Transcript Social exclusion/inclusion and VET and higher education

Social exclusion VET and higher education
Fran Ferrier and Sue North
Overview
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About the project
Key concepts
Policy developments
Measuring social exclusion
A stocktake of social inclusion in
VET and higher education
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The effects of social exclusion in VET and HE
(e.g.on participation and completion)
– Who is affected?
– How? Why?
– How much?
What can be done about it?
Progress
• Understanding what is social exclusion
• Exploring how social exclusion is
measured
• Exploring the influence and use of the
term and concepts in policy
What do people mean when they
say ‘social exclusion’?
‘you
could be forgiven for thinking that social exclusion
is what happens to people who nobody will talk to at
parties’.
(ABC, Background Briefing 1999)
a concept that is used in many parts of the world… to
characterize contemporary forms of social
disadvantage (wikipedia entry)
• No clear definition – lots of debate and
disagreement
• Term arose in France in 1970s
• Developed separately in UK – social policy
researchers (under Thatcherism)
• Definition:
– Social exclusion is a shorthand label for what
can happen when people or areas suffer from
a combination of linked problems, such as
unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor
housing, high crime environments, bad health
and family breakdown.
(Social Exclusion Unit, UK)
• Response:
– This fails to identify what it is that happens
(Levitas 2006)
• Definition:
– An individual is socially excluded if he or she does not participate
to a reasonable degree over time in certain activities of his or her
society, and (a) this is for reasons beyond his or her control, and
(b) he or she would like to participate (Burchardt 2000).
• Response:
– This definition leaves open the issue of how the scope of those
‘certain activities’ whose enforced absence constitutes exclusion
is established. It also suffers from the fact that there are many
activities which satisfy conditions (a) and (b) but do not represent
any form of social exclusion. To give an example, the fact that I
was not selected to play in the recent NSW State of Origin team
despite my availability and willingness (indeed, eagerness!) to
play is not an example of social exclusion that has any relevance
for social policy (except possibly for public health, but that is
another matter!). (Saunders 2003)
Confusion: ‘social exclusion’,
‘poverty’ and ‘deprivation’
• Poverty – Also many definitions and lots of debate.
• Often referred to as a lack of access to resources that is
sustained over time, but some definitions incorporate
aspects of social exclusion (e.g. access to services).
• Deprivation – caused by poverty.
• Social exclusion can be both a cause and a
consequence of poverty and deprivation, and overlaps
them both.
‘It is far easier to give a sense of the principal concerns of
social exclusion and how they differ from notions of
resource poverty than it is to give a precise meaning to
the term.’ (Saunders 2003)
Services and
resources
Activities
Opportunities
Social
networks
An illustration of social exclusion
WELLBEING
Social,
Economic,
Health, etc
Is ‘social exclusion’ a useful
concept?
• Social policy researchers:
– Draws attention to the social aspects and
consequences of poverty
– Gives a stronger emphasis to the multiplicity
of factors that contribute to disadvantage and
to the need for ‘joined up’ initiatives to
address them
– Applies to groups, not just individuals
A useful concept for policy
• A framework for organising multiple
initiatives
• A broader focus than ‘poverty’
• Supports ‘place-based’ initiatives
Policy development
• UK – from 1997 (Blair)
• Europe
• Australia – more recent
– Welfare to work (Howard government)
– South Australia
– Rudd government
• Overall goal: to move from social
exclusion to social inclusion
• Development of specific objectives and
ways of measuring progress toward their
achievement
• Development of central bodies to coordinate action across multiple contexts
• Multiple initiatives, many involving
partnerships between governments,
private sector and community sector
Where does education and
training fit?
• Low levels of education and skills are both
a cause and consequence of social
exclusion
– Cause e.g. can lead to poorer experiences in
labour market that lead to SE
– Consequence e.g. can cut off people from
opportunities
Education in SI policy
• School achievement (esp literacy and
numeracy) and retention (esp early school
leavers)
• (more recently) skills for employment (FE
in UK)
• Little to no attention on higher education
Measuring social exclusion
• Development of indicators
• What indicators are being used?
• Where have they been used?
Development of indicators
• From surveys that asked people what they
considered to be the essentials of life
• UK – from the PSE Survey
Items and activities stated as necessary
• Australia – work done by Peter Saunders
Items defined as ‘no-one in Australia
should have to go without’
Medical treatment
Warm clothes/bedding if cold
At least one good meal/day
Purchase prescribed meds
Dental treatment if needed
Heating for living areas
Beds for everyone
A damp-free home
3 meals/day for kids
2 meals/day for adults
A decent and secure home
Children can participate in
school activities and outings
Yearly dental check for kids
Hobby/leisure activity for kids
Regular social contact
Fridge
Warm waterproof coat
Fresh fruit
Toys for children
House in decent state
What indicators are being used?
European Union
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At-risk-of poverty rate
At-risk-of-poverty threshold
Income quintile
Persistent at-risk-of-poverty rate
Relative median poverty risk gap
Regional cohesion
Long term unemployment rate
Population living in jobless households
Early school leavers not in education or training
Life expectancy
UK - PSE Survey
• Income
• Children: household income and
employment; health; school attainment
• Young adults: qualifications; income and
employment; crime; health
• Working-age adults 25+: income and
employment; disabilities; health
• Older people: income; health; social services
• Communities: crime; transport; services;
polarisation of income and housing tenure
Australia – ABS MAP
• 4 dimension of progress
• Individuals: health; education and training;
work; culture and leisure
• The Economy: national income and wealth;
economic hardship; housing; productivity
• Living Together: family, community and social
cohesion; crime; democracy, governance and
citizenship; communication; transport
Others using social inclusion indicators
• SPRC
• NATSEM
• Melbourne Institute
• Common indicators
Employment
Income
• Indicators used by some
Health
Education
Housing and community services
Social connections and cohesion
Dropping off the edge
Tony Vinson
• Social Distress
• Health
• Community Safety
• Economic
• Education
Highest year of schooling
Postcode
Year
12
Year
11
Year
10
Year 9 Year 8
3595
13.27
11.45
15.45
10.36 17.09
3465
19.35
11.80
18.33
10.84 12.26
3032
47.22
8.03
7.81
3.45
6.52
All VIC
35.53
11.13
12.79
5.84
6.77
Next stages of the research
1. Statistical analysis will explore the
relationship between disadvantage and
the completion of VET and higher
education qualifications:
– Development of a set of indicators that
illustrate and explain the relationship between
social exclusion and the completion of VET
and higher education qualifications.
– Results will be analysed by geographical
region, age and gender.
2. Development of recommendations for
action for social inclusion, based on:
• Findings of statistical analysis
• Investigations of policies and strategies,
previous studies etc