The On Track Survey 2009Longitudinal reportThe 2007 cohort 2 years on
Published by the Data, Outcomes and Evaluation Division Office for Children and Portfolio Coordination Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Melbourne April 2010
© State of Victoria (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development) 2010
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This document is also available on the internet at www.education.vic.gov.au/ontrack
i
Contents Acknowledgments iv
Acronymsandabbreviations v
Executivesummary vii
Introduction vii
KeyFindings vii
Chapter1Introduction 1
AimsofOn Track 1
TheOn Track longitudinalsurvey 2
Surveydesign 2
Surveyadministration 5
Chapter2DestinationsofYear12orequivalentcompleters 8
Overview 8
Mainactivitiesin2008andmainactivitiesin2009 9
Employmentin2008and2009 17
Careeroutlook 18
Schoolandpreparationforworkandstudy 19
Wellbeing 21
Returningtostudy 22
Chapter3Destinationsofearlyschoolleavers 24
Overview 24
Mainactivitiesin2008andmainactivitiesin2009 25
Employmentin2008and2009 28
Careeroutlook 30
Schoolandpreparationforwork 30
Wellbeing 31
Returningtostudy 32
Chapter4Deferralfromstudy 34
Mainactivitiesin2009 34
References 39
Appendix1Questionnaire 40
ii The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
Table 2.13: Year12Completers:Likelihoodofstudyinginthenexttwoyears,ifnotcurrentlystudying 22
Table 3.1: Earlyleavers:Mainactivityin2009bymainactivityin2008 24
Table 3.2: Mainactivityin2009ofearlyschoolleaversnotineducationortrainingin2008,bymainactivityin2008andSESquartile 27
Table 3.3: Earlyschoolleavers:Percentageworkinginthesamejobin2008and2009 29
Table 3.4: Earlyschoolleavers:Careeradvancementindicatorsamongapprenticesandthoseemployedfull-timeandnotstudying 29
Table 3.5: Earlyschoolleavers:Jobsandcareers 30
Table 3.6: Earlyschoolleavers:Schoolandpreparationforwork 30
Table 3.7: Earlyschoolleavers:Wellbeing 31
Table 3.8: Earlyschoolleavers:Likelihoodofstudyinginthenexttwoyears,ifnotcurrentlystudying,bymainactivityin2009 32
Table 3.9: Earlyschoolleavers:Likelihoodofstudyinginthenexttwoyears,ifnotcurrentlystudying,bySESquartile 32
Table 4.1: Year12completers:Deferrersin2008,mainactivityin2009 34
Table 4.2: Year12Completers:Deferrersin2008:Mainactivityin2009bySESquartile 36
Table 4.3: Year12Completers:Deferrersin2008:Mainactivityin2009byschoollocation 36
List of TablesTable 1.1: Maincharacteristics,byleaverstatus 4
Table 1.2: Designedandachievedsamplesforthelongitudinalstudy,2009 6
Table 2.1:Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009bymainactivityin2008 8
Table 2.2: Year12completers:Continuationin2009ofuniversitycommencersin2008,bygender 10
Table 2.3: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofuniversitycommencersin2008,bySESbands(quartiles) 11
Table 2.4: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofuniversitycommencersin2008,byGATachievementlevel 12
Table 2.5: Year12completers:Continuationin2009ofVETparticipantsin2008,bygender 14
Table 2.6: Mainactivityin2009ofVETparticipantsin2008,bytypeofVETstudyin2008andSESquartile 15
Table 2.7: Year12completers:Percentageworkinginthesamejobin2008and2009 18
Table 2.8: Year12completers:Careeradvancementindicatorsamongapprenticesandthoseemployedfull-timeandnotstudying 18
Table 2.9: Year12completers:Jobandcareers 19
Table 2.10: Year12Completers:Schoolingandpreparationforwork 20
Table 2.11: Year12Completers:Schoolingandpreparationforfurtherstudy 20
Table 2.12: Year12Completers:Wellbeing 21
iii
List of FiguresFigure 2.1: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofuniversitystudentsin2008 9
Figure 2.2: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofVETstudentsin2008 13
Figure 2.3: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofthoseemployedin2008 16
Figure 3.1: Earlyschoolleavers:Mainactivityin2009ofearlyschoolleaversinVETin2008 25
Figure 3.2: Earlyschoolleavers:Mainactivityin2009ofthoseemployedin2008 26
Figure 4.1: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofthosedeferringstudyin2008 35
iv The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
Acknowledgments
TheauthorsgratefullyacknowledgetheassistanceofDrTrishCorrie,MichelleHill
andDrSaraGloveroftheVictorianDepartmentofEducationandEarlyChildhood
Development.TheinputandadviceofothermembersoftheOfficeforChildrenand
PortfolioCoordinationarealsoacknowledged.
Weespeciallyappreciatetheeffortsofmorethan37,000Victorianschoolleavers
whogaveuptheirtimetoparticipateintheoriginalsurveyin2008andthe5,284
participantsinthefollow-upsurveyin2009.Wealsoacknowledgetheassistance
oftheschoolprincipalsandteacherswhofacilitatedandencouragedtheir
participationin2008.
TheinterviewswereconductedbytheSocialResearchCentre,andwethank
GrahamChallice,DarrenPennay,TinaPetrouliasandtherestoftheSRCteamfor
theirmajorcontribution.
WealsoappreciatetheassistanceofourACERcolleaguesTrishFirth,KylieHillman
andPhilMcKenziewithdifferentaspectsoftheproject.
Allresponsibilityforthemanagementofthedataandfortheinterpretationsand
conclusionssetoutinthisreportrestswiththeauthors.
ThisresearchisfundedbytheVictorianDepartmentofEducationandEarly
ChildhoodDevelopment.
JustinBrown
GaryMarks
SheldonRothman
AustralianCouncilforEducationalResearch
April2010
v
Acronymsandabbreviations
ABS AustralianBureauofStatistics
ACER AustralianCouncilforEducationalResearch
DEECD DepartmentofEducationandEarlyChildhoodDevelopment
GAT GeneralAchievementTest
IB InternationalBaccalaureate
NILFET Notinlabourforce,educationortraining
SES socioeconomicstatus
SRC SocialResearchCentre
TAFE TechnicalandFurtherEducation
VCAA VictorianCurriculumandAssessmentAuthority
VCAL VictorianCertificateofAppliedLearning
VCE VictorianCertificateofEducation
VET VocationalEducationandTraining
vi The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
viiExecutivesummary
Executivesummary
IntroductionThisreportpresentsresultsfromthe2009interviewswith5284youngVictorians,
aspartofthelongitudinalcomponentoftheOn Trackprogramofannual
interviews.TheseyoungpeopleeithercompletedaYear12orequivalentcertificate
in2007orleftschoolbeforereceivingaYear12certificateduring2007.Allofthose
interviewedin2009hadbeeninterviewedin2008aspartoftheregularOn Track
program.Thiscohortofyoungpeoplewillbeinterviewedagaininearly2010and
2011,andafinalreportontheirpost-schoolpathways,4yearson,willbereleased
inlate2011.
KeyFindingsLarge proportions of young Victorians remain positively engaged in education and training two years after leaving school
Aroundthree-quartersofYear12completersandone-halfofearlyleaverswere
engagedinsomeformofeducationandtrainingin2009,twoyearsafterleaving
school.ThepercentageofYear12completersineducationandtrainingincreased
between2008and2009,reflectingthereturntostudybythosewhohaddeferred
universityentryduring2008.Incontrast,thepercentageofearlyschoolleaversin
educationandtrainingdroppedslightlyovertheperiod,from53%to51%.Forboth
groups,themainactivitieshaveshownsomedegreeofmovementintoandoutof
educationandtraining.
Course continuation in university studies is influenced by a range of factors
Ofthosecontinuingatuniversity,82%wereenrolledinthesamecoursewitha
slightlyhigherproportionofmalescontinuinginthesamecoursecomparedto
females.Year12completersfromhighersocioeconomicbackgroundsandachieving
inthehigherGATquartileshadrelativelyhigherlevelsofcoursecontinuationthan
thosefromlowersocioeconomicbackgroundsandfromlowerGATquartiles.
Apprenticeship retention is an important feature of VET pathways
Apprenticeshipsremainanimportantpathwayformanyearlyschoolleaverswith
morethan8in10earlyschoolleaversremaininginanapprenticeshipbetween
2008and2009.Ofthoseearlyleaversmovingintotheirsecondyearasan
apprentice,87%wereearningmore,79%weredoingmoreskilledworkand88%
reportedmoreresponsibilityin2009comparedto2008.
Early school leavers are more vulnerable in the labour market
AmongbothYear12completersandearlyschoolleavers,amajorityofthose
infull-timeemploymentin2008werealsoinfull-timeemploymentin2009.
Nevertheless,thereweregreaterproportionsofearlyschoolleaverslookingfor
workornotinemployment,educationandtrainingin2009,relativetoYear12
completers:amongthoseinthelabourmarketandnotengagedineducationor
training,34%ofearlyschoolleaverswerelookingforworkcomparedto15%ofYear
12completers.
viii The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
1
Chapter1Introduction
AimsofOn Track
On Track isacontinuingprogramofannualsurveysofschoolleaversdesigned
toprovideabroadpictureoftheoutcomesofschoolinginVictoria.Itdoessoby
documentingtherangeofacademicandvocationalpathwaysthatyoungpeople
enterduringthefirstyearafterleavingschool.
On Track seeksto:
Offeraconsistentandcomprehensiveapproachtomonitoringthetransitionsof•
schoolleaversfollowingtheirexitfromschoolingoritsequivalent.
Reportresultsofthesurveytoschools,TAFEcollegesandothereducation•
providers,organisationsconcernedwithassistingyoungpeople,policymakers,
andthewiderpublic,includingparentsandstudents.
Provideadetailedanalysisofthedestinationsofschoolleaversinorderto•
addressissuesforparticularsubgroupsinrelationtotheirsuccessinspecific
pathways.
Provideareferralserviceforschoolleaverswhoappeartobeexperiencing•
difficultiesinthetransitionprocess.
Enableeducationproviderstousethedataandanalysesaspartoftheprocessof•
monitoringandimprovingtheirprograms.
TheannualOn Track programcomprisestwoseparatesurveys:oneforcompleters
ofYear12oritsequivalent,andoneforearlyschoolleavers.Year 12 or equivalent
completersaredefinedasthosewhocompletedaVictorianCertificateofEducation
(VCE),InternationalBaccalaureate(IB)orVictorianCertificateofAppliedLearning
(VCAL,SeniororIntermediate).Thesampleincludesthosewhocompleted
suchqualificationsinschools(thelargemajority),TAFEcolleges,oradultand
communitylearningorganisations.Early school leaversaredefinedasthose
studentsinYears10,11and12whohadregisteredtheirdetailswiththeVictorian
CurriculumandAssessmentAuthority(VCAA)byenrollinginaVCEorVCALunit,
andwholeftschoolbeforereceivinganyofthefollowingcertificates:VCE,IB,
VCALSeniororVCALIntermediate.AyoungpersonwhowasawardedtheVCAL
IntermediatecertificateinYear11wouldbeconsideredaYear12orequivalent
completer;anotherwhowasenrolledinaVCEprogramandleftschoolduringYear
12wouldbeconsideredanearlyschoolleaver.
2 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
Surveydesign
Thefocusofthecurrentlongitudinal
groupisthoseyoungpeoplewhoare
mostatriskofexperiencingpoorer
transitionsandwhocanbestbe
influencedbyGovernmentpolicy.A
totalof28,390Year12orequivalent
completersand3,850earlyschool
leaversagreedtoparticipateinthe
longitudinalstudy,representing85.4%
ofcompletersand81.2%ofearlyleavers
interviewedin2008.Whenchoosing
thesampleforthelongitudinalstudya
numberofcriteriawereconsidered:
• Sample size.Resourceusemust
bebalancedwithdataqualitywhen
conductingsurveyssuchasOn
Track.Inordertoensuretherewere
enoughparticipantsinthesurveyin
2011,thesampleselectedfromthe
2008consentersneededtobelarge
enoughtoaccommodateannual
attritionandbeabletoprovide
estimateswithreasonableconfidence
intervalsin2011.Itwasalso
necessarytoensurethattheresulting
samplesizewouldallowreasonable
estimatesofoutcomesforbothYear
12orequivalentcompletersandearly
schoolleavers.
Decision:Aninitialsamplesizeof
approximately6400wouldallowa
finalsamplesizeofatleast3700.
• School sector.Governmentschools
enrolthelargemajorityofstudents
atrisk,andtheirprogramsaremore
directlyaffectedbyGovernment
policy.Ofthosewhoconsentedfor
thelongitudinalstudy,54.2%of
TheOn Track longitudinalsurvey
OnecomponentoftheOn Track
programisthelongitudinalsurvey,
whichfollowsagroupofrespondents
totheOn Track surveysinselected
years.Thefirstlongitudinalsurveys
followedasampleofyoungpeople
wholeftschoolduring2003andwere
interviewedannuallyfrom2004until
2007.Asecondlongitudinalcohortwas
selectedfromthosewholeftschoolin
2004andwereinterviewedfrom2005
to2008.Reportsonthesecohorts
(DET,2006;DoE,2007;DEECD,2007,
2009)areavailableontheInternetat
(http://www.education.vic.gov.au/
sensecyouth/ontrack/data.htm).The
compositionofeachlongitudinalcohort
isintendedtoprovideinformation
thatsupportsevidence-basedpolicy
decisionsregardingthetransitionfrom
schoolintopost-secondaryeducation
andtraining,orwork.
Thisreportpresentssecond-year
destinationsforthemostrecentOn
Track longitudinalcohort.Theseyoung
peopleleftschoolin2007andwere
firstinterviewedin2008aspartof
theannualOn Track surveys.Atthat
time,theywereaskediftheywouldlike
tobecontactedagainaspartofthe
longitudinalstudy.Thisgroupwillbe
interviewedagainin2010and2011.The
resultsreportedherearebasedonthe
2009interviews.
3Chapter1:Introduction
enrolinthefollowingyear,andifthey
remainatuniversityinsubsequent
years.
• Indigenous Australian status.The
transitionfromschoolforIndigenous
youngpeopleisamajorpolicy
concerninAustralia.InVictoria,the
percentageofIndigenousAustralians
issmall,relativetootherStates,
providingsampleestimateswithlarge
confidencebands.
Decision:Thelongitudinalsample
wouldincludeallconsenting
IndigenousAustraliansinboththe
Year12completerandearlyleaver
groups.
Inaddition,5.9%ofYear12completer
interviewsand7.9%ofearlyleaver
interviewsin2008wereconducted
with‘proxies’—parentsorotherclose
relatives—forGovernmentschool
leavers.Thesecaseswerenoteligible
forthelongitudinalsample,asproxies
werenotaskedtoprovidesuchconsent.
Table1.1presentsthemajor
characteristicsofthesample,as
originallyselectedfortheOn Track
longitudinalsurvey.Allreportingonthe
samplewillincludeappropriateweights
toensurethatthosegroupsthatwere
oversampleddonotoverlyinfluencethe
statistics.
completersand72.4%ofearlyleavers
hadattendedGovernmentschools,
foratotalof18,169youngpersons.
Decision:Thelongitudinalsample
wouldcompriseonlythoseyoung
peoplewhoselastenrolmentwasata
Governmentschool.
School-leaver status• .Earlyschool
leaverstendtohavemoreproblematic
transitionsfromschool,relativeto
Year12orequivalentcompleters.If
theratioofearlyleaverstoYear12
completersintheconsentersgroup
weretobemaintained,therewould
beonly900earlyleaversintheinitial
sample,decreasingto500inthefinal
year,afterattrition.
Decision:Thelongitudinalsample
wouldcompriseallearlyschool
leaverswhoagreedtoparticipatein
thelongitudinalstudyandasample
ofconsentingYear12orequivalent
completers.
• Geographic location.Youngpeople
fromnon-metropolitanareas
tendtoexperiencemoredifficult
transitionsonaveragethanthose
frommetropolitanareas,particularly
amongYear12completers.In
addition,amongthosewhoare
offereduniversityplaces,many
choosetodefertheirstudiesfora
year,andthedeferralratehasbeen
increasinginrecentyears.
Decision:ByoversamplingYear12
completerswhohadattendedschools
innon-metropolitanlocations,young
peoplewhodeferuniversitystudy
couldbefollowedtodetermineifthey
4 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
Table 1.1: Maincharacteristics,byleaverstatus
Year 12 completers Early school leavers
2008 annual
interview
Designed
longitudinal
sample
2008 annual
interview
Designed
longitudinal
sample
n % n % n % n %
Total 17953 100.0 3879 100.0 3436 100.0 2582 100.0
Gender
Female 9747 54.3 2122 54.7 1269 36.9 969 37.5
Male 8206 45.7 1757 45.3 2167 63.1 1613 62.5
Geographic location
Metropolitan 12412 69.1 2722 70.2 1976 57.5 1486 57.6
Non-metropolitan 5541 30.9 1157 29.8 1460 42.5 1096 42.4
Indigenous status
Non-Indigenous 16666 98.7 3828 98.7 3059 96.6 2493 96.6
Indigenous 221 1.3 51 1.3 107 3.4 89 3.4
Highest certificate received
VCE 16975 94.6 3675 94.7
VCAL Senior 600 3.3 126 3.3
VCAL Intermediate 378 2.1 78 2.0
Year level when left school
10 or below 752 21.9 597 23.1
11 1698 49.4 1268 49.1
12 986 28.7 717 27.8
Notes: All counts are for school leavers who had attended Government schools. Count of 2008 annual survey respondents includes all who were interviewed in 2008. Indigenous status was not asked in proxy interviews. The designed sample of Year 12 completers is based on weighted data. The designed sample of early school leavers is based on unweighted data, as all consenters were selected.
5Chapter1:Introduction
boththeYear12completerandearly
schoolleavergroups—butthe
designedoversamplingshouldensure
thattheremainingIndigenousyoung
peoplearerepresentativeoftheoriginal
sample.
Amongtheothervariablesshown
inTable1.2,therewereshiftsinthe
genderbalance,withincreasesinthe
percentagemalesofamongboththe
Year12completersandtheearlyschool
leavers.AmongYear12orequivalent
completers,therewereaslightincrease
inthepercentagewhohadreceived
aVCEandslightdecreasesinthe
percentageswhohadreceivedaVCAL.
Intheachieved(2009)sample,there
wasaslightincreaseinthepercentage
ofearlyschoolleaverswhohadleft
inYear10orbelow,relativetothe
designed(2008)sample.Therewere
alsodecreasesinthepercentageofthe
samplewhowerefromthelowestSES
quartileandthelowestGATquartile,
twogroupsthataremorelikelytohave
difficultyinthetransitionfromschool.
Surveyadministration
Thelongitudinalinterviewswere
conductedduringMay2009bythe
SocialResearchCentre(SRC)in
collaborationwiththeAustralian
CouncilforEducationalResearch
(ACER).Contactwasattemptedwith
allofthosewhohadbeenselectedinto
thelongitudinalsample:3879Year
12orequivalentcompletersand2582
earlyschoolleavers.Atotalof5284
ofthepossible6461interviewswere
completed,comprising3302withYear
12completers(85.1%responserate)
and1982withearlyschoolleavers
(76.8%responserate).Theoverall
responseratewas81.8%.
Onequestionnairewasusedforboth
Year12orequivalentcompletersand
earlyschoolleavers,withindividual
itemvariationswhereappropriate.The
questionnaireisincludedinAppendix1.
DatacollectedbySRCwereanalysed
bytheresearchteamatACER,who
preparedthisreportfortheVictorian
DepartmentofEducationandEarly
ChildhoodDevelopment(DEECD).
Table1.2showsthedistributionsof
the2008designedand2009achieved
samplesonselectedcharacteristics.
Twovariableswereusedtodrawthe
sample:geographiclocationand
Indigenousstatus.Forgeographic
location,thereislittledifferencein
thedistributionsofeithertheYear12
completersortheearlyleaverssample.
Therearedecreasesinthepercentages
ofIndigenousyoungpeople—from
6 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
Notes: All counts are for school leavers who had attended Government schools. Designed sample (2008) based on consenters only. SES quartile not available for all leavers. GAT score not available for all Year 12 completers. Some percentages may not sum to 100.0% because of rounding. All data are unweighted.
Table 1.2: Designedandachievedsamplesforthelongitudinalstudy,2009
Year 12 completers Early school leavers
Designed
sample 2008
Achieved
sample 2009
Designed
sample 2008
Achieved
sample 2009
n % n % n % n %
Total 3879 100.0 3302 100.0 2582 100.0 1982 100.0
Design variables
Geographic location
Metropolitan 2722 70.2 2311 70.0 1486 57.6 1150 58.0
Non-metropolitan 1157 29.8 991 30.0 1096 42.4 832 42.0
Indigenous status
Non-Indigenous 3828 98.7 3264 98.8 2493 96.6 1919 96.8
Indigenous 51 1.3 38 1.2 89 3.4 63 3.2
Non-design variables
Gender
Female 2122 54.7 1801 54.5 969 37.5 734 37.1
Male 1757 45.3 1501 45.5 1613 62.5 1248 62.9
Highest certificate received
VCE 3675 94.7 3130 94.8
VCAL Senior 126 3.3 107 3.2
VCAL Intermediate 78 2.0 65 2.0
Year level when left school
10 or below 597 23.1 464 23.4
11 1268 49.1 968 48.9
12 717 27.8 550 27.7
SES quartile
Lowest 896 23.1 742 22.5 886 34.3 661 33.3
Lower-middle 968 25.0 820 24.8 739 28.6 587 29.6
Upper-middle 1026 26.5 880 26.7 515 19.9 398 20.1
Highest 938 24.2 816 24.7 259 10.0 198 10.0
GAT quartile
Lowest 1092 28.1 907 27.5
Second lowest 985 25.4 850 25.7
Second highest 858 22.1 736 22.3
Highest 699 18.0 610 18.5
VET in Schools
Completed 804 20.7 687 20.8 239 9.3 179 9.1
Did not complete 3075 79.3 2615 79.2 2343 90.7 1803 90.9
7
8 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
Chapter2DestinationsofYear12orequivalentcompleters
Overview
Thischapterdiscussesthedestinationsofthe2007cohortofYear12orequivalent
completers(‘Year12completers’)asofApril2009.TheanalysisgroupsYear12
completersbasedontheirmainactivityin2008,theirfirstpost-schoolyear.To
demonstratethepathwaymovementbetween2008and2009,Table2.1presents
themainactivityofYear12completersin2008(rows)andthemainactivityin2009
(columns).Shadedcellsindicatethosewhoremainedinthesameactivitybetween
thetwoyears.Eachrowsumsto100%;theright-handcolumnshowswhat
percentageoflongitudinalcohortmemberswereineachmainactivityin2008.
Table 2.1:Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009bymainactivityin2008
Main activity in 2009 (%)
Dis
trib
utio
n in
200
8
Main activity in 2008 Uni
vers
ity
VET
Cer
t IV+
VET
ent
ry-l
evel
App
rent
ices
hip
Trai
nees
hip
Sec
onda
ry s
choo
l
Empl
oyed
full
-tim
e
Empl
oyed
par
t-ti
me
Look
ing
for w
ork
NIL
FET
University 90 1 0 1 1 - - 3 3 1 0 38
VET Cert IV+ 10 58 2 3 2 0 7 12 4 1 16
VET entry-level 11 - - 26 10 5 - - 15 27 6 - - 4
Apprenticeship 3 1 1 81 1 - - 8 2 2 - - 7
Traineeship 17 9 2 - - 34 - - 20 11 5 3 5
Employed full-time 26 9 2 8 7 - - 29 14 3 1 16
Employed part-time 23 8 8 4 9 - - 14 27 6 1 10
Looking for work 13 12 6 8 7 - - 16 15 20 3 4
NILFET 23 7 10 - - - - - - 10 7 33 11 1
Distribution in 2009 (%) 44 13 3 9 5 0 11 10 4 1 100
Note: ‘0’ indicates less than 0.5%; ’- -‘ indicates no persons.
Overall,74%ofYear12completerswereineducationandtrainingin2009,
comparedto70%in2008.For90%ofthosestudyingauniversitycourseand
81%ofthosedoinganapprenticeship,therewasnochangeintheirmainactivity
between2008and2009.Thesetwopathwaysarerelativelydistinctiveinthis
respect.FortheotherYear12completers,andtoagreaterextenttheearlyschool
leavers,thereisahighincidenceofpathwaymovementamongthiscohortbetween
thevariousdestinations.
9Chapter2:DestinationsofYear12orequivalentcompleters
changedtoadifferentcourse.Ofthe7%
whowerenolongerinstudyortraining
in2009,61%haddeferredtheirstudy
fortheyearand32%hadwithdrawn;
theremainderhadchangedcoursebut
laterstoppedstudy.Ofthosenolonger
atuniversity,84%wereemployed(46%
full-time,54%part-time),11%were
lookingforwork,and4%werenotinthe
labourforce,educationortraining.
Thesefindingsarebroadlyconsistent
withaLongitudinalSurveysof
AustralianYouth(LSAY)research
reportinwhich13%ofyoungpeople
commencinghighereducationin1999
and2000hadchangedcoursesby2001
(McMillan,2005).Inafollow-upLSAY
studyofcompletingandnon-completing
universitystudents,basedonthe
samecohortofyoungpeople,Marks
(2007)foundthatoftheyoungpeople
whoenrolledintheirfirstcourseata
Mainactivitiesin2008andmainactivitiesin2009
Studying at university in 2008
Thefirstyearofuniversitystudyis
oftenwhenthehighestratesofcourse
changeandattritionfromstudyoccur.
Forexample,amonguniversityentrants
fromtheAustralianYear9classof
1995,nearlytwo-thirdsofthosewho
changedcourseandover40%ofthose
wholeftbeforecompletingtheircourse
didsowithintheirfirstyearofstudy
(McMillan,2005).
AsshowninFigure2.1,ofthoseYear12
completerswhocommenceduniversity
studyin2008,93%remainedinsome
formofstudyortrainingin2009.Ofthis
group,97%werestillatuniversityand
3%hadmovedintoaVETcourse.Of
thosecontinuingatuniversity,91%were
enrolledinthesamecourseand9%had
Figure 2.1: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofuniversitystudentsin2008
Note: Grouped boxes may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
46% employed full-time
93% in study or training
54% employed part-time7% not in study
or training
University in 2008(n=1241)
97% at university
3% in VET
91% in same course
9% not in same course
84% employed
11% looking for work
4% NILFET
10 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
AsshowninTable2.2,18percentof
Year12completershadnotenrolled
inthesameuniversitycoursein2009
withsomenotabledifferencesbetween
malesandfemalesinuniversity
continuationrates.Forbothmalesand
females,aroundnineoutoftenwere
eithercontinuingthesamecourseora
differentcourseatuniversityin2009
withaslightlyhigherproportionof
malescontinuinginthesamecourse.
Year12completersfromhigher
socio-economicbackgroundshad
relativelyhigherratesofuniversity
continuationthanthosefromlower
socio-economiclocations.Asshown
inTable2.3,morethan90%ofyoung
peoplefromthehighestandupper-
middleSESbackgroundswhohad
beenatuniversityin2008werestillat
universityin2009,ineitherthesame
courseoradifferentcourse.Among
thosefromthelowestSESquartile,
87%werestillatuniversityin2009.
Table 2.2: Year12completers:Continuationin2009ofuniversitycommencersin2008,bygender
Female (%) Male (%) Total (%)
Same course 81 85 82
Different course 9 7 8
Deferred 6 5 5
Withdrew 3 4 4
Distribution in 2009 (%) 100 100 100
Number Year 12 720 520 1240
Note: Columns may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
universitybetween1998and2001,66%
hadcompletedthatcourseby2004,
16%hadwithdrawn,11%hadchanged
courseand8%werecontinuing.
