Pathways from rural schools: Does school VET make a difference?

This report investigates the medium-term outcomes of vocational education and training (VET) programs delivered by rural schools for youth and their communities. It is a more concise version of the detailed full report of the study. The full report is available as a support document  (see downloads).

The research was designed to:

• investigate the extent of linkages between rural youth's participation in school VET programs, participation in post-school VET courses, labour market status, and their retention in their local communities
• examine the features of school VET programs delivered in rural schools that enhance skills acquisition, influence rural youth's participation in post-school VET courses, and influence the ability of rural youth to secure local employment within their chosen industry area
• explore whether the outcomes of participation in rural school VET programs are the same as those reported for school VET programs more generally.

Former students from six rural school clusters in six states were surveyed, including those who participated in school VET programs and those who did not. Principals and school VET program coordinators provided information on the purpose, nature and outcomes of their VET programs. Case studies of three states, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania, are included in summary in this report.

Key findings from this research include:

• School VET courses intended as a pathway to local employment appear to be successful in terms of retaining students who otherwise may have left school early, and are assisting the transition from school to work.
• Work placements are a key component of the success of these programs, in terms of aiding the transition to local jobs and apprenticeships and thereby increasing youth retention in the community.
• Rural school students apparently undertake VET and work placements as a pathway to their goal of local employment. Their choice of VET field of study is, generally, closely aligned to their employment goals, as are their post-school education and training choices.
• Many of the outcomes of participation in VET for rural school students are similar to those for school students identified in other research.
• School students who participate in VET programs are more likely to indicate their intention to live in a rural location during their working life than those who do not undertake a VET program.

These findings suggest that school-based VET programs in rural areas have special potential to develop skills and pathways for the future workforce of rural Australia. The research also suggests that pathways from school-based VET programs in the primary industries area need to be more flexible to improve access to training and participation, particularly in remote areas. In addition, females need to be encouraged to consider areas of school VET study that lead to career paths in rural areas.