VET as a re-engagement pathway for early school leavers

School non-completion and non-completers’ subsequent pathways into employment or back into education is an enduring issue for policy makers in Australia. Understanding the factors that increase the chance of early school leavers re-engaging with education can inform how best to support young people in their decision-making. Analysis of the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth (LSAY) confirms that VET is an important pathway to educational re-engagement for young people who have left school before completing Year 12. It also highlights the importance of providing career information, not only to young people but also their parents/carers, before and after leaving school.

Summary

Executive summary

Leaving school without completing Year 12

Australian policy-makers have an ongoing interest in school non-completion and non-completers’ subsequent pathways into employment or re-engagement with education. The education attainment targets set by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2009 were for 90% of 20 to 24-year-olds to have completed Year 12 or equivalent or a certificate III. The proportion of people in this age group without a Year 12 qualification has steadily declined since that time but since 2019 has remained at around 18%. Understanding the motivations, pathways and outcomes of the young people who do not complete Year 12, especially those who do not transition into work is therefore a topic of interest.

This research explores the pathways of early school leavers — that is, those who leave school without completing Year 12 — by means of an analysis of data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY). In particular, the research examines the characteristics of those who re-engage with education, especially via vocational education and training (VET).

VET as a re-engagement pathway

The research confirms that VET is an important pathway for educational re-engagement for early school leavers. About 63% of LSAY respondents who left school without completing Year 12 had re-engaged with education via some form of VET by the age of 25. Apprenticeships and traineeships made up around 51% of all educational re-engagement, followed by other VET courses (certificates and diplomas, 34%).

Parents’ plans for their child the year after the child had left school were shown to influence educational re-engagement through VET, with those whose parents wanted them to go on to VET more likely to follow that pathway. For the early school leavers whose parents’ plans for them did not include VET, those who had undertaken some VET subjects at school at the age of 15 were more likely to re-engage with education through VET than those who had not.

In terms of re-engagement with any education (not just VET), the analysis shows that the most important factors are:

• Socio-economic status (SES): those from lower SES were less likely to re-engage with education than those from higher SES. However, the impact of SES can be overcome if the young person’s parents have post-school VET aspirations for their children.
• School sector: those from higher SES who attended Catholic or independent schools were more likely to re-engage with education than those from government schools. Those who attended government schools and whose parents had post-school VET plans for them were more likely to re-engage with education than those whose parents had other plans.

The groups of early school leavers who were least likely to re-engage with education were those from lower SES; those whose parents did not have any post-school VET aspirations for their children; and those who had lower achievement in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) mathematics scales at the age of 15.

The role of career or educational plans and parental influence

The analysis highlights the important role that the career or educational plans of both the young person and their parents have in predicting early school leaving and educational re-engagement. While some other factors, such as SES, or PISA mathematics and reading achievement at the age of 15, also had an influence, these often played a smaller role than factors related to career planning.

For most of the LSAY respondents, their own career and educational plans had a strong and clear influence on their decision to leave school without completