Corte y preparación de los bordes.

Australia today. Despite the efforts of governments and school systems to improve participation and retention rates, the apparent retention rate from the first year of secondary school to Year 12 was 79.8 in 2011, indicating that approximately 20% of young people are not attaining a senior secondary certificate through school. VET offers opportunities for these young people to obtain an equivalent certificate.

The percentage of students commencing in VET who did not complete Year 12 decreased slightly from 62% in 2004 to 59% in 2011. In 2011, 847,000 VET participants had not completed Year 12 (see Table 144). Of these early school leavers, most had left school after Year 10. In Victoria, 55% of those who during 2010 left school before the end of Year 12 had entered further study in either an apprenticeship, a traineeship or a campus-based VET program (Rothman & Underwood, 2012).

Table 144 Highest level of school completed by VET students, 2004–2011

Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Year level completed n n n n n n n n

Year 12 426,496 441,534 441,016 451,750 469,546 487,938 531,263 595,982 Year 11 130,013 129,850 153,134 161,590 169,122 171,767 187,981 214,453 Year 10 241,430 246,264 284,656 296,910 310,135 311,678 336,718 364,759 Year 9 or below 97,047 102,655 111,954 118,379 120,136 116,193 124,228 126,764 Did not attend school 1,650 2,265 2,831 3,336 3,750 4,669 6,014 8,423 Not known 214,264 235,536 193,527 167,882 136,330 140,428 138,713 133,039 Total (n) 1,110,900 1,158,104 1,187,118 1,199,847 1,209,019 1,232,673 1,324,917 1,443,420 % % % % % % % % Year 12 38.4 38.1 37.2 37.7 38.8 39.6 40.1 41.3 Year 11 11.7 11.2 12.9 13.5 14.0 13.9 14.2 14.9 Year 10 21.7 21.3 24.0 24.7 25.7 25.3 25.4 25.3 Year 9 or below 8.7 8.9 9.4 9.9 9.9 9.4 9.4 8.8

Did not attend school 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 Not known 19.3 20.3 16.3 14.0 11.3 11.4 10.5 9.2

Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Source: NCVER National VET Provider Collection – Students and Courses (VET) – Students, 2011. Background characteristics and level of school completed

Table 145 shows the characteristics of students who did not complete Year 12 and were in VET in 2011 by their highest level of school education completed. There was no difference between males and females in when VET participants had left school. The greatest differences were by Indigenous status—21% of Indigenous students had completed Year 11 compared to 31% of non-Indigenous students—and by disability status.

Chapter 8 ‘Second Chance Learners’ 143 Table 145 Characteristics of students aged 15–64 years in VET study, by highest level of school, 2011

Did not

attend school Year 9 or lower Year 10 Year 11 Characteristic % % % % Gender Male 1.0 17.6 51.1 30.3 Female 1.4 17.9 51.0 29.7 Indigenous status Indigenous 0.5 32.1 46.9 20.5 Non-Indigenous 1.3 16.6 51.2 30.9

Disability status (including

impairment or long-term condition)

With a disability 1.4 29.6 46.5 22.5

No disability 1.3 17.7 50.6 30.4

Speak a language other than English at home

English 0.3 16.5 52.7 30.5

Non-English 8.0 27.3 37.7 27.0

Student remoteness (ARIA+) region

Major cities 1.9 17.4 49.0 31.7

Inner regional 0.5 17.5 52.9 29.2

Outer regional 0.3 18.0 54.7 27.0

Remote 0.6 22.0 50.3 27.1

Very remote 0.5 25.2 48.3 26.0

Socio-Economic Index for Area (SEIFA)

Quintile 1: Most disadvantaged 2.0 21.4 49.4 27.2

Quintile 2 1.0 18.6 52.5 28.0

Quintile 3 1.1 17.1 52.0 29.7

Quintile 4 1.1 16.2 49.9 32.8

Quintile 5: Least disadvantaged 0.8 14.3 50.2 34.6

Source: NCVER National VET Provider Collection – Students and Courses (VET) – Students, 2011. Qualifications completed

Leaving school before completing Year 12 is not a deterrent for obtaining an AQF qualification. In 2010, 68% of those who had completed Year 10 or 11 at school obtained a qualification at Certificate III or above (see Table 146). Completers who had left school after Year 9 or earlier more frequently completed a Certificate I or II (57%). Reasons for VET study

Access to VET provides ‘second chance learners’ with an opportunity to develop skills and knowledge to access employment. AQF Certificate III is seen as a minimum requirement for employment, as it usually leads directly to positive employment outcomes. Certificates I and II and non-AQF studies often lead to further education opportunities rather than directly to employment. Table 147 shows the broad reasons for undertaking VET training among those with less than Year 12, as reported by those who completed VET study in 2010. Only around 5% of people with less than a Certificate III were participating in VET for further study-related reasons rather than studying for employment-related reasons. This suggests that early school leavers use VET study to gain skills for employment, rather than to continue in education.

Table 146 Distribution of AQF qualifications completed, by VET students with less than Year 12 or equivalent, 2010

Did not attend school Year 9 or lower Year 10 Year 11 Qualification % % % % Diploma or higher 16.4 3.6 8.1 10.5 Certificate IV 10.1 8.0 16.6 16.1 Certificate III 37.5 31.3 43.5 41.4 Certificate II 22.8 37.7 25.6 26.6 Certificate I 13.3 19.5 6.3 5.5

Note: Qualifications completed are shown for 2010 due to a time lag in publishing current data. Source: NCVER National VET Provider Collection – Qualifications completed (2002–2010).

Table 147 Reasons for undertaking VET training, by graduates and module completers with less than Year 12 or equivalent, 2011

Graduates Module Completers Reason for undertaking training

Year 11 or Cert 1/11 %

Year 10 or below %

Year 11 or Cert I/II %

Year 10 or below %

Employment related 79.1 77.6 71.4 66.6

Not employment related 20.9 22.4 28.6 33.4

Further study related 5.1 4.5 5.3 3.1

Personal or other reasons 15.8 17.9 23.3 30.3

Total students (n) 33,901 44,000 27,224 46,475

Source: NCVER National VET Provider Collection – Student Outcomes Survey, 2011

In excess of 80% of graduates, irrespective of gender and level of prior school education, were employed or in further study or training in 2011. Among module completers, around 60% were employed or in further study after completing their training, with a slight advantage to those who had completed Year 11 or a Certificate I/II (see Table 148). Table 148 VET graduates and module completers with less than Year 12 or equivalent in employment or

further study after training, by gender, 2011

Males Females Employed or in further study

Year 11 or Cert I/II % Year 10 or below % Year 11 or Cert I/II % Year 10 or below % Graduates

Employed or in further study after training 85.3 86.4 81.9 82.3 Not employed and not in further study after training 14.7 13.6 18.1 17.7

Module completers

Employed or in further study after training 64.8 59.3 60.5 53.3 Not employed and not in further study after training 35.2 40.7 39.5 46.7

Source: NCVER National VET Provider Collection – Student Outcomes Survey, 2011

A higher proportion of graduates, both male and female, whose highest level of school education was Year 10 or below reported that they had entered further study at a university, TAFE or private provider compared to those who had completed Year 11 or had a Certificate I or II (see Table 149). Similarly, a higher proportion of module completers who had completed Year 10 or below reported going on to further study at a university.

Chapter 8 ‘Second Chance Learners’ 145 Table 149 VET graduates and module completers, with less than Year 12 or equivalent by type of further

study institution, by gender and year level left school, 2011

Males Females Further study institution

Year 11 or Cert I/II % Year 10 or below % Year 11 or Cert I/II % Year 10 or below % Graduates University 2.9 4.4 2.4 4.3 TAFE 18.7 23.4 16.4 19.5

Private provider or other registered provider 7.9 12.4 7.8 13.0 Not enrolled in further study 70.5 59.8 73.4 63.2

Module completers

University 2.9 5.9 0.4 1.4

TAFE -- -- -- --

Private provider or other registered provider -- -- -- -- Not enrolled in further study 97.1 94.1 99.6 98.6

Source: NCVER National VET Provider Collection – Student Outcomes Survey, 2011 Labour force status after training

A higher proportion of male graduates and module completers who had completed less than Year 12 or equivalent reported being employed full-time after training than their female counterparts (see Table 150).

Table 150 VET graduates and module completers with less than Year 12 or equivalent, by employment status after training, by gender, 2011

Graduates Module Completers Employment status after training

Males % Females % Males % Females % Employed full-time 59.7 25.0 42.8 17.6 Employed part-time 17.1 42.1 16.8 38.0 Unemployed 15.5 18.4 24.2 20.1

Not in the labour force 7.7 14.5 16.2 24.4

Total students (n) 40,701 40,727 44,027 36,819

Source: NCVER National VET Provider Collection – Student Outcomes Survey, 2011

A higher proportion of females than males, irrespective of completion type (graduates or module completers), reported being employed part-time after training, and a higher proportion of males who had completed modules reported as employed full-time or unemployed. Overall, a higher proportion of females reported not being in the labour force, irrespective of completion type.

Male graduates who had completed less than Year 12 or equivalent reported improved employment circumstances after completing their training more frequently than did females (see Table 151).

