Transcript Document

Future Directions in Vocational Skills
for Youth - an Industry Perspective
Michael Taylor – Policy and Projects Manager
Overview
1. The centrality of skilling to industry
2. The current situation for youth and
the state of youth transition
3. Some new policy directions
Qualifications for jobs and the
qualification profile
Potential qualifications pathways for jobs
• Jobs that currently and potentially have
a university pathway
• Jobs that currently and potentially have
a VET pathway
• Jobs not requiring qualifications
% of employment
Current qualifications profile of the population
• University qualifications
• VET qualifications
• No qualifications
% of 15-64 population
20.0
29.9
50.1
24.0
62.3
13.7
Barriers to Australian company success,
2005
Will the following be barriers to company success over the next 3 years?
Current Situation for Youth
A significant proportion not completing
school or its vocational equivalent
Consistent proportion of school leavers
making a poor or mixed transition from
school
Large numbers without school or
equivalent qualifications are not in fulltime work or learning
Low levels of Indigenous participation
and achievement in education
Polarised Nature of Australian
Unemployment Rates
Unemployment Rate
9
8
7
Per cent
6
Skilled
Unskilled
5
4
3
2
1
0
97
19
98
19
99
19
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
Unemployment & part-time work
% of 15-19 year-olds
10
8
Pt Work
6
Unemp
Nilf
4
2
'86
'88
'90
'92
'94
'96
'98
Year
'00
'02
'04
'06
'08
School Retention Rates 2006
State
NSW
Vic
Qld
SA
WA
Tas
NT
ACT
AUS
Male
65.3
72.9
73.7
64.6
66.2
56.4
57.3
89.3
69.0
Female
75.9
87.2
83.6
78.8
77.6
73.3
59.5
88.2
80.6
Average
70.5
79.9
78.5
71.5
71.8
64.8
58.4
88.7
74.7
Economic Impact of Increasing
Retention
2005 Access Economics estimated that
lifting retention to completion of school
or apprenticeship to 90% by 2010 would:
 increase workforce by 65,000
boost economic productivity
expand the economy by $10b by 2040
Completing Year 12 matters
Snapshot of school-leavers
 54 percent continue onto
further study
 80,000 enter full-time work &
work-based training
 More than a quarter are not
in full-time learning or full-time
work
% of 15-19 year-olds not in ft study or ft
work
Teenagers not engaged full-time
20
15
Males
Females
Persons
10
5
'86
'88
'90
'92
'94
'96
'98
Year
'00
'02
'04
'06
'08
Non-Engagement
 118,000 young people without Year 12 or
Certificate 111 are not in labour force, are
unemployed or working part-time and not
studying
 330,000 15-24 year olds are unemployed, working
part-time and wanting more hours, not in labour
force but wanting work
 Up to 50,000 yearly school exits not going to fulltime work or learning or combination of these
 Only about half the proportion of Indigenous
students are completing Year 12 as nonIndigenous students
Skill shortages and school
completion rates
 Supply of VET qualifications remains the same
as 2005 there will be a shortfall of 240,000 jobs
over the next decade
 To meet this shortfall net completions need to
increase by 2% pa for a decade
 Australia’s rates have barely shifted over the
last 15 years
VET in Schools Industries
MAJOR PROGRAMS
Business & Clerical 25%
Tourism & Hosp
22%
Sales & Per Services 9%
General E & T
9%
SUB – TOTAL
65%
‘MINOR PROGRAMS’
Transport
Textiles, Clothing
Community Serv
& Health
Automotive
Eng & Mining
Build & Constr
0.6%
0.8%
2.3%
2.4%
6.8%
7.2%
Structured Workplace Learning
Years
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
N. of
Students
(000)
81.0
101.2
112.4
106.2
114.8
6.470
7.113
7.399
6.250
6.711
79.8
70.3
65.8
59
58.4
Total
Hours
(000)
Average
Hours /
Student
State of Youth Transitions
Most recent OECD report of youth
transitions:
“There is agreement that, in order to
improve youth job prospects, it is
essential to combat school failure. In
particular, early and sustained
intervention can help prevent a vicious
circle of cumulative disadvantages.”
The Changing Nature of the School-to-Work Transition Process in OECD
Countries, 2007
Transition Measures
Measure
Comment
Score
Pathways & Qualifications
Frameworks
AQF- structured framework

Learning in workplace
SWL & SBA for minority

Broad general &
vocational skills
Many & varied pathways

Youth friendly labour
markets
Youth wage structure & some youth
friendly industry

Safety nets
‘At risk’ group high

Information & guidance
Fragmented – insufficient guidance

Effective institutional
arrangements
Poor articulation – lack of service
delivery coordination

Monitoring tools
Many available

Some significant policy progress
Reviews of post-compulsory education
New school or participation
requirements
Introduction of alternatives like VCAL
Introduction of Career Advice Australia
Revival of technical schools
Steps to track school leavers
Why do schools and industry
need to work together?
Key social and economic factors:
Globalisation
Knowledge economy
Skills shortages
The need for a ‘new workforce’
School – industry partnerships
“ They (industry) exist in a global market
and understand the skill sets required
from our graduates, so they need to be
part of the current discussion on national
approaches to curriculum consistency
and standards. … The reluctance of some
in the education community to embrace
these new relationships could seriously
disadvantage many students.”
Andrew Blair, President, Australian Secondary Principals
Association, The Age, 18 June 2007
Policy Objectives for Youth
Subject to their ability, every young person:
 will attain Year 12 or over time a vocational
equivalent of AQF Certificate 111
 will be engaged in full-time work or learning or
a combination of these
 will be provided with resources and facilitated
with relationships and integrated pathways to
achieve these outcomes
Ten focal points for reform
 The engagement field
• Successful transitions from primary to secondary
• Purposeful student learning in middle years
• High quality VETiS & SWL
 The attainment field
•
•
•
•
Training & work options to complete education
Apprenticeship completion
Second chance options for young adults
Renewed purpose & scope for traineeships
 The development field
• Personal support & mentoring for early leavers
• Teacher support for ‘hard to teach’ students
• Indigenous presence in education
Some Policy Targets
By 2011:
 85% young people leave school with Year 12 or
Certificate 111 (increase to 90% by 2015)
 50% of Indigenous young people complete Year
12 or Certificate 111 (55% by 2015)
 90% of 15 – 19 year olds participating in full-time
study, or full-time work or a work-study
combination
 85% of 20 – 24 year olds participating in full-time
study, or full-time work or a work-study
combination
Key Engagement Strategies
 Lift quantity and quality of VET in Schools
 Involve local industry as partners to
ensure alignment
 More comprehensive pre-vocational
programs
 Strengthen TAFE in network of ATCs and
other technical trades initiatives
 Build stronger links to part-time work and
community service undertaken by young
people
Key Attainment Strategies
Lift completion rate of upper
secondary education
Recognise diverse learning pathways
Guarantee ‘second chance’ place in
TAFE/ACE
Review purpose and scope of
traineeships
Key Development Strategies
Personal support for potential school
leavers to make successful transition
Improve teacher support and
preparation for ‘hard to teach’
students
An Indigenous presence in schools
and support for Indigenous
students/communities
Labor Government Policy
Skilling Australia for the future
 uses the language of investment in education
 refers to “It’s Crunch Time” in policy document
 committed to retention targets [85% in 2015]
 additional $84m over 4 years to guarantee access to one day a
week on-the-job training for VET in Schools
 Job Ready Certificate - employability skills
 Trade Training Centres: $2.5b and between $0.5 - $1.5m to
upgrade trade workshops
 integration of ATCs into broad education & training system
 release of Discussion Paper 2008
 Productivity Places Program
 Skills Australia legislation