Anumberofpotentialfactorscompel
astudenttodiscontinueuniversity
study.‘Push’and‘pull’factors,suchas
theincreasingcostofcontinuingthe
courseandprospectivelabourmarket
opportunities,respectively,havebeen
highlyratedamongyoungpeoplein
bothannualandlongitudinalOn Track
surveys.Thereisalsoevidencethatthe
numberofhoursworkedcancontribute
tocontinuationratesthroughuniversity
study.McMillan(2005)foundthat
universitystudentsemployedformore
than10hoursperweekweremorelikely
thanotherstudentstowithdrawfrom
theirstudies.Thiswillbeinvestigated
furtherasthe2008commencers
progressthroughuniversityin2010and
2011.
11Chapter2:DestinationsofYear12orequivalentcompleters
Table 2.3: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofuniversitycommencersin2008,bySESbands(quartiles)
Main activity in 2009 (%)
SES quartile Uni
vers
ity
VET
Cer
t IV+
VET
ent
ry-l
evel
App
rent
ices
hip
Trai
nees
hip
Empl
oyed
full
-tim
e
Empl
oyed
par
t-ti
me
Look
ing
for w
ork
NIL
FET
Tota
lLowest 87 1 1 0 2 3 4 2 - - 100
Lower-middle 89 2 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 100
Upper-middle 92 0 0 1 1 3 3 0 1 100
Highest 93 1 0 0 0 2 2 1 100
Distribution in 2009 (%) 90 1 0 1 1 3 3 1 0 100
Note: ‘0’ indicates less than 0.5%; ’- -‘ indicates no persons. Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Morethan90%ofYear12completers
scoringinthehigherGATquartilesalso
continuedatuniversitythanyoung
peopleinthelowerlevelGATquartiles.
AsshowninTable2.4,94%ofyoung
peopleinthehighestGATquartilewere
ineitherthesamecourseoradifferent
courseatuniversityin2009.Only82%
ofthosefromthelowestGATquartile
werestillatuniversityin2009.In
addition,10%ofthosefromthelowest
GATquartilewhowereatuniversityin
2008wereworkingandnotstudyingin
2009,comparedto3%ofthosefromthe
highestGATquartile.
12 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
Ofthosecompleterswhohad
participatedintheVETsectorin2008,
73%wereinvolvedinsomeformof
educationortrainingin2009.Ofthis
group,87%hadremainedintheVET
sectorand13%hadcommenceda
universityqualification.Ofthegroup
toremainintheVETsector,50%
werestudyingforalevelCertificate
IVorhigherand32%weredoingan
apprenticeship.
.
Doing a VET course, apprenticeship or traineeship in 2008
AsshowninFigure2.2,ofthoseYear
12completerswhoparticipatedinthe
VETsectorin2008,27%werenolonger
engagedineducationortrainingasa
mainactivityin2009.Ofthisgroup,
81%wereemployed,46%ofthesewere
employedonafull-timebasis,16%were
lookingforworkand3%wereNILFET.
Table 2.4: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofuniversitycommencersin2008,byGATachievementlevel
Main activity in 2009 (%)
GAT quartile Uni
vers
ity
VET
Cer
t IV+
VET
ent
ry-l
evel
App
rent
ices
hip
Trai
nees
hip
Empl
oyed
full
-tim
e
Empl
oyed
par
t-ti
me
Look
ing
for w
ork
NIL
FET
Tota
l
Lowest 82 2 1 1 2 5 5 2 - - 100
Lower-middle 88 2 1 1 1 4 3 0 0 100
Upper-middle 90 1 1 1 1 3 3 0 0 100
Highest 94 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 - - 100
Distribution in 2009 (%) 90 1 0 1 1 3 3 1 0 100
Note: ‘0’ indicates less than 0.5%; ’- -‘ indicates no persons. Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
13Chapter2:DestinationsofYear12orequivalentcompleters
Figure 2.2: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofVETstudentsin2008
Note: Grouped boxes may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
ContinuationinVETisshowninTable
2.5.Between2008and2009,59%
ofYear12completershadenrolledin
thesameVETcourse,withanotable
differencebetweenmalesandfemales
incontinuationrates.Thisislargely
attributabletothehighproportionof
malesundertakingapprenticeships,
whichalsohavemuchhigher
continuationratesthandootherforms
ofVET.Asidefromamarkedlyhigher
proportionoffemaleswhocompleted
aVETqualification,thereisgenerally
littledifferencebetweenratesof
deferral,withdrawalandcoursechange
betweenmalesandfemalesfrom2008
to2009.
46% employed full-time
73% in study or training in 2009
54% employed part-time27% not in study or
training in 2009
VET in 2008(n=1046)
13% at university
87% in VET
7% in VET entry-level
50% in VET Cert IV+
32% in Apprenticeships
11% in Traineeships
81% employed
16% looking for work
3% NILFET
14 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
proportionwhohadmovedinto
universityin2009werethosewhohad
undertakenatraineeshipduring2008.
Nearlyoneinfour(24%)formertrainees
fromthehighestSESquartileentered
university.Formertraineesfromthe
lowestSESquartilemorefrequently
movedintoemployment(37%),
comparedto28–30%ofthosefrom
otherquartiles.
Employmentwasthemainactivityin
2009of22%ofthosewhowereinVET
in2008,withvariationsinemployment
statusbytypeofVETstudy.Among
all2008VETparticipantswhowere
employedandnotstudyingin2009,just
underone-halfwereworkingfull-time,
butaboutthree-quartersofformer
apprenticesandtwo-thirdsofformer
traineeswereworkingfull-time.There
waslittlevariationtothefull-timeto
part-timeworkratiosbySESquartile,
althoughthereweredifferencesby
quartileinthepercentagewhohad
movedintowork.
WhenthefourtypesofVET—
CertificateIVandabove,entry-level
(CertificatesI–III),apprenticeship
andtraineeship—areexamined
separately,differentialpatternsare
evident(seeTables2.1and2.6).As
notedearlier,81%ofyoungpeople
whowereinanapprenticeshipin2008
wereinanapprenticeshipagainin
2009.ThereissomevariationbySES
quartile,withyoungpeoplefromthe
lowerSESquartilescontinuinginan
apprenticeshipmorefrequentlythan
thosefromthehigherquartiles(see
Table2.6).Approximatelyoneinfour
(26%)Year12completerswhowerein
entry-levelVETcoursesin2008were
studyingatthesamelevelin2009.In
thecaseofentry-levelVET,themain
activityin2009varieswidelybySES
quartile,with17%ofthosefromthe
highestquartileattendinguniversity,
comparedto8%ofthosefromthe
lowestquartile.
Amongthosewhowerestudyingin
theVETsectorin2008,thegreatest
Table 2.5: Year12completers:Continuationin2009ofVETparticipantsin2008,bygender
Female (%) Male (%) Total (%)
Same course 51 66 59
Different course 8 5 7
Deferred 2 3 2
Withdrew 14 12 13
Completed 24 15 19
Distribution in 2009 (%) 100 100 100
Note: Columns may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
15Chapter2:DestinationsofYear12orequivalentcompleters
Table 2.6: Mainactivityin2009ofVETparticipantsin2008,bytypeofVETstudyin2008andSESquartile
Main activity in 2009 (%)
Uni
vers
ity
VET
Cer
t IV+
VET
ent
ry-l
evel
App
rent
ices
hip
Trai
nees
hip
Sec
onda
ry s
choo
l
Empl
oyed
full
-tim
e
Empl
oyed
par
t-ti
me
Look
ing
for w
ork
NIL
FET
Tota
lCertificate IV and above
SES quartile
Lowest 11 53 3 2 3 - - 8 16 4 1 100
Lower-middle 11 58 3 2 2 - - 7 10 5 1 100
Upper-middle 12 63 1 2 - - - - 8 13 2 - - 100
Highest 6 58 2 5 3 1 5 12 7 1 100
All Certificate IV+ 10 58 2 3 2 0 7 12 4 1 100
Entry-level (Certificate I-III and unspecified)
SES quartile
Lowest 8 - - 32 8 5 - - 8 29 10 - - 100
Lower-middle 13 - - 22 11 4 - - 15 28 7 - - 100
Upper-middle 11 - - 11 13 6 - - 26 30 3 - - 100
Highest 17 - - 45 8 - - 15 15 - - 100
All entry-level 11 - - 26 10 5 - - 15 27 6 - - 100
Apprenticeship
SES quartile
Lowest - - - - 4 84 2 - - 9 1 - - - - 100
Lower-middle 4 - - 2 85 - - 4 1 4 - - 100
Upper-middle 2 2 - - 79 2 - - 7 5 4 - - 100
Highest 5 2 - - 78 - - - - 11 2 2 - - 100
All apprenticeship 3 1 1 81 1 - - 8 2 2 - - 100
Traineeship
SES quartile
Lowest 15 7 - - - - 31 - - 20 17 6 4 100
Lower-middle 14 6 2 - - 44 - - 17 13 3 - - 100
Upper-middle 17 12 2 - - 34 - - 24 4 6 2 100
Highest 24 10 5 - - 24 - - 14 14 5 5 100
All traineeship 17 9 2 - - 34 - - 20 11 5 3 100
Note: ‘0’ indicates less than 0.5%; ’- -‘ indicates no persons. Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
16 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
OfthoseintheVETsector,31percent
werestudyingatalevelCertificateIV
orhigherand29percentweredoinga
traineeship.
OfthoseYear12completerswhowere
employedandnotstudyingin2008,
47%werenotineducationortraining
astheirmainactivityin2009.Ofthis
group,89percentwereemployed,
ofwhom56percentwereworking
onafull-timebasis.Ofthosenotin
educationortraining,8%werelooking
forworkand3%wereNILFET.
Employed and not in education or training in 2008
Figure2.3showsthemainactivityof
thoseYear12completerswhowere
employedandnotstudyingin2008.
Morethanone-half(53%)wereinsome
formofeducationortrainingin2009.
Ofthisgroup,52%wereparticipating
intheVETsectorand48%had
commencedauniversityqualification.
Manyofthosewhomovedfrom
employmenttouniversityhaddeferred
theirstudiesin2008(seeChapter4).
Figure 2.3: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofthoseemployedin2008
Note: Grouped boxes may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
56% employed full-time
53% in study or training
44% employed part-time47% not in study
or training
Employed and not studying in 2008
(n=853)
48% at university
52% in VET
16% in VET entry-level
31% in VET Cert IV+
24% in Apprenticeships
29% in Traineeships
89% employed
9% looking for work
3% NILFET
17Chapter2:DestinationsofYear12orequivalentcompleters
Employmentin2008and2009
Comparedtothesametimein2008,
59%ofYear12completerswereworking
inthesamejob.AsshowninTable
2.7,mostdestinationsarecloseto
theaverageforworkinginthesame
jobwiththenotableexceptionsof
thosedoingapprenticeships(81%)
andthoseundertakingentry-levelVET
qualifications(30%).Inaddition,17%
ofallYear12completershadmore
thanonejobin2009,witharelatively
largerproportionofuniversitystudents
workinginmorethanonejob.
Noteworthytothisdiscussionisthe
up-skillingandcareerprogressionof
thosemostcloselyengagedwiththe
labourmarketthroughemploymentand
apprenticeships.AsshowninTable2.8,
ofthoseYear12completerswhomoved
intotheirsecondyearasanapprentice
in2009,87%wereearningmore,75%
weredoingmoreskilledworkand
86%hadmoreresponsibilityatwork.
Ofthosewhoremainedinfull-time
employmentandnotstudyingin2009,
71%wereearningmore,71%weredoing
moreskilledworkand73%hadmore
responsibilityatwork.
Looking for work or not in the labour force, education or training (NILFET)
TwosmallergroupsofYear12
completerscomprisethosewhowere
notineducationortrainingandwere
lookingforworkin2008,andthosewho
werenotinthelabourforce,education
ortraining(NILFET).Combined,these
twogroupsaccountforlessthan5%of
allYear12completersintheOn Track
longitudinalsurvey.
Ofthosewhowerelookingforworkin
2008,20%werelookingforworkatthe
timeoftheinterviewin2009.Lessthan
one-half(46%)werestudyingin2009,
withthemajority(72%)doingVET
study;31%wereemployedand3%had
movedoutofthelabourforce.Young
peoplewhowereoutofthelabourforce
in2008accountedforlessthan1%of
thecohort.In2009,11%ofthisgroup
wereNILFET;40%hadmovedintostudy
(58%atuniversity;42%inVET);17%
wereworking;and33%werelookingfor
work.
18 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
believethattheircurrentjobisthejob
theywouldlikeasacareer,comparedto
just8percentofuniversitystudentsand
17percentofVETstudents,asshownin
Table2.9.UniversityandTAFEstudents
aregenerallyworkingtosupporttheir
studies,whileapprenticesandtrainees
haveenteredtrainingcontractstolearn
onthejob.
Careeroutlook
Atthispointintheircareers,lessthan
one-thirdofYear12completers(31%)
believethattheircurrentmainjobis
thetypetheywouldlikeastheircareer.
However,thereismarkedvariationby
activity,themostnotableofwhichis
that84%ofapprenticesandtrainees
Table 2.7: Year12completers:Percentageworkinginthesamejobin2008and2009
Main activity in 2008 Working in same job in 2008 and 2009
University 59
VET Certificate IV+ 55
VET entry-level 30
Apprenticeship 81
Traineeship 61
Employed full-time 63
Employed part-time 55
Distribution in 2009 (%) 59
Table 2.8: Year12completers:Careeradvancementindicatorsamongapprenticesandthoseemployedfull-timeandnotstudying
Unchanged main
activity in 2008
and 2009
Change in
earnings (%)
Change in
skilled work (%)
Change in
responsibility (%)
Less Same More Less Same More Less Same More
Apprenticeship 2 10 87 1 25 75 2 13 86
Employed full-time 6 23 71 3 26 71 5 22 73
Distribution in
2009 (%)4 16 80 2 25 73 3 17 80
Note: Rows within each type of change may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
19Chapter2:DestinationsofYear12orequivalentcompleters
Around70%ofthoseworking—
includingthosewhowereworkingand
notstudyingaswellasthosewhowere
combiningstudyandwork—believe
thatschoolpreparedthemfairlywellor
verywellforwhatworkwasreallylike
(seeTable2.10).Asimilarproportion
believethattheirschoolingprepared
themfairlywellorverywellwiththe
skillstheyneedintheworkplace.
Thereislittleoverallvariationbetween
thoseinfurthereducationorthose
employedandnotstudying,aside
fromslightlyhigherproportionofVET
participants(studyingatTAFEorinan
apprenticeshiportraineeship)stating
thatschoolingpreparedthemvery well
forworkandtheskillsneededatwork.
Schoolandpreparationforworkandstudy
Oneaimofschoolingistoensurethat
youngpeoplewell-preparedtotakeon
workandfurtherstudy.
Thesenioryearsofschoolingshould
provideallstudentswiththehigh-
qualityeducationnecessaryto
completetheirsecondaryschool
educationandmakethetransition
tofurthereducation,trainingor
employment.Schoolingshouldoffera
rangeofpathwaystomeetthediverse
needsandaspirationsofallyoung
Australians,encouragingthemto
pursueuniversityorpost-secondary
vocationalqualificationsthatincrease
theiropportunitiesforrewardingand
productiveemployment.(MCEETYA,
2008)
Table 2.9: Year12completers:Jobandcareers
Main activity in
2009
Female (%) Male (%) Total (%)
Yes No
Not
sure Yes No
Not
sure Yes No
Not
sure
University 7 90 2 10 89 1 8 90 2
TAFE 18 79 4 15 83 2 17 80 3
App. or Trainee 71 19 10 91 6 3 84 11 5
Employed 33 60 7 35 60 5 34 60 6
Distribution in
2009 (%)23 73 5 40 57 3 31 65 4
Note: Rows within each gender may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
20 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
study(seeTable2.11).TAFEstudents
(thoseenrolledinVETcampus-
basedprograms)wereslightlymore
emphaticabouttheirsatisfaction
withthepreparationforstudythey
received,withhigherratesof‘verywell’
responsesonbothareasoffurther
study.
Comparedtopreparationforwork,Year
12completersaremorepositiveabout
howwelltheirschoolingprepared
themforfurtherstudy.Around80%
ofthosestudyingbelievethatschool
preparedthemfairlywellorvery
wellforuniversityorTAFEstudy,and
83%believetheywerewell-prepared
withtheskillsrequiredforfurther
Table 2.10: Year12Completers:Schoolingandpreparationforwork
Main activity in 2009
Preparation for work (%) Work skills preparation (%)
Very well
Fairly
well
Not very
well
Not at all
well
Don’t
know Very well
Fairly
well
Not very
well
Not at all
well
Don’t
know
University 13 59 19 7 1 14 55 24 6 1
TAFE 18 56 17 8 2 22 51 20 6 1
App. or Trainee 17 54 19 9 1 18 52 21 8 1
Employed 14 53 23 8 1 13 54 24 9 1
Distribution in 2009 (%) 15 55 20 8 1 16 53 23 7 1
Note: Rows within each type of preparation may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Table 2.11: Year12Completers:Schoolingandpreparationforfurtherstudy
Main activity in 2009
Preparation for
university/TAFE study (%) Study skills preparation (%)
Very well
Fairly
well
Not very
well
Not at all
well
Don’t
know Very well
Fairly
well
Not very
well
Not at all
well
Don’t
know
University 26 54 16 4 0 26 56 15 3 0
TAFE 31 54 10 4 1 32 52 13 2 0
Distribution in 2009 (%) 27 53 15 4 1 28 55 14 2 1
Note: Rows within each type of preparation may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
21Chapter2:DestinationsofYear12orequivalentcompleters
overwhelminglypositive,with91%
ofYear12completerssayingtheyare
happyorveryhappy,Year12completers
arelesshappyabouttheircareer
opportunities.Thereislittledifference
betweenmalesandfemalesinthese
measure:malesareslightlymore
positiveaboutcareeropportunities,and
femalesareslightlymorepositiveabout
theworktheydo.
Wellbeing
Thewellbeingofyoungpeopleis
anotherimportantconcern,particularly
astheymakethetransitionfrom
school.AsshowninTable2.12,around
95%ofYear12completersarehappy
orveryhappywiththeworktheydo
intheirstudies,athomeoratwork,
and97%arehappyorveryhappywith
theirlifeasawhole.Althoughstill
Table 2.12: Year12Completers:Wellbeing
Focus
Very happy
(%)
Happy
(%)
Unhappy
(%)
Very unhappy
(%)
Can’t say/
refused
(%)
Total
(%)
Work done as part of
study, at home or in a job34 61 4 1 0 100
Female 35 60 4 1 0 100
Male 33 62 4 1 0 100
Career opportunities 41 50 7 1 1 100
Female 39 51 7 1 2 100
Male 42 49 7 1 1 100
Life as a whole 49 48 2 0 0 100
Female 49 48 2 0 0 100
Male 50 48 2 0 0 100
Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
22 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
saiditwassomewhatlikely.Among
thoseworkingfull-time,however,only
70%saiditwasextremelyorsomewhat
likelytheywouldtakeupstudywithin
thenexttwoyearscomparedto82%
ofthoseworkingpart-time,lookingfor
workornotinthelabourforce.
Returningtostudy
Asnotedearlierinthechapter,31%of
Year12completerswerenotstudyingat
university,TAFEoraspartofatraining
contract.Overall43%percentof
thosenotstudyingin2009saiditwas
extremelylikelytheywouldreturnto
studyinthenexttwoyearsand34%
Table 2.13: Year12Completers:Likelihoodofstudyinginthenexttwoyears,ifnotcurrentlystudying
Main activity in 2009
Extremely likely
(%)
Somewhat likely
(%)
Not very likely
(%)
Not at all likely
(%)
Can’t say/
refused
(%)
Total
(%)
Employed full-time 36 34 18 10 2 100
Employed part-time 47 35 12 6 0 100
Looking for work 46 36 11 5 3 100
NILFET 37 44 6 13 100
Distribution in 2009 (%) 43 34 14 8 1 100
Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
23
24 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
Chapter3Destinationsofearlyschoolleavers
Overview
Thischapterdiscussesthedestinationsin2009ofthecohortofyoungpeople
wholeftschoolduring2007anddidnotreceiveanyofthefollowingcertificates:
VCE,IB,VCALSeniororVCALIntermediate.Theanalysisgroupstheseearlyschool
leaversintosectionsbasedontheirmainactivityin2008,theirfirstpost-school
year.Todemonstratethepathwaymovementbetween2008and2009,Table3.1
presentsthemainactivityofearlyleaversin2008(rows)andthemainactivity
in2009(columns).Eachrowsumsto100%;theright-handcolumnshowswhat
percentageoflongitudinalcohortmemberswereineachmainactivityin2008.
Table 3.1: Earlyleavers:Mainactivityin2009bymainactivityin2008
Main activity in 2009 (%)
Dis
trib
utio
n in
200
8
Main activity in 2008 Uni
vers
ity/
VET
Cer
t IV+
VET
ent
ry-l
evel
App
rent
ices
hip
Trai
nees
hip
Sec
onda
ry s
choo
l
Empl
oyed
full
-tim
e
Empl
oyed
par
t-ti
me
Look
ing
for w
ork
NIL
FET
VET Cert IV+ 37 6 - - - - 6 16 16 15 4 3
VET entry-level - - 28 11 4 3 13 17 21 2 10
Apprenticeship 1 1 84 1 1 5 2 5 1 32
Traineeship 7 3 - - 34 1 22 19 13 1 7
Employed full-time 4 4 10 7 1 44 15 12 3 19
Employed part-time 6 6 8 6 3 17 31 19 4 12
Looking for work 6 7 8 7 4 10 14 36 8 13
NILFET 6 4 - - - - 4 6 15 28 38 4
Distribution in 2009 (%) 4 6 32 6 2 17 13 15 4 100
Note: ‘0’ indicates less than 0.5%; ’- -‘ indicates no persons. Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
AswiththeYear12completers,themainactivityofearlyleavershasremained
unchangedforthemajorityofapprentices(84%)between2008and2009.In
contrasttotheYear12completers,however,themainactivitiesforearlyleavers
havebeengreatlydispersedinandoutofeducation,trainingandemployment
between2008and2009.Thepercentageofearlyschoolleaversinvolvedin
educationandtrainingdecreasedduringtheyear,from53%to51%.Also
incontrasttotheYear12completergroup,therearegreaterproportionsof
earlyschoolleaverslookingforwork(15%in2009,comparedto4%ofYear12
completers)andnotinemployment,educationandtraining(4%in2009,compared
to1%ofYear12completers).Oneoptionin2009notnecessaryforYear12
25Chapter3:Destinationsofearlyschoolleavers
participatedintheVETsectorin2008.
Themajority–72%–werecontinuing
insomeformofeducationortraining
in2009.Ofthisgroup,nearlyallhad
remainedintheVETsector,witha
smallnumber(lessthan1%)entering
auniversitycourse.Ofthisgroup,76%
weredoinganapprenticeship.
Ofthoseearlyleaverswhoparticipated
intheVETsectorin2008,28%werenot
ineducationortrainingin2009.Ofthis
group,61%wereemployed(54%full-
time,46%part-time),34%werelooking
forworkand5%wereNILFET.
completers—thereturntosecondary
school—wastakenupby2%ofearly
schoolleavers.Aswillbediscussedin
thefollowingsections,thedispersion
ofYear12completersandearlyschool
leaversintocampus-basedVETand
employmentpathwaysisanoteworthy
elementofthisdiscussion.
Mainactivitiesin2008andmainactivitiesin2009
Doing a VET course, apprenticeship or traineeship
Figure3.1showsthemainactivitiesin
2009ofthoseearlyschoolleaverswho
Figure 3.1: Earlyschoolleavers:Mainactivityin2009ofearlyschoolleaversinVETin2008
Note: Grouped boxes may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
54% employed full-time
72% in study or training
46% employed part-time28% not in study
or training
VET in 2008n=1042
<1% at university
>99% in VET
9% in VET entry-level
7% in VET Cert IV+
76% in Apprenticeships
8% in Traineeships
61% employed
34% looking for work
5% NILFET
26 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
and24%atraineeship.Theremainder
wereundertakingacampus-basedVET
qualification.
Whilejustoverone-quarterhadmoved
intostudyortrainingfor2009,73%
werenotineducationortrainingin
2009.Ofthisgroup,76%wereworking
–62%full-time,38%part-time–20%
werelookingforworkand4%were
NILFET.
Employed and not in education or training in 2008
Ofthoseearlyschoolleaverswho
wereemployedin2008,27%had
enteredsomeformofeducationor
trainingin2009.Ofthisgroup,98%
wereparticipatingintheVETsector
and2%hadcommencedauniversity
qualification.OfthegroupintheVET
sector,36%enteredanapprenticeship
Figure 3.2: Earlyschoolleavers:Mainactivityin2009ofthoseemployedin2008
Note: Grouped boxes may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
62% employed full-time
27% in study or training
38% employed part-time73% not in study
or training
Employed in 2008(n=597)
2% at university
98% in VET
18% in VET entry-level
21% in VET Cert IV+
36% in Apprenticeships
24% in Traineeships
76% employed
20% looking for work
4% NILFET
27Chapter3:Destinationsofearlyschoolleavers
one-halfhadmovedintoeducationor
trainingin2009,comparedto23–27%
ofthoseinthethreelowerSESquartiles
whohadbeenworkingfull-timein
2008.Amongthosewhowerelooking
forworkin2008,45-48%ofearly
schoolleaversfromthetwolower
SESquartileswereeitherlookingfor
workorNILFETin2009,comparedto
38%ofthosefromthetwohigherSES
quartiles.
Asnotedabove,morethanone-quarter
ofearlyschoolleaverswhowere
workingin2008movedintosome
formofeducationortraining.Among
allthosewhowerenotineducation
ortrainingin2008,therewassome
relationshipbetweensocioeconomic
status(SES)andmovingintoeducation
ortraining.Table3.2containsthemain
activityofearlyschoolleaversin2008
and2009,bySESquartile.Forthose
whowereemployedfull-timein2008,
Table 3.2: Mainactivityin2009ofearlyschoolleaversnotineducationortrainingin2008,bymainactivityin2008andSESquartile
Main activity in 2008
Main activity in 2009 (%)
Uni
vers
ity/
VET
Cer
t IV+
VET
ent
ry-l
evel
App
rent
ices
hip
Trai
nees
hip
Sec
onda
ry s
choo
l
Empl
oyed
full
-tim
e
Empl
oyed
par
t-ti
me
Look
ing
for w
ork
NIL
FET
Tota
l
Employed full-time
SES quartile
Lowest 3 4 11 8 - - 41 21 10 2 100
Lower-middle 3 4 10 6 - - 41 13 18 4 100
Upper-middle 5 3 11 4 - - 51 12 10 4 100
Highest 11 8 11 14 6 31 14 6 - - 100
Distribution in 2009 (%) 4 4 10 7 1 44 15 12 3 100
Employed part-time
SES quartile
Lowest 4 8 8 8 4 18 24 24 1 100
Lower-middle 5 5 5 5 - - 21 41 14 6 100
Upper-middle 6 6 13 - - 3 9 31 22 9 100
Highest 14 7 14 7 7 7 21 21 - - 100
Distribution in 2009 (%) 6 6 8 6 3 17 31 19 4 100
28 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
inthesamejob;ofthoseundertaking
campus-basedVETcourses,only29%
ofthoseinentry-leveland30%ofthose
inhigher-levelcourseswereinthesame
job.
Ofallearlyschoolleavers,8%had
morethanonejob,witharelatively
largerproportionofuniversitystudents
employedinmorethanonejob.
Employmentin2008and2009
Comparedtothesametimein2008,
62%percentofearlyschoolleavers
wereworkinginthesamejobin2009.
Theproportionswhoremainedinthe
samejobvariedbymainactivityin
2009,asshowninTable3.3.Ofthose
doingapprenticeships85%continued
Main activity in 2008
Main activity in 2009 (%)
Uni
vers
ity/
VET
Cer
t IV+
VET
ent
ry-l
evel
App
rent
ices
hip
Trai
nees
hip
Sec
onda
ry s
choo
l
Empl
oyed
full
-tim
e
Empl
oyed
par
t-ti
me
Look
ing
for w
ork
NIL
FET
Tota
l
Looking for work
SES quartile
Lowest 5 5 7 11 5 9 11 42 6 100
Lower-middle 1 10 4 4 4 13 18 35 10 100
Upper-middle 12 7 12 5 2 7 17 31 7 100
Highest 8 8 15 - - - - 15 15 23 15 100
Distribution in 2009 (%) 6 7 8 7 4 10 14 36 8 100
NILFET
SES quartile
Lowest 4 - - - - - - 4 9 17 35 30 100
Lower-middle - - 9 - - - - 9 9 9 27 36 100
Upper-middle 9 9 - - - - - - - - 18 18 45 100
Highest 17 - - - - - - - - - - 17 33 33 100
Distribution in 2009 (%) 6 4 - - - - 4 6 15 28 38 100
Note: ‘0’ indicates less than 0.5%; ’- -‘ indicates no persons. Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Table 3.2: Mainactivityin2009ofearlyschoolleaversnotineducationortrainingin2008,bymainactivityin2008andSESquartile(continued)
29Chapter3:Destinationsofearlyschoolleavers
(seeTable3.4).Ofthoseinfull-time
employmentinboth2008and2009,
67%wereearningmore,60%were
doingmoreskilledworkand75%had
greaterresponsibilityatwork.
Table 3.3: Earlyschoolleavers:Percentageworkinginthesamejobin2008and2009
Main activity in 2009 Working in same job in 2008 and 2009
VET Cert IV+ 30
VET entry-level 29
Apprenticeship 85
Traineeship 62
Employed full-time 54
Employed part-time 51
Distribution in 2009 (%) 62
Table 3.4: Earlyschoolleavers:Careeradvancementindicatorsamongapprenticesandthoseemployedfull-timeandnotstudying
Unchanged main activity
in 2008 and 2009
Change in
earnings (%)
Change in
skilled work (%)
Change in
responsibility (%)
Less Same More Less Same More Less Same More
Apprenticeship 3 10 87 1 20 79 1 11 88
Employed full-time 9 24 67 5 35 60 8 17 75
Distribution in 2009 (%) 4 13 83 2 23 75 3 12 85
Note: Rows within each type of change may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Amongearlyschoolleaversmoving
intotheirsecondyearasanapprentice
in2009,87%wereearningmore,79%
weredoingmoreskilledworkand
88%hadmoreresponsibilityatwork
30 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
thehighrateofsatisfactionwiththeir
jobsisconsistentwiththeirreasons
forleavingschoolearly.Amongthose
whohadleftschoolin2007before
completingYear12,40%statedthey
haddonesoinordertotakeupajob,
apprenticeshiportraineeship(DEECD,
2009).
Schoolandpreparationforwork
Around57%ofearlyschoolleavers
believethatschoolpreparedthem
fairlywellorverywellforwhatwork
wasreallylike,asshowninTable3.6.
AmongYear12completers,closeto70%
believedthattheywerewell-prepared
forwork(seeTable2.10).
Careeroutlook
Two-thirds(67%)ofearlyschoolleavers
believethattheircurrentmainjobisthe
typetheywouldlikeforacareer(see
Table3.5).Thisisinsharpcontrastto
Year12completers,ofwhomonly31%
wereworkingin‘career’jobs(seeTable
2.9).Thereissomemarkedvariation
betweendestinations,similartowhat
wasseenforYear12completers.Most
outstandingisthat91%ofapprentices
andtraineesbelievethattheircurrent
jobisthejobtheywouldlikeasa
career,comparedtojust31%ofVET
students.Asnotedintheprevious
chapter,thosecurrentlystudyingare
workinginjobstosupporttheirstudies.
Inthecaseofearlyschoolleavers,
Table 3.5: Earlyschoolleavers:Jobsandcareers
Main activity in 2009Female (%) Male (%) Total (%)
Yes No Not sure Yes No Not sure Yes No Not sure
TAFE 30 65 5 34 63 3 31 64 4
App. or Trainee 86 10 4 92 5 3 91 6 3
Employed 39 55 6 41 53 6 40 54 6
Distribution in 2009 (%) 52 42 5 74 22 4 67 29 4
Note: Rows within each gender may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Table 3.6: Earlyschoolleavers:Schoolandpreparationforwork
Main activity in 2009
Preparation for work (%) Work skills preparation (%)
Very well
Fairly
well
Not very
well
Not at all
well
Don’t
know Very well
Fairly
well
Not very
well
Not at all
well
Don’t
know
TAFE/VET 15 49 17 18 1 19 41 22 18 1
App. or Trainee 16 44 25 14 1 20 40 24 15 2
Employed 7 43 30 19 1 10 44 31 13 2
Distribution in 2009 (%) 13 44 27 16 1 17 41 27 14 2
Note: Rows within each type of preparation may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
31Chapter3:Destinationsofearlyschoolleavers
Wellbeing
Manyyoungpeoplewholeave
schoolbeforecompletingaYear12
orequivalentcertificatearemore
vulnerabletolabourmarketconditions,
especiallyiftheydonotenterstudy,
througheitheracampus-basedVET
courseoracontractoftraining.With
greatervulnerability,itmightbe
expectedthatthewellbeingofthese
earlyschoolleaverswouldbelower
thanthewellbeingofthosewho
completedYear12oritsequivalentat
thesametime.Table3.7showsthe
howhappyearlyschoolleaversare
withthreeaspectsoftheirlives:work,
careersandlifeasawhole.
Around91%ofearlyleaversarehappy
orveryhappywiththeworktheydoas
partofstudy,athomeorajob,while
94%arehappyorveryhappywith
theirlivesasawhole.Althoughstill
overwhelminglypositive–similartothe
statementsofYear12completers–early
schoolleaversarerelativelyunhappy
orveryunhappywiththeircareer
opportunitiesrelativetoworkandlife,
andrelativetothewellbeingofYear12
completers.
Table 3.7: Earlyschoolleavers:Wellbeing
Focus
Very
happy
(%)
Happy
(%)Unhappy
(%)
Very
unhappy
(%)
Can’t
say/
refused
(%)
Total
(%)
Work done as part of
study, at home or in a job35 56 5 2 1 100
Female 37 53 8 2 1 100
Male 35 59 4 2 1 100
Career opportunities 37 50 10 2 2 100
Female 36 47 13 2 2 100
Male 38 51 8 2 1 100
Life as a whole 47 47 4 1 1 100
Female 46 46 6 2 1 100
Male 48 48 3 1 0 100
Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
32 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
somewhatlikely.Only14%ofthose
lookingforworkbelieveitunlikelythey
willreturntostudy,comparedto37%of
thoseworkingfull-time.
Earlyschoolleaversfromthelowest
SESquartileareleastlikelytoreturn
tostudyinthenexttwoyears,
amongthosenotstudyingin2009.
Nevertheless,66%ofthosefromthe
lowestSESquartiledidstateitwas
extremelylikelyorverylikelythey
wouldreturntostudy,comparedto
77%ofthosefromthelower-middleand
highestSESquartiles(seeTable3.9).
Returningtostudy
Earlyschoolleaversaremorevulnerable
inthelabourmarket,astheytendto
havelowerlevelsofqualifications.Early
schoolleaverswhoreturntosomeform
ofstudy—atschool,TAFEorthrough
anapprenticeshiportraineeship—
increasetheiropportunitiesforlater
employment.AsshowninTable3.8,
around35%ofearlyschoolleavers
thinkitisextremelylikelythey
willreturntostudyinthenexttwo
years,andafurther36%believeitis
Table 3.8: Earlyschoolleavers:Likelihoodofstudyinginthenexttwoyears,ifnotcurrentlystudying,bymainactivityin2009
Main activity in 2009
Extremely likely
(%)
Somewhat likely
(%)
Not very likely
(%)
Not at all likely
(%)
Can’t say/
refused
(%)
Total
(%)
Employed full-time 27 35 22 15 1 100
Employed part-time 36 35 18 8 3 100
Looking for work 43 40 7 7 2 100
NILFET 33 33 18 10 5 100
Distribution in 2009 (%) 35 36 16 10 2 100
Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Table 3.9: Earlyschoolleavers:Likelihoodofstudyinginthenexttwoyears,ifnotcurrentlystudying,bySESquartile
Main activity in 2009
Extremely likely
(%)
Somewhat likely
(%)
Not very likely
(%)
Not at all likely
(%)
Can’t say/
refused
(%)
Total
(%)
Lowest 31 35 19 11 4 100
Lower-middle 37 40 15 8 - - 100
Upper-middle 36 34 14 13 2 100
Highest 41 36 11 6 5 100
Distribution in 2009 (%) 35 36 16 10 2 100
Note: ‘0’ indicates less than 0.5%; ’- -‘ indicates no persons. Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
33
34 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
Chapter4Deferralfromstudy
Mainactivitiesin2009
PreviousanalysesofOn Track datahavefoundapatternofrisingratesofdeferral
amongstnon-metropolitanschoolcompleters,notjustinVictoriabutinother
Australianstates(Polesel,2008).AstudycarriedoutaspartoftheQueensland
Next Stepdestinationsurveysalsopointstothetendencyofnon-metropolitan
schoolcompleterstodeferuniversityplacesatahigherrateandsuggeststhat
thephenomenonofhigherratesofdeferralamongstnon-metropolitanschool
completersmaybeawidespreadoccurrenceacrossnon-metropolitanAustralia
(Poleselet al.,2005).
Thischapterdiscussesthestatusofthe2007cohortofYear12completerswho
haddeferredfurtherstudyfor2008.Theanalysisgroupsdeferralsintosections
basedontheirmainactivityin2008,theirfirstpost-schoolyear.Todemonstrate
thepathwaymovementbetween2008and2009,Table4.1presentsthemain
activityofdeferrersin2008(rows)andtheirmainactivityin2009(columns).Each
rowsumsto100%;theright-handcolumnshowswhatpercentageoflongitudinal
cohortmemberswereineachmainactivityin2008.
Table 4.1: Year12completers:Deferrersin2008,mainactivityin2009
Main activity in 2009 (%)
Dis
trib
utio
n in
200
8
Main activity in 2008 Uni
vers
ity
VET
Cer
t IV+
VET
ent
ry-l
evel
App
rent
ices
hip
Trai
nees
hip
Empl
oyed
full
-tim
e
Empl
oyed
par
t-ti
me
Look
ing
for w
ork
NIL
FET
Employed full-time 62 10 1 3 5 12 5 1 2 59
Employed part-time 65 6 4 1 3 8 11 2 1 29
Looking for work 49 11 - - 7 3 13 13 5 - - 10
NILFET 67 - - - - - - - - 14 - - - - 20 2
Distribution in 2009 (%) 62 9 2 3 4 11 8 1 2 100
Note: ‘0’ indicates less than 0.5%; ’- -‘ indicates no persons. Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Overall,72%ofdeferrersenrolledinauniversityorcampus-basedVETcourse,
6%hadtakenupanapprenticeshiportraineeship,18%wereemployedand3%
wereeitherlookingforworkorNILFET.Aswillbediscussedinthefollowing
sections,thereissomevariationinenrollinginstudybysocioeconomicstatusand
geographiclocation.
35Chapter4:Deferralfromstudy
OfthoseYear12completerswho
deferreduniversitystudyin2008,78%
wereinsomeformofstudyortraining
in2009.Ofthisgroup,79%wereat
universityand21%inVETstudy(62%
incampus-basedcourses;38%inan
apprenticeshiportraineeship).Ofthe
22%whowerenotinstudyortraining
in2009,85%wereemployed,with58%
workingfull-timeand42%part-time.
Ofthe22%notinstudyortraining,7%
werelookingforworkand8%were
NILFET.
Figure 4.1: Year12completers:Mainactivityin2009ofthosedeferringstudyin2008
Note: Grouped boxes may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Therewassomerelationshipbetween
returningtostudyandsocioeconomic
status,asshowninTable4.2.Deferrers
fromthehighestSESquartiletook
upeducationortrainingin2009at
thehighestrate,with85%eitherat
universityorinVET.Bycontrast,72%of
deferrersfromthelowestSESquartile
wereineducationortraining;deferrers
fromthelowestSESquartilewerealso
lessfrequentlyenrolledatuniversityin
2009.
58% employed full-time
78% in study or training
42% employed part-time22% not in study
or training
Deferred in 2008(n=333)
79% at university
21% in VET
85% employed
7% looking for work
8% NILFET
36 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
Table 4.2: Year12Completers:Deferrersin2008:Mainactivityin2009bySESquartile
SES quartile
Main activity in 2009 (%)
Tota
l
Uni
vers
ity
VET
Cer
t IV+
VET
ent
ry-l
evel
App
rent
ices
hip
Trai
nees
hip
Empl
oyed
full
-tim
e
Empl
oyed
par
t-ti
me
Look
ing
for w
ork
NIL
FET
Lowest 54 10 1 1 6 12 9 3 4 100
Lower-middle 66 6 1 1 5 13 7 1 1 100
Upper-middle 63 9 4 0 2 9 10 - - 2 100
Highest 64 11 - - 7 3 5 5 3 1 100
Distribution in 2009 (%) 62 9 2 3 4 11 8 1 2 100
Note: ‘0’ indicates less than 0.5%; ’- -‘ indicates no persons. Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Table 4.3: Year12Completers:Deferrersin2008:Mainactivityin2009byschoollocation
School location
(Year 12)
Main activity in 2009 (%)
Tota
l
Uni
vers
ity
VET
Cer
t IV+
VET
ent
ry-l
evel
App
rent
ices
hip
Trai
nees
hip
Empl
oyed
full
-tim
e
Empl
oyed
par
t-ti
me
Look
ing
for w
ork
NIL
FET
Metropolitan 53 10 2 4 4 14 10 1 2 100
Non-metropolitan 70 7 1 1 4 8 6 1 1 100
Distribution in 2009 (%) 62 9 2 3 4 11 8 1 2 100
Note: Rows may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
37Chapter4:Deferralfromstudy
In2009,deferrerswhohadattended
schoolsinnon-metropolitanlocations
hadmorefrequentlyenrolledat
universitythandidthosefromschools
metropolitanlocations(70%compared
to53%).Overall,62%ofdeferrerswere
atuniversityand16%wereinother
formsofeducationortrainingin2009
(seeTable4.3).
Thiscohortofyoungpeoplewillbe
interviewedagaininearly2010and
2011,andafinalreportontheirpost-
schoolpathways,4yearson,willbe
releasedinlate2011.
WhenallYear12completerswere
interviewedin2008,theoveralldeferral
rate—amongallYear12completers
—was11%.Thedeferralrateinnon-
metropolitanlocationswasdoublethe
deferralrateinmetropolitanlocations.
Althoughmostdeferrersstated
theyweretakinga‘gapyear’before
continuingstudy,manyofthedeferrers
fromnon-metropolitanlocationscited
theneedtomoveawayfromhome–
andthefinancialimplicationsofthat
move,includingthecostsofstudy–as
animportantfactorintheirdecision
todeferfurtherstudy(DEECD,2009).
38 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
39References
References AustralianBureauofStatistics(2008),Schools Australia 2007,Cat.No.4221.0.,
ABS,Canberra.
Curtis,D.&McMillan,J.(2008),School Non-completers: Profiles and Initial
Destinations,LSAYResearchReport54,ACER,Melbourne.
Curtis,D.(2008),VET Pathways Taken by School Leavers,LSAYResearchReport52,
ACER,Melbourne.
DepartmentofEducationandEarlyChildhoodDevelopment(2009),The
Destinations of School Leavers in Victoria. The On Track Survey 2008 Statewide
Report.Melbourne:DEECD.
Kirby,P.(Chair)(2000),Ministerial Review of Post Compulsory Education and
Training Pathways in Victoria: Final Report.Melbourne:DepartmentofEducation,
EmploymentandTraining.
Marks,G.N.(2006),The Transition to Full-time Work of Young People Who Do Not
Go to University,LSAYResearchReport49,ACER,Melbourne.
Marks,G.N.(2007).Completing University: Characteristics and Outcomes of
Completing and Non-Completing Students.LSAYResearchReportNumber51.
Melbourne:ACER
McMillan,J.(2005).Course Change and Attrition from Higher Education.LSAY
ResearchReportNumber39.Melbourne:ACER.
MinisterialCouncilforEducation,Employment,TrainingandYouthAffairs(2008).
Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians.Melbourne,
MCEETYA.
Polesel,J.&Helme,S.(2004),Young Visions 2003: A Follow-up Study of Young
Visions Participants and Their Destinations One Year Later,Departmentof
Education,ScienceandTraining,Canberra.
Polesel,J.&Teese,R.(2007),VET in Schools Pathways.The 2006 Year 12 Cohort
Report,DepartmentofEducationandEarlyChildhoodDevelopment,Melbourne.
Polesel,J.(2008),Deferring a University Offer in Regional Victoria: Interim Report,
CentreforPost-compulsoryEducationandLifelongLearning,TheUniversityof
Melbourne,Parkville.
Polesel,J.,Helme,S.,&Teese,R.(2005).Thenextstepreport2005:onthe
destinationsofyear12schoolleaversinQueensland(Record).Brisbane:
DepartmentofEducationandTheArts.
Teese,R.,Clarke,K.&Polesel,J.(2007),The Destinations of School Leavers in
Victoria. The On Track Survey 2007 Statewide Report,DepartmentofEducationand
EarlyChildhoodDevelopment,Melbourne.
40 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
Appendix1Questionnaire
*(PHONEANSWERER)
Intro1 Hello,mynameis(……………….,)callingaboutOn Track onbehalfoftheDepartment
ofEducationfromTheSocialResearchCentre.MayIpleasespeakto(FNAME,SNAMEfrom
list)?
1. Continue(alreadyspeakingwithnamedperson)(GOTOIntro2IntroA)
2. Reintroducetonamedperson(GOTOIntro2IntroB)
3. Makeappointment
4. Languagedifficulty(GOTOLOTE)
5. Namedpersonawayduration
6. Refused(GOTORR1)
7. Namedrespondentdeceased(GOTOTERMINATIONSCRIPT3)
LOTE RECORDPREFERREDLANGUAGE
1. Arabic
2. Chinese–Cantonese
3. Chinese-Mandarin
4. Greek
5. Italian
6. Macedonian
7. Serbian
8. Spanish
9. Turkish
10. Vietnamese
11. (Other________)
12. Languagenotestablished
*(NAMEDPERSONFROMLISTWASPHONEANSWERER)
Intro2 IntroA.ThereasonI’mcallingtodayistoconductyourfollowupinterviewaspart
oftheOnTrackSurvey.Whenwelastinterviewedyouthistimelastyearyousaiditwould
beOKifwecalledyoubacktodothisfollowupinterview.
Inthisinterview,I’dliketofindoutaboutyourstudyandworksituationsincewelastspoke.
Itshouldonlytakeabout5minutes.Isnowagoodtimeforustotalk?
IFNECESSARYOnTrackislookingtofindouthowschoolleaversaregoingsincetheyleft
school,sothattheVictoriangovernmentcanimproveitsservicestoyoungpeople.
*(NAMEDPERSONFROMLISTWASNOTPHONEANSWERER)
IntroB.Hello,mynameis(……………….,)callingonbehalfoftheDepartmentofEducation
fromTheSocialResearchCentreregardingtheOnTrackproject.
ThereasonI’mcallingtodayistoconductyourfollowupinterviewaspartoftheOnTrack
Survey.WhenwelastinterviewedyouthistimelastyearyousaiditwouldbeOKifwecalled
youbacktodothisfollowupinterview.
Inthisinterview,I’dliketofindoutaboutyourstudyandworksituationsincewelastspoke.
Itshouldonlytakeabout5minutes.Isnowagoodtimeforustotalk?
IFNECESSARYOnTrackislookingtofindouthowschoolleaversaregoingsincetheyleft
school,sothattheVictoriangovernmentcanimproveitsservicestoyoungpeople.
41Appendix1:Questionnaire
*(CONFIDENTIALITYSPIEL)
Intro3 Allthedatacollectedis
anonymousandconfidential.Ifthereare
anyquestionsyoudon’twanttoanswer,just
tellmesoIcanskipoverthem.Participation
isvoluntaryandyouarefreetoterminate
theinterviewatanytime.
IFNECESSARYIfyouhaveanyconcerns,
youmaycontacttheAustralianCouncilfor
EducationalResearchon9277-5471.
1. Continue
2. Refused(GOTORR1)
*(MONTORINGSPIEL)
Intro5 Beforewegetstarted,justto
letyouknowthatthisinterviewmaybe
monitoredbymysupervisorforquality
purposes–justtocheckIamdoingmyjob
properly.Isthatokwithyou?
1. Monitoringallowed
2. Monitoringnotpermitted
PREVIOUSEDUCATIONANDTRAINING
PREA1IFSTUDY08=1TO4(UNIVERSITY,
TAFE,APPRENTICESHIPORTRAINEESHIPIN
2008)CONTINUEELSE(DEFERREDSTUDY
ORNOTSTUDYINGIN2008)GOTOB1.
*(STUDYINGLASTYEAR)
A1 Atyourlastinterviewwerecordedthat
youweredoinga[STUDY08].Areyou
stilldoingthesame[STUDY08]you
weredoingwhenwelastspoke?
APPRENTICESHIP/TRAINEESHIPIN
2008WASRECORDEDAS:[DISPLAY
FROMSAMPLE]
1. Yes,anapprenticeship(GOTOB7)
(DISPLAYIFSTUDY08=3)
2. Yes,atraineeship(GOTOB7)
(DISPLAYIFSTUDY08=4)
3. Yes,auniversitycourse(GOTOB6)
(DISPLAYIFSTUDY08=1)
4. Yes,aTAFEcourse(GOTOB6)
(DISPLAYINSTUDY08=2)
5. Nolongerdoingthatstudy/training
6. No,notcorrect(wasnotdoingthat
study/trainingin2008)(GOTOB1)
PREA2 IFSTUDY08=APPRENTICESHIP/
TRAINEESHIPGOTOA3,ELSECONTINUE
*(NOLONGER 2008STUDY,2008
STUDYWASUNIVERSITY/TAFE/OTHER)
(A1=6,STUDY08=3,4OR5)
A2 Didyoucompletethis[STUDY08=UNI/
TAFE/STUDY],withdrawfromit,defer
yourstudiesorchangetoanother
course?
1. Completed(GOTOA4)
2. Withdrew
3. Deferred(GOTOA2b)
4. Changedtoanothercourse(GOTO
B1)
*(WITHDREWFROMUNI,TAFEOROTHER)
(A2=2)
A2a I‘mgoingtoreadoutsomereasons,
andcanyouletmeknowifyouthink
theywerereasonsyoudecidedto
WITHDRAWfromthat[STUDY08]
course.
(STATEMENTS)
a. Gettingorbeingofferedajob
b. Thecostofcontinuingthecourse
c. Thedifficultlyofthecourse
d. Theamountofstudyinvolved
e. Thecareeroptionsavailablefrom
thatcourse
(RESPONSEFRAME)
1. Yes
2. No
3. Can’tsay
PREA2a1IFMORETHANONEREASON
CHOSETOWITHDRAW(QA2a=1),CONTINUE,
ELSEGOTOB1
*(WITHDREWFROMUNI,TAFEOROTHER)
(A2=2)
A2a1 Andwhichofthesewouldyousay
wasthemainreasonyoudecidedto
WITHDRAWfromthatcourse?
1. Gettingorbeingofferedajob
[DISPLAYIFA2AA=1]
2. Thecostofcontinuingthecourse
[DISPLAYIFA2AB=1]
3. Thedifficultlyofthecourse
[DISPLAYIFA2AC=1]
4. Theamountofstudyinvolved
[DISPLAYIFA2AD=1]
5. Thecareeroptionsavailablefrom
thatcourse[DISPLAYIFA2AE=1]
6. (Can’tsay)
GOTOB1
*(DEFERREDFROMUNI/TAFE)(A2=3)
A2b I‘mgoingtoreadoutsomereasons,and
canyouletmeknowifyouthinkthey
werereasonsyoudecidedtoDEFER
fromthat[STUDY08]course.
(STATEMENTS)
a. Offeredaplaceinanothercourse
b. Wantingabreakfromstudy
c. Wantingtotravel
d. Thedifficultyofthecourse
e. Theamountofstudyinvolved
f. Thecareeroptionsavailablefrom
thatcourse
(RESPONSEFRAME)
1. Yes
2. No
3. Can’tsay
PREA2b1IFMORETHANONEREASON
CHOSETODEFER(QA2B=1),CONTINUE,
ELSEGOTOB1
*(DEFERREDFROMUNI/TAFE)(A2=3)
A2b1 Andwhichofthesewouldyousay
wasthemainreasonyoudecidedto
DEFERfromthatcourse?
1. Offeredaplaceinanothercourse
[DISPLAYIFA2BA=1]
2. Wantingabreakfromstudy
[DISPLAYIFA2BB=1]
42 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
3. Wantingtotravel[DISPLAYIF
A2BC=1]
4. Thedifficultyofthecourse
[DISPLAYIFA2BD=1]
5. Theamountofstudyinvolved
[DISPLAYIFA2BE=1]
6. Thecareeroptionsavailablefrom
thatcourse[DISPLAYIFA2BF=1]
7. (Can’tsay)
GOTOB1
*(NOLONGERDOING2008
APPRENTICESHIP/TRAINEESHIP)(A1=6,
STUDY08=1OR2)
A3 Didyoucompletethe
[STUDY08=APPRENTICESHIP/
TRAINEESHIP]youweredoingwhenwe
lastspoketoyou?
*PROGRAMMER:DISPLAYAPPRENTICESHIP/
TRAINEESHIPFROM2008
1. Yes,completed(GOTOA4)
2. No,stopped/withdrew
*(STOPPED/WITHDREWFROM
APPRENTICESHIPORTRAINEESHIP)(A3=2)
A3a I‘mgoingtoreadoutsomereasons,and
canyouletmeknowifyouthinkthey
werereasonsyoudecidedtoSTOPthat
[APPRENTICESHIP/TRAINEESHIP]?
(STATEMENTS)
a. Gettingorbeingofferedajob
b. Thecostofcontinuingthecourse
c. Notgettingonwithyourbossor
othersattheworkplace
d. Beingaskedtoleave/sacked
e. Thebusinessnotdoingwell
f. Thecareeroptionsavailablefrom
thatapprenticeship/traineeship
(RESPONSEFRAME)
1.Yes
2.No
3.Can’tsay
PREA3A1IFMORETHANONEREASON
CHOSETOSTOP(QA3A=1),CONTINUE,ELSE
GOTOB1
*(STOPPED/WITHDREWFROM
APPRENTICESHIPORTRAINEESHIP)(A3=2)
A3A1 Andwhichofthesewouldyou
saywasthemainreasonyoudecided
toSTOPthat[APPRENTICESHIP/
TRAINEESHIP]?
1. Gettingorbeingofferedajob
[DISPLAYIFA3AA=1]
2. Thecostofcontinuingthecourse
[DISPLAYIFA3AB=1]
3. Notgettingonwithyourbossor
othersattheworkplace[DISPLAYIF
A3AC=1]
4. Beingaskedtoleave/sacked
[DISPLAYIFA3AD=1]
5. Thebusinessnotdoingwell
[DISPLAYIFA3AE=1]
6. Thecareeroptionsavailablefrom
thatapprenticeship/traineeship
[DISPLAYIFA3AF=1]
7. (Can’tsay)
GOTOB1
*(COMPLETEDCOURSE/APPRENTICESHIP/
TRAINEESHIPFROM2008)(A2=1,A3=1)
A4 Howwelldidyour[STUDY08]
prepareyouforyourintended
career?WouldyousayVerywell,
fairlywell,notverywellornotat
all?
1. Verywell
2. Fairlywell
3. Notverywell
4. Notatall
5. (Unsure/can’tsay)(AVOID)
EDUCATIONANDTRAINING–CURRENT
ACTIVITY
*(NOTSTUDYINGIN2008,INCLUDING
DEFERREDORSTUDYINGIN2008AND
COMPLETED,WITHDREWORDEFERRED)
B1 Areyoucurrentlydoingan
apprenticeship,traineeshiporsome
othertypeofstudy?
INTERVIEWERNOTE:Ifenrolledandwaiting
tostartapprenticeship(i.e.hassigneda
trainingcontract)recordas‘Yes’.
1. Yes,anapprenticeship(GOTOB3)
2. Yes,atraineeship(GOTOB3)
3. Yes,someotherstudyortraining
4. No(GOTOB8)
*(NOWDOINGSOMEOTHERTYPEOF
STUDY)(B1=3)
B2 Isthisauniversitycourse,aTAFE
course,orsomeotherformofstudy?
1. University
2. TAFE
3. Secondaryschool(GOTOB3)
4. Someotherstudyortraining(GO
TOB3)
PREB2AIFDEFER=1(DEFERREDSTUDYIN
2008)CONTINUE,ELSEGOTOB3
*(DEFERREDIN2008ANDCURRENTLY
STUDYINGATUNIORTAFE)(DEFER=1,B2=1
OR2)
B2a Isthisthecourseyoudeferredfromin
2008?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Didn’tdeferfromcoursein2008
*(NOWSTUDYINGORDOINGAN
APPRENTICESHIP/TRAINEESHIP)(B1=1,2
OR3)
B3 Whatlevelofqualificationwillyou
receiveattheendofthis(course/
apprenticeship/traineeship)?READ
OUTIFNECESSARY
INTERVIEWERNOTE:Apprentice’s
qualificationlikelytobe“Certificate3”or
Certificate4”(DISPLAYIFB1=1).
INTERVIEWERNOTE:Trainee’squalification
likelytobe“Certificate1”orCertificate2”
(DISPLAYIFB1=2)
43Appendix1:Questionnaire
1. Bachelordegree(including
Honours)
2. Associatedegree
3. Advanceddiploma
4. Diploma
5. Certificate4
6. Certificate3
7. Certificate2
8. Certificate1
9. Certificate(levelunspecified/
unknown)
10. VCE(VictorianCertificateof
Education)
11. VCAL(VictorianCertificateof
AppliedLearning)
12. IB(InternationalBaccalaureate)
13. Otherschoolcertificate(eg,NSW
HSC)
14. Other(Specify_____)
PREB4IFB1=1OR2(NEWAPPRENTICES/
TRAINEES)GOTOB5A,ELSECONTINUE
*(NOWSTUDYINGATUNIVERSITY/TAFEOR
DOINGOTHERSTUDYINCLUDINGVCE/VCAL)
(B1=3)
B4 Whatisthenameoftheinstitution
whereyouarestudying?
1. Universitynamegiven(GOTOB4u)
2. TAFEnamegiven(GOTOB4t)
3. Secondaryschoolnamegiven
(Specify__________)(GOTOB5)
4. OtherPrivateTrainingCollegeor
Adult&CommunityEducation
Provider(Specify______)(GOTO
B5)
*(NOWSTUDYINGATUNIVERSITY)(B2=1)
B4uRECORDUNIVERSITYNAME
1. Melbourne(GOTOB5)
2. Monash(GOTOB5)
3. Deakin(GOTOB5)
4. LaTrobe(GOTOB5)
5. RMIT(GOTOB5)
6. Swinburne(GOTOB5)
7. Ballarat(GOTOB5)
8. VictoriaUniversity(GOTOB5)
9. AustralianCatholicUniversity(GO
TOB5)
10. CharlesSturtUniversity(GOTOB5)
11. OtherNSWUniversity(GOTOB5)
12. OtherQLDUniversity(GOTOB5)
13. OtherSAUniversity(GOTOB5)
14. OtherTASUniversity(GOTOB5)
15. OtherWAUniversity(GOTOB5)
16. OtherACTUniversity(GOTOB5)
17. OtherNTUniversity(GOTOB5)
18. OtherUniversity(Specify_______)
(GOTOB5)
*(NOWSTUDYINGATTAFE)(B2=2)
B4t RECORDTAFENAME
1. BendigoRegionalInstituteofTAFE
2. BoxHillInstituteofTAFE
3. CentralGippslandTAFE
4. ChisholmInstituteofTAFE
5. EastGippslandInstitute
6. GordonInstitute
7. GoulburnOvensInstituteofTAFE
8. HolmesglenInstitute
9. KanganBatmanInstituteofTAFE
10. NorthernMelbourneInstituteof
TAFE(NMIT)
11. RMIT(TAFEDivision)
12. SouthWestInstituteofTAFE
13. Swinburne(TAFEDivision)
14. SunraysiaInstituteofTAFE
15. UniversityofBallarat(TAFE
Division)
16. UniversityofMelbourne(TAFE
Division/ILFR)
17. VictoriaUniversity(TAFEDivision)
18. WilliamAnglissInstituteofTAFE
19. WodongaInstituteofTAFE
20. OtherTAFE(Specify_______)
*(NOWSTUDYINGATUNIVERSITY/TAFE
ORDOINGOTHERSTUDYINCLUDING
VCE/VCAL)(B1=3)
B5 OnwhichcampusareMOSTofyour
classeslocated?
*PROGRAMMERNOTE:REFERATTACHED
LISTOFCAMPUSNAMEBYUNIVERSITY/
TAFE.ONLYDISPLAYRELEVANTCAMPUS
NAMESFORRESPONSEATQ4u/Q4t,PLUS
“OTHERSPECIFY”,“DON’TKNOW”AND
“REFUSED”OPTIONS
1. (Firstcampusnamefromattached
list)(158listednames)
158.(Lastcampusnamefromattached
list)
159.Campusnamegiven
(Specify_________)
160.(Can’tsay)
161. (Refused)
PREB5AIFB3=10THRUTO13(CURRENTLY
COMPLETINGVCE,VCAL,IBOROTHER
SECONDARYSTUDY)GOTOB6,ELSE
CONTINUE
*(NOWSTUDYINGUNIVERSITYORTAFE
COURSEOROTHERSTUDY(NOTSCHOOL)
ORDOINGAPPRENTICESHIP/TRAINEESHIP)
(B1=1,2OR3,EXCLUDESB3=10-13)
B5AWhatareyoustudying?
INTERVIEWERNOTE:Multiplesacceptedfor
doubledegrees
(MULTIPLESACCEPTED)
CODETOASCED(LOOKUPLISTONCATI)
PREB6IFB1=1OR2(NEWAPPRENTICES/
TRAINEES)GOTOB7
*(CURRENTLYSTUDYINGUNIVERSITY/TAFE
COURSEOROTHERSTUDY)(A1=3OR4,
B2=1,23OR4)
B6 Areyoucurrentlystudyingfullorpart-
time
1. Fulltime(GOTOC1)
2. Parttime(GOTOC1)
*(CURRENTAPPRENTICESOR
TRAINEES)(A1=1OR2,B1=1OR2)
44 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
B7 Whoprovidestheclassesoroff-the-
jobtrainingforyourapprenticeship/
traineeship?
1 TAFEInstitute(GOTOC1)
2 Privatetrainingcollege(GOTOC1)
3 AdultandCommunityEducation
(ACE)provider(GOTOC1)
4 Youremployer(GOTOC1)
5 Agrouptrainingorganisation(GO
TOC1)
6 Someoneelse(Please
Specify______)(GOTOC1)
*(NOTCURRENTLYSTUDYING)(B1=4)
B8 Howlikelyisthatyouwillstartsome
studyortraininginthenexttwoyears
thatwouldleadtoaqualification?
Wouldyousaythisisextremelylikely,
somewhatlikely,notverylikely,notat
alllikely?
1. Extremelylikely
2. Somewhatlikely
3. Notverylikely
4. Notatalllikely
5. (Can’tsay)
6. (Refused)
CURRENTJOB
*(ALL)
C1 Doyoucurrentlyhaveapaidjob?
INTERVIEWERNOTE:INCLUDES
APPRENTICES,TRAINEES,SELFEMPLOYED,
FAMILYBUSINESSORFARM)
1. Yes
2. No(GOTOD2)
3. Waitingtostartjob(GOTOC3)
*(CURRENTLYWORKING)(C1=1)
C2 Doyouhavemorethanonejob?
1. Yes
2. No
*PROGRAMMERNOTE:IFC2=1(HASMORE
THANONEJOB),DISPLAYTEXTINBRACKETS
INC3,C6A,C7,C8.
*(CURRENTLYHASPAIDJOB)(C1=1OR3)
C3 (IhavesomequestionsabouttheMAIN
JOByouareworkingin,thatisthejobin
whichyouworkthemosthours.)What
isyour(main)job?
INTERVIEWERNOTE:PROBEFORJOBTITLE
ANDMAINDUTIESPERFORMED
1. Recordjobtitleandmainduties
performed(specify)
2. Refused/can’tsay
(CODETOANZSCO–4digits)
*(CURRENTLYHASPAIDJOB)(C1=1OR3)
C4 Doyouworkforabusiness,the
government,afamilybusinessorare
youself-employed?
1. Aprivatecompanyorbusiness
2. Agovernmentdepartmentor
organisation
3. Anot-for-profitcompanyor
organisation
4. Self-employed
5. Familybusiness/farm
6. Other(Specify_____________)
PREC5IFC1=3(WAITINGTOSTARTJOB)GO
TOC8,ELSECONTINUE
*(CURRENTLYWORKING)(C1=1)
C5 Abouthowmanyhoursperweekdo
youworkonaverageinthisjob?
1. Hoursperweekgiven
(Specify_________)(RANGE0.5TO
99)
2. Can’tsay(AVOID)
*(CURRENTLYWORKING)(C1=1)
C6a Howmuchdoyouearn(fromyourmain
job)beforetaxandotherdeductions?
INTNOTES:-THISISGROSSPAYBEFORE
TAX&OTHERDEDUCTIONS
-FORSELF-EMPLOYEDAPPROXIMATE
GROSSEARNINGSBEFORETAX
-IFEARNINGSVARYSUBSTANTIALLYASK
FORHOURLYRATE
-IFDIFFICULTTOSAY,PROBEFOR
APPROXIMATIONOFEARNINGS
1. Recordannualgrosssalary
(specify)
2. Recordmonthlygrosspay(specify)
3. Recordfortnightlygrosspay
(specify)
4. Recordweeklygrosspay(specify)
5. Recordhourly(gross)payrate
(specify)ALLOWDECIMALS
6. Other(specifytimeperiodand
amount)
7. Can’tsay(AVOID)
PREC7:IFC4=4OR5(SELFEMPLOYED/
FAMILYBUSINESSORFARM)GOTOC8,ELSE
CONTINUE
*(WORKINGFORPRIVATECOMPANIES,
GOVERNMENT,NFPOROTHER)(C4=1,2,3
or6)
C7 Doesyour(main)jobentitleyoutoany
formofpaidannualleaveorsickleave,
apartfrompublicholidays?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Don’tknow
*(CURRENTLYHASPAIDJOB)(C1=1OR3)
C8 Isyour(main)jobthetypeofjobyou
wouldlikeasacareer?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Notsure
WORKHISTORY
PRED1IFC1=3(WAITINGTOSTARTJOB)GO
TOD2,ELSECONTINUE
*(CURRENTLYWORKING)(C1=1)
D1 Wereyouworkinginthisjobthistime
lastyear?
IFASKED:RELATESTOWORKINGWITH
THESAMEEMPLOYER
1. Yes(GOTOD4)
2. No
45Appendix1:Questionnaire
*(NOTINCURRENTJOB12MONTHSAGOOR
NOTCURRENTLYWORKING)(D1=2,C1=2)
D2 Wereyouworkingforpaythistimelast
year?
1. Yes
2. No(GOTOPRED7)
*(WORKING12MONTHSAGOAND
CURRENTLYNOTWORKING/NOTINSAME
JOB)(D1=2,D2=1)
D3aWhatwasthereasonyouleftyour
previousjob?Didyouresign,wereyou
laidoff,askedtoleave,orsomeother
reason?
1. Quit/resigned
2. Laidoff/retrenched(GOTOPRED4)
3. Wasaskedtoleave/sacked(GOTO
PRED4)
4. Itwasonlyaholidayjob(GOTO
PRED4)
5. Itwasatemporary/seasonaljob
(GOTOPRED4)
6. Wasn’taskedtodomorecausal
work(GOTOPRED4)
7. Other(Specify)(GOTOPRED4)
*(QUITPREVIOUSJOB)(D3A=1)
D3bWhatwasthemainreasonyouquit?
1. Notsatisfiedwiththejob
2. Wenttolivesomewhereelse
3. Reasonstodowithstudy
4. Offered/Wantedabetterjob
5. Hoursnotsuitable
6. Notpaidenough
7. Healthreasons
8. Can’tsay/Refused
9. Other(Specify)
PRED4IFC1=2(NOTCURRENTLYWORKING)
GOTOPRED7,ELSECONTINUE
*(WORKING12MONTHSAGOAND
CURRENTLYWORKING)(C1=1ANDD1=1OR
D2=1)
D4 Comparedtoyourjobthistimelast
year,doyounowearnmore,less,or
aboutthesameperhourasyoudid12
monthsago?
1. Moreperhour
2. Lessperhour
3. Aboutthesame
*(WORKING12MONTHSAGOAND
CURRENTLYWORKING)(C1=1ANDD1=1OR
D2=1)
D5 Comparedtoyourjobthistimelast
year,isthetypeofworkyoudomore-
skilled,less-skilledorisitaboutthe
same?
1. Moreskilled
2. Lessskilled
3. Aboutthesame
*(WORKING12MONTHSAGOAND
CURRENTLYWORKING)(C1=1ANDD1=1OR
D2=1)
D6 Comparedtoyourjobthistimelast
year,wouldyousayyouhavemoreor
lessresponsibility,orisitaboutthe
same?
1. Moreresponsibility
2. Lessresponsibility
3. Aboutthesame
PRED7IFC1=2(NOTCURRENTLYWORKING)
ANDD2=2(NOTWORKING12MONTHS
AGO)GOTOPREE1,ELSECONTINUE
*(CURRENTLYWORKINGORWORKING12
MONTHSAGO)(C1=1or3ORD2=1)
D7 Thinkingaboutanyworkyouhave
doneinthepast12months,haveyou
takenpartinanyFORMALTRAINING
organisedbywork(suchasseminars,
workshops,presentationsorother
kindsoftraining)?
1. Yes
2. No
*(CURRENTLYWORKINGORWORKING12
MONTHSAGO)(C1=1or3ORD2=1)
D8 Thinkingaboutanyworkyouhave
doneinthepast12months,haveyou
takenpartinanyINFORMALTRAINING
organisedbywork(suchasbeing
shownbyothershowtodopartsof
yourjob,watchingotherstolearnhow
todoyourjob)?
1. Yes
2. No
LOOKINGFORWORK
PREE1IFC1=1or3(CURRENTLYHASPAID
JOB)DISPLAYTEXTINBRACKETS
*(ALL)
E1 Areyoucurrentlylookingforwork(,
includinganotherjob)?
1. Yes
2. No,notlookingforwork(GOTO
PREE3A)
*(LOOKINGFORWORK)(E1=1)
E2 Haveyoubeenlookingmainlyforfull-
timeworkorpart-timework?
1. Full-time
2. Part-time
3. Either/both
*(ALL)
E3a Ofthelast12months,howmany
months,ifany,haveyoubeenlooking
forworkbutnotworkingandnotinfull-
timestudy?
[INTERVIEWERNOTE:Workingincludesboth
full-timeandpart-timework.]
1. Recordnumberofmonths(specify)
(ALLOWABLERANGE0-12)
2. Can’tsay
*(LOOKINGFORWORK)(E1=1)
46 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
E4 Somepeoplemayhaveproblemswhen
lookingforwork.Haveyoupersonally
hadanyoftheseproblemswhen
lookingforwork?(READOUT)
(STATEMENTS)
a. Ahealthproblemordisability
b. Problemswithtransport
c. Notenoughorappropriateskillsor
training
d. Notenoughorappropriate
qualifications
e. Notenoughjobexperience
f. Otherproblemslookingforwork
(Specify)
(RESPONSEFRAME)
1. Yes
2. No
GENERAL
PREF1_1IFC1=1or3(CURRENTLY
HASPAIDJOB)ORA1=1OR2OR
B1=1OR2(CURRENTLYCOMPLETING
APPRENTICESHIP/TRAINEESHIP)GOTOF3.
PREF1_2IFA1=3or4ORB1=3(CURRENTLY
DOINGUNI/TAFE/OTHERCOURSE)GOTO
PREF3_2,ELSECONTINUE
*(NOTSTUDYINGANDNOTWORKING)(B1=4
ANDC1=2)
F1 Whatwouldyousayisyourcurrent
mainactivity?
INTERVIEWERNOTE:IFSAYS‘DOING
NOTHING’RECORDINOTHER
1. Homeduties
2. Lookingafterchildren
3. Travelorholiday
4. Ill/unabletowork
5. Study
6. Lookingforwork
7. Other(specify)
*(NOTSTUDYINGANDNOTWORKING)(B1=4
ANDC1=2)
F2 Thinkingaboutyourschooling,how
wellwouldyousayitpreparedyou
for….(READOUT):
INTERVIEWERNOTE:IFASKED,
QUESTIONREFERSTOSECONDARY
SCHOOLING
(STATEMENT)
a Findingajob?
b. Findingoutaboutstudyand
trainingoptions?
(RESPONSEFRAME)
1. Verywell
2. Fairlywell
3. Notverywell
4. Notatallwell
5. (Don’tKnow)
PREF3_1IFD2=2(NOTWORKING12
MONTHSAGO)GOTOF6;ELSE(NOT
CURRENTLYWORKINGORSTUDYINGBUT
WORKING12MONTHSAGO)CONTINUE(GO
TOF3)
PREF3_2IFC1=2(NOTCURRENTLY
WORKING)ANDD2=2(NOTWORKING12
MONTHSAGO)GOTOF4,ELSE(CURRENTLY
DOINGUNI/TAFE/OTHERCOURSEAND
AREEITHERCURRENTLYWORKINGOR
HAVEWORKEDINTHEPAST12MONTHS)
CONTINUE
*(CURRENTLYWORKINGORHAVEWORKED)
(A1=1OR2,B1=1OR2,C1=1,D2=1)
F3 Thinkingaboutyourschooling,how
wellwouldyousayitpreparedyou
for….(READOUT):
INTERVIEWERNOTE:IFASKED,
QUESTIONREFERSTOSECONDARY
SCHOOLING
(STATEMENT)
a whatworkisreallylike?
b. thekindofskillsyouneedfor
work?
(RESPONSEFRAME)
1. Verywell
2. Fairlywell
3. Notverywell
4. Notatallwell
5. (Don’tknow)
PREF4IFA1=3OR4ORB2=1OR2
(CURRENTUNIVERSITY/TAFE
STUDENTS)CONTINUE,ELSEGOTO
PREF5
*(CURRENTUNIVERSITY/TAFESTUDENTS)
(A1=3OR4,B2=1OR2)
F4 Thinkingaboutyourschooling,how
wellwouldyousayitpreparedyou
for….(READOUT)
INTERVIEWERNOTE:IFASKED,
QUESTIONREFERSTOSECONDARY
SCHOOLING
(STATEMENT)
a. what(university/TAFE)studyis
reallylike?
b. thekindofskillsyouneedfor
(university/TAFE)study?
(RESPONSEFRAME)
1. Verywell
2. Fairlywell
3. Notverywell
4. Notatallwell
5. (Don’tknow)
PREF5IFC5>34.5(WORKINGMORETHAN
34.5HOURSINMAINJOB)GOTOF6,ELSE
CONTINUE
*(NOTWORKINGFULL-TIME)(C5=<34.5)
F5 DoyoucurrentlyreceivetheYouth
Allowance?
1. Yes
2. No
*(ALL)
47Appendix1:Questionnaire
F6 Sinceleavingschool,haveyou
participatedinanyofthefollowing
careeradviceactivities?
(STATEMENT)
a. Hadaone-on-onetalkwithacareer
advisor
b. Researchedcareeroptionson-line
c. Attendedapresentationby
someonefromauniversity
d. Attendedapresentationby
someonefromaTAFEinstitute
e. Attendedapresentationbyan
employerrepresentative
(RESPONSEFRAME)
1. Yes
2. No
*(ALL)
F7 Doyoulivewithyourparents?
1.Yes(GOTOF9)
2.No(somewhereelse)
*(NOTLIVINGWITHPARENTS)(F7=2)
F8 Wheredoyoulive?
1. Inarentedhouseorflat?
2. Aplaceyouarebuying?
3. Aplaceyouownoutright?
4. Aprivatehouseasaboarder?
5. Rentfreeinaplaceownedby
someoneelse?
6. AuniversityorTAFEresidence?
7. Ahostelorboardinghouse?
8. Somewhereelse?
*(ALL)
F9 Nowjusttofinishoff.Inregardtothe
workyoudoatstudy,athomeorina
job-wouldyousayyouare…(READ
OUT)
1. Veryhappy
2. Happy
3. Unhappy
4. Veryunhappy
5. (Can’tsay/refused)
*(ALL)
F10 Howhappyareyouwithyourcareer
opportunities?Wouldyousay…(READ
OUT)
1. Veryhappy
2. Happy
3. Unhappy
4. Veryunhappy
5. (Can’tsay/refused)
*(ALL)
F11 Howhappyareyouwithyourlifeasa
whole?Wouldyousay…(READOUT)
1. Veryhappy
2. Happy
3. Unhappy
4. Veryunhappy
5. (Can’tsay/refused)
*(ALL)
F12 Whatkindofjobdoyouexpecttohave
whenyouare30yearsold?
[INTERVIEWERNOTE:ASKFOROCCUPATION
(ITProfessional;)ratherthanIndustry
(Computing)
1. Recordoccupation(specify)
2. Can’tsay
*(ALL)
PREX1Thankyou.Aspartofthisyouth
researchproject,we’dliketocontact
youagainnextyear,tofollowuponthe
informationwecollectedtoday.CanIjust
checkthatthedetailsIhaveforyouare
correct.
1. Continue
*(ALL)
X1 Firstly,isyournamespelt...(REFERTO
SPELLINGONSCREEN)
1. Correct(continue)
2. Notcorrect(amendasnecessary)
*(ALL)
X2 Whatisyourcurrentpostcode?
1. Recordpostcode(specify)
2. Refused
PREX3IFHASLANDLINENUMBER
CONTINUE,ELSEGOTOPREX3A
*(HAVELANDLINENUMBER)
X3 Andis(LANDLINEPHONENUMBER)
yourhomephone?(IFAVAILABLE)
1. Correct(continue)
2. Notcorrect(recordchangeas
necessary)
PREX3AIFONLYHASMOBILEPHONE
NUMBERAVAILABLECONTINUE,ELSEGOTO
PREX4
*(ONLYHAVEMOBILEPHONENUMBER
AVAILABLE)
X3a Doyouhaveahomenumberwemight
tryyouon?
1. Yes(RECORDNUMBER)
2. No
PREX4IFHASALTERNATENUMBER
AVAILABLECONTINUE,ELSEGOTO
XNEW
X4 Andis(ALTPHONENUMBER)alsoa
validnumberforyou?(IFAVAILABLE)
1. Correct(continue)
2. Notcorrect(recordchangeas
necessary)
*(ALL)
XOTH (DONOTASK)Recordanyother
phonenumbergivenbyrespondentnot
previouslyrecorded.
1. RecordNumber
2. Noothernumberprovided(GOTO
X5)
*RECORDOTHERNUMBER)
XOTH1 (DONOTASK)Recordphone
numbertype
1. Mobile
2. Landline
3. Other(Specify)
48 The On Track Survey2009:Longitudinalreport—The2007cohort2yearson
*(ALL)
X5. We’llalsoneedthedetailsof
peoplewhowouldknowhowwe
couldcontactyou,ifyoumoved
fromwhereyouarenow.Whois
thepersonmostlikelytoknow
whereyou’llbelivingin12months
time-thatis,someonewhodoesn’t
liveinthesamehouseasyou?
1. Recordnameofcontact(specify)
2. Refused-Nocontactprovided(GO
TOEND)
X5A.Whatisthispersonscontactnumber
1. Recordphonenumber(specify)
X5B.Whatisthispersonsrelationshipto
you?
1. Parent
2. Sibling
3. Aunt/uncle
4. Grandparent
5. Otherrelative
6. Housemate
7. Other(Specify)
8. Refused
X6. Canyoutellmeanotherclosefriend
orrelative,preferablysomeonewho
doesn’tlivewithyou,whoislikelyto
knowwhereyouwillbelivingoverthe
nextyear?
1. Recordnameofcontact(specify)
2. Refused–Nosecondcontact
provided(GOTOEND)
X6A.Whatisthispersonscontactnumber
1. Recordphonenumber(specify)
X6B.Whatisthispersonsrelationshipto
you?
1. Parent
2. Sibling
3. Aunt/uncle
4. Grandparent
5. Otherrelative
6. Housemate
7. Other(Specify)
8. Refused
*(ALL)
END Thisresearchiscarriedoutin
compliancewiththePrivacyActandthe
informationyouhaveprovidedwillonlybe
usedforresearchpurposes.
IFNECESSARY:Assoonastheinformation
processingperiodhasfinished,yourname
andcontactdetailswillbeseparatedfrom
yourresponsestothesurvey.Forthe
periodthatyournameandcontactdetails
remainwithyoursurveyresponses,which
willbeapproximately3months,youwillbe
abletocontactustorequestaccesstothe
informationthatyouhaveprovided.After
thistime,yourcontactdetailswillnotbe
storedwithyourresponses,soyouwillnot
beabletobeidentifiedfromyouranswersto
thissurvey.
1. Continue
*(ALL)
CLOSE TheOn-Trackreportwillsoonbe
availableonDepartment’swebsite(www.
education.vic.gov.au).Thatistheendofthe
interview.Thankyouverymuchforyour
timeandassistance.
Justincaseyoumissedit,mynameis(…….),
callingonbehalfoftheOn Track projectfrom
theSocialResearchCentreinMelbourne.
.RR1 OK,that’sfine,noproblem,but
couldyoujusttellmethemainreasonyou
donotwanttoparticipate,becausethat’s
importantinformationforus?
1. Nocomment/justhungup
2. Toobusy
3. Notinterested
4. Toopersonal/intrusive
5. Don’tlikesubjectmatter
6. Don’tbelievesurveysare
confidential/privacyconcerns
7. Silentnumber
8. Don’ttrustsurveys/government
9. Neverdosurveys
10. Surveyistoolong
11. Gettoomanycallsforsurveys/
telemarketing
12. Unabletodosurvey(e.g.health
reason)
13. Notaresidentialnumber(business,
etc)
14. Languagedifficulty
15. Goingaway/movinghouse
16. Respondentunreliable/drunk
17. Askedtobetakenofflist
18. Other(Specify)
*(REFUSAL)
RR2RECORDRE-CONTACTTYPE
1. Definitelydon’tcallback
2. Possibleconversion
TERMINATIONSCRIPT1
ThatisallthequestionsIhaveforyoutoday.
Thankyouforyourtimeandassistance.You
havebeenspeakingto(Interviewer’sname)
fromtheSocialResearchCentre.
TERMINATIONSCRIPT2
Thanksanyway
TERMINATIONSCRIPT3
I’mreallysorry….Iwillmakesurewedon’t
callagain.Pleaseacceptoursincere
apologies.
*(BREAKDOWNOFTERMINATIONS)
ALLTERM
1. Phoneanswererrefusal
2. Namedrespondentrefusal
3. Refusedatprivacyspiel
4. Allother
5. Namedrespondentdeceased