Table 151 VET graduates and module completers with less than Year 12 or equivalent, by improved employment circumstances, by gender, 2011

Males Females Employment outcomes Year 11 or Cert I/II % Year 10 or below % Year 11 or Cert I/II % Year 10 or below % Graduates

Improved employment status after training 66.9 67.5 54.0 55.2 No improved employment status after training 33.1 32.5 46.0 44.8

Module completers

Improved employment status after training 48.9 43.3 40.0 36.5 No improved employment status after training 51.1 56.7 60.0 63.5

Source: NCVER National VET Provider Collection – Student Outcomes Survey, 2011

Among graduates who had not been employed before entering training, there were small differences by prior education level in whether training led to improved employment status. Males with Year 10 or below were slightly more frequently employed (56%) than were those with Year 11 or a Certificate I or II (53%). Females with less than Year 10 (44%) were more frequently employed after training than were females with Year 11 or Certificate I/II (40%). Both male and female graduates were employed after training more frequently than were module completers (see Table 152). This was more so for females than males. This may be due to the reasons female module completers chose to participate in training. For example, they may have been less oriented toward improving their status in the workforce and more interested in developing skills than were males (see Table 134 above).

Table 152 VET graduates and module completers, with less than Year 12 or equivalent and employment status, by gender, 2011 Males Females Employment outcomes Year 11 or Cert I/II % Year 10 or below % Year 11 or Cert I/II % Year 10 or below % Graduates

Not employed before training and employed after training 53.3 55.8 39.7 44.0 Not employed before training and not employed after training 46.7 44.2 60.3 56.0

Module completers

Not employed before training and employed after training 39.5 29.4 29.1 26.5 Not employed before training and not employed after training 60.5 70.6 70.9 73.5

Source: NCVER National VET Provider Collection – Student Outcomes Survey, 2011

Older workers

Improving workforce participation for older people presents a challenge to policy makers, as this is a heterogeneous group. Older workers are those aged 55 years and over. Some may have been retrenched and have low levels of literacy and numeracy. For this group, VET provides a ‘second chance’ education providing support and training to deliver employment benefits, supplemented by active labour market assistance, to allow them to remain in the workforce. Lundberg & Marshallsay (2007) report that older workers want equal access to training programs to enable them to update and enhance specific skills in their particular field and to keep up to date with technology. The authors cite computer skills as being essential in allowing older workers to work past retirement age, and ‘train the trainer’ skills to enable older workers to pass on skills and train and mentor younger workers.

Chapter 8 ‘Second Chance Learners’ 147 VET participants undertake study for a variety of reasons, including those listed in Table 153. For men aged 55–64 years, the most commonly cited employment-related reasons were to get a job, to gain extra skills for a current job and as a job requirement, all cited as the main reasons by around one-quarter of respondents. By comparison, for women the most commonly cited reasons concerned extra job skills (33%), followed by job requirement (22%) and to get a job (21%).

Table 153 Reasons for undertaking VET training by graduates aged 55–64 years, by gender, 2011

Main employment-related reasons for training

Men Women n % n %

To get a job 1,427 25.2 1,653 21.4

To develop my existing business 301 5.3 338 4.4

To start my own business 208 3.7 91 1.2

To try for a different career 683 12.1 910 11.8 To get a better job or promotion 286 5.1 487 6.3 It was a requirement of my job 1,326 23.5 1,717 22.2 I wanted extra skills for my job 1,423 25.2 2,532 32.8

Total students 5,653 100.0 7,729 100.0

Source: NCVER National VET Provider Collection – Student Outcomes Survey, 2011

One benefit of the VET model of education is through its delivery: combining education with training, students are provided with a broad set of occupational or work-related skills and knowledge. Older graduates—both men and women—most commonly cited a promotion or increased status at work as the main employment- related benefit as a result of completing VET study (see Table 154). There was little difference between men and women in most other reasons, but men reported a change of job and establishment or expansion of their own business more frequently than women did.

Table 154 Employment-related benefits of having undertaken training, by graduates aged 55–64 years, by gender, 2011

Main employment-related benefits

Men Women n % n %

Got a job 975 18.9 1,368 18.4

Was able to set up/expand my own business 602 11.7 506 6.8

Changed job 871 16.9 876 11.8

Got a promotion or increased status at work 1,600 31.1 2,582 34.7 Got an increase in earnings 667 12.9 1,152 15.5

Other 78 1.5 140 1.9

None 1396 27.1 2,135 28.7

Total students 5,152 100.0 7,446 100.0

Note: Respondents may have identified more than one benefit of training, so the percentages sum to more than 100. Source: NCVER National VET Provider Collection – Student Outcomes Survey, 2011.