Data from the newest group of Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) participants have been released today, marking the first time the dataset from the 2015 group, known as the ‘Y15 cohort’, has been made available.
The LSAY survey program, which commenced in its current form in 1995 and has been managed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) since 2007, tracks 15 year olds over a ten-year period as they move from school into further study and training, work, and into adulthood.
“LSAY has provided a rich source of information about young people and their pathways for over 20 years now, resulting in a substantial body of research,” said Dr Craig Fowler, Managing Director, NCVER.
“During that time over 60,000 young Australians have provided us with data, assisting researchers and governments to make informed decisions about policies affecting young Australians now and in the future.”
A wide range of information on school and post-school topics has been collected from six LSAY cohorts over the years, including student achievement and aspirations, attitudes to school, social background, vocational and further education, employment and job seeking, and satisfaction with various aspects of life.
“We’ve also developed a powerful new online ‘data dictionary’ designed to navigate LSAY data as a whole, enabling researchers to compare the information available across the LSAY cohorts,” Dr Fowler said.
LSAY participants are recruited from Australian schools that take part in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) when they are 15 years old and are contacted once a year until they are 25.
Access to LSAY data is free via an application process. A range of tools and resources to assist in understanding and using the Y15 data, including a user guide and questionnaires, are now available. Summary data is also available from LSAY QuickStats, an interactive tool that presents the data in tables and charts. Visit the website to find out more: www.lsay.edu.au.
LSAY is managed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research and conducted by Wallis Market & Social Research on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Education and Training.
Media enquiries: Helen Wildash, PR and Social Media Officer, NCVER
P:+61 8 8230 8418 M: 0448 043 148 E: communications@ncver.edu.au