resources Sector Employment… Show more

This paper was prepared for the Australian Government's National Resources Sector Employment Taskforce, which was created to investigate the extent to which skill shortages might impact on the development of the resources sector. It applies historical apprenticeship commencement rates to population projections to provide an estimate of the number of tradespeople likely to be working in the Show less

One of the distinctive characteristics of the VET sector is that many students wish to learn… Show more

One of the distinctive characteristics of the VET sector is that many students wish to learn specific skills and have no intention of completing a full qualification. This paper estimates the completion rate of VET course enrolments with a mathematical modelling approach in order to fill a gap in performance measures for the sector. Show less

Recent trends in the provision of vocational education and training (VET) diplomas and advanced… Show more

Recent trends in the provision of vocational education and training (VET) diplomas and advanced diplomas are outlined in this paper. The paper also looks at how people with diplomas and advanced diplomas are faring in the labour market. The picture is rather mixed, suggesting that those with diplomas and advanced diplomas fare, on average, better than those with other VET qualifications or no post Show less

On the whole, educational achievements and outcomes from vocational education and training (VET)… Show more

On the whole, educational achievements and outcomes from vocational education and training (VET) are relatively poor for students reporting a disability. This paper sought to isolate the direct effect of being a member of a particular disability group. It found that the direct effect of the disability differs between groups, and is highest for those with a mental illness, a medical condition or a Show less

The vocational education and training sector (VET) has a reputation for providing learners with a… Show more

The vocational education and training sector (VET) has a reputation for providing learners with a second chance. This report critically examines this idea, and finds that although VET provides opportunities for a second chance at education to many prospective students, the percentage who complete their studies and gain a qualification is modest. Show less

The domestic demand for tertiary education (that is, excluding overseas students) is looked at in… Show more

The domestic demand for tertiary education (that is, excluding overseas students) is looked at in this paper. It argues that the concept is problematic because of the dominant role of the government in provision, and discusses the factors that impinge on it: fees, returns to study and demographics. It shows how student demand has been changing and looks at likely trends in coming years. Show less

One of the most striking features of the modern world is its changing demographic profile. In… Show more

One of the most striking features of the modern world is its changing demographic profile. In almost any policy arena, the issue of demographic change (or ageing) sits alongside globalisation, climate change and the knowledge revolution as areas which are transforming societies, including the ways in which we organise and go about our work activities. This significant and worldwide phenomenon Show less

Vocational education and training (VET) is much more important to young people than might be… Show more

Vocational education and training (VET) is much more important to young people than might be immediately apparent. This paper focuses on how young people participate in vocational education and training, what they study and their outcomes. Of particular note is the importance of VET for those young people who do not proceed on the conventional academic path of 12 years of school followed by Show less

This paper models completions for traditional apprenticeships on the basis of commencements from… Show more

This paper models completions for traditional apprenticeships on the basis of commencements from 1995 to 2005. These models are used to understand the dynamics of the relationship between commencements and completions in order to predict the number of future completions. On the basis of the models, it is expected that completions will increase in the future. The models allow the paper to comment Show less

Using wage data from the Student Outcomes Survey, this study examines whether there is a pay off to … Show more

Using wage data from the Student Outcomes Survey, this study examines whether there is a pay off to actually completing a vocational education and training (VET) qualification, noting that many VET students do not complete full qualifications. Show less

Discussion about Australia's ageing population has focused on the importance of increasing labour… Show more

Discussion about Australia's ageing population has focused on the importance of increasing labour force participation rates of older people. This paper examines the influence of education and training on the participation of older people in the labour market, and the pay-off of undertaking education and training as an older-person compared to earlier in life. On the whole, the results indicate Show less