Get documents about "Australia's opportunity challeng
Document Sample
Learning & Working Today:
What young people themselves
and the research are telling us
DUSSELDORP SKILLS FORUM
July 2007
DSF.ORG.AU
Dusseldorp Skills Forum
Established 1988 by Lend Lease shareholders
Independent public interest enterprise
Operating foundation with policy, research &
practice arms
Focus: youth, skills, participation, citizenship
Seeks: individual, community & policy change
Catalyst for significant legislative, policy &
practice change in education and training
2
Our major partners
Australian Industry Group
Business Council of Australia
Australian Council of Trade Unions
Group Training Australia
Philanthropies
Worldskills
Commonwealth & State governments
Practitioners, educators, researchers, youth
3
Projects & research featured
It’s Crunch Time, 2007
What Young People are Thinking, 2007
Fearless and Flexible, 2006
How Young People are Faring, 2006
Clearing the Myths Away, 2006
Kirby Comes of Age, 2006
Getting It Right, 2005
Same Kids, Same Goals
Next Generation teacher preparation
4
Some systemic challenges
Australia’s knowledge elite & equity challenge
From mass schooling to universal provision
Attractions of the labour market
Poor resource allocation across sectors
Core standards alongside customised learning
Equity & excellence issues for VET & TAFE
Points of change in very large systems
Civic virtues of learning & instrumental outcomes
5
Importance of youth transitions
Social & cultural induction to adulthood
Economic impacts on participation & productivity:
returns from good transitions are very large
An offset to looming demographic squeeze
Key fact: successful transitions are taking longer
Key variable: first 12 months post-school are central to
successful transitions
6
We are not running out of young people
Numbers of 19 year-olds will continue to increase. Youth
will be a vital factor in the economy.
Source: How Young People are Faring 2006, ABS
7
We are not running out of young people
1.6
1.5
Million persons
1.4
1.3
1.2
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
2025
2027
2029
2031
2033
2035
2037
2039
2041
2043
2045
2047
2049
2051
Estimates of the 15-19 year-old population to 2051.
Source: Clearing the Myths Away, Productivity Commission
8
What young people are thinking
National representative sample of Australians aged 18-24 years
about learning & work
Optimistic, confident & fearless about their future
Positive about final year at school, work & study
Engagement significantly affected by early school leaving,
attending a government school, parental background
Significant disaffection among casual workers
Some concerns about education costs
Maximum margin of error is generally 3 percent
9
TOTAL 37 20 63
SEX 34 19 66
LEVELS OF 40 21 60
ENGAGEMENT AGE 35 19 65
BY SEGMENT
34 19 66
40 21 60
AREA 35 20 65
40 20 60
PARENTS'
EDUCATION
26 13 74
31 14 69
41 18 59
49 29 51
HIGHEST
58 37 42
SCHOOLING
31 15 69
SCHOOL IN
42 24 58
FINAL YEAR
27 13 73
100 80 60 40 20 0 20 40 60 80 100
%
PT/NO WORK &/OR PT STUDY NO WORK OR STUDY FT STUDY OR FT WORK
10
CONFIDENCE IN WORKING LIFE
AND CAREER IN THE YEARS AHEAD
And still thinking about the future. At the moment, how
confident do you feel that everything will work out OK for
you in your working life and career in the years ahead?
12 2 40 88
CONFIDENT
TOTAL
9 1 43 90
FULLY ENGAGED
NOT FULLY
ENGAGED
15 4 33 84
100 80 60 40 20 0 20 40 60 80 100%
NOT PARTICULARLY NOT AT ALL VERY SOMEWHAT
11
SATISFACTION WITH
VARIOUS ASPECTS DISSATISFIED SATISFIED
OFLIFE LIFE OVERALL
5 1 48 95
TOTAL
3 48 97
FULLY ENGAGED
NOT FULLY
8 2 47 92
ENGAGED
FINANCIAL SITUATION
TOTAL 30 9 20 69
FULLY ENGAGED 26 7 23 74
NOT FULLY
ENGAGED 37 13 13 62
WORK FULL TIME JOB
17 4 31 82
WORK PT/ CASUAL
36 10 13 64
NOT IN
PAID JOB
40 15 12 59
EMPLOYMENT SITUATION
NOT IN
PAID JOB
55 26 15 43
%
100 80 60 40 20 0 20 40 60 80 100
SOMEWHAT DISSATISFIED VERY DISSATISFIED VERY SATISFIED SOMEWHAT SATISFIED
12
FEELINGS ABOUT SCHOOL Now a question about the school you attended in your last year of high school. In
your opinion, what kind of job did the school do in giving you a good education?
Would you say it did an excellent job, very good, good, fair or poor job?”
FAIR / POOR EXCELLENT / VERY GOOD /
GOOD
29 11 16 41 71
TOTAL
FULLY 10
EN GAGEMENT 24 17 47 76
ENGAGED
NOT FULLY
ENGAGED 37 12 15 32 63
HIGH EST < YEAR 12 31 7
58 21 42
SC HOOLING
YEAR 12 21 6 19 47 79
SC HOOL IN FINAL YEAR GOVERNMENT
37 14 12 33 63
NON-GOVERNMENT 13 4 25 58 87
100 80 60 40 20 0 20 40 60 80
%
100
FAIR POOR EX CE LLEN T VE RY GOOD GOOD
13
SATISFACTION WITH
VARIOUS ASPECTS OF JOB
- FULL TIME VS PART TIME/ CASUAL DISSATISFIED
SATISFIED
15 7 45 84
JOB OVERALL
- 22 5 36 78
9 1 35 91
OVERALL DUTIES/ TASKS
14 3 28 86
12 6 61 87
SUPERVISOR
17 4 51 80
18 5 39 81
SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT
24 7 30 75
25 11 31 69
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
PROMOTION 34 15 13 57
14 3 48 84
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
TRAINING/ LEARNING 21 7 34 77
17 6 35 83
HOW CHALLENGING JOB IS
30 10 22 68
26 9 30 74
PAY - TAKING INTO ACCOUNT
YOUR SKILLS/ EXPERIENCE 27 9 32 73
16 6 45 84
OTHER TERMS/ CONDITIONS %
EG HOURS, LEAVE, SICK PAY 27 10 30 69
100 80 60 40 20 0 20 40 60 80 100
SOMEWHAT DISSATISFIED VERY DISSATISFIED VERY SATISFIED SOMEWHAT SATISFIED
14
OVERALL FEELINGS/ Which one of the following best describes your feelings and impressions so far about
IMPRESSIONS ABOUT being a student at (educational institution)? Overall, would you say it has been...?
BEING A STUDENT
TOTAL STUDYING
%
100
80
60
43
40
40
21
20 16
3
0
A LOT / A LITTLE BETTER THAN ABOUT WHAT EXPECTED VERY / A LITTLE DISAPPOINTING
THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
FULL PART AT OTHER
%
100
TIME TIME UNI INSTITUTION
80
60 54
50
46
43
39 38
40 35
25 25
23
19 18 17
20 14 15
13
2 4
2 3
0
BET EXP DIS BET EXP DIS BET EXP DIS BET EXP DIS
15
Teenagers not engaged full-time
% of 15-19 y ear-olds not in f t study or ft
20
15
Males
work
Females
Persons
10
5
'86 '88 '90 '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08
Year
13.8% (or 196,200) teenagers not in full-time learning or work.
16
Unemployment & part-time work
10
% of 15-19 year-olds
8
Pt Work
6 Unemp
Nilf
4
2
'86 '88 '90 '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08
Year
Unemployment has more than halved since the 1990s
recession while part-time work has risen.
17
School leavers not fully engaged
% of s chool leav ers not in ft study or f t
40
35
30 Males
work
Females
25 Persons
20
15
'86 '88 '90 '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08
Year
Nearly 30% of 2005 school-leavers were not in study or
work full-time in May 2006.
18
Completing Year 12 matters
50
% not studying & not working full-time
40
Yr12
30 Yr 11
Yr 10
20
10
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Year
20% of Y12 leavers; 45% of Y11 leavers; 50% of Y10 leavers
not fully engaged: a big opportunity gap.
19
Young adults not fully engaged
% of 20 to 24 yos not in ft s tudy or ft work
40
35
30
Males
25 Females
Persons
20
15
10
'86 '88 '90 '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08
Year
The level of young adult engagement is improving but still 22%
are not fully engaged.
20
Growth in full-time jobs since 1995
% growth of full-time employment
150
120
15-19y o
20-24y o
25-64y o
90
60
'95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07
Year
1.270 million full-time jobs created for 25-64 year olds since
1995; static full-time job growth for teenagers & decline of
42,000 for young adults. 21
It’s Crunch Time: attainment
School or Cert III completion rate of 81 percent
Relatively static for more than a decade
Indigenous completion at half this rate
25-34 yo: 20th in OECD for school completion
46% of school leavers not in post-school study
47% overall traineeship completion rate
60% traditional apprenticeship completion rate
Early leavers profoundly disadvantaged in Australia
22
It’s Crunch Time: engagement
Noticeable improvement in recent years
13.8% of teenagers not fully engaged
22% of young adults not fully engaged
526,000 or 18% of 15-24 yo not fully engaged
306,000 or 11% of 15-24 yo unemployed,
underemployed or marginally attached to work
23
It’s Crunch Time: attainment &
engagement
45-50,000 early school leavers each year not fully
engaged 6 months after leaving school
45% of Year 11 leavers & 49% of Year 10 leavers not
fully engaged
1:3 Year 11 leavers & 2:5 Year 10 leavers not fully
engaged as young adults
107,000 young adults without Yr 12 or Cert III not in the
labour force, unemployed, or working part-time and not
studying
24
Some significant policy myths
Too much emphasis is placed on university
education
A choice must be made between trade
training & university education
Today’s training rate will meet future skill
needs
Youth benefit most from higher training rates
Traineeships will meet skills shortages
Traineeships are inferior forms of training
25
Final comments
Young Australians are confident & fearless about their
future & their experience in work or learning
Early school leaving, attending a government school &
parental background significantly affect engagement
Gaps around policy rhetoric & current resources
Lack of integrated approach in federal policy development
Very significant opportunity to address Australia’s 3Ps
It’s up to us: investment & policy decisions of baby-
boomers will determine if youth confidence is justified
Stakeholder engagement & national debate are crucial
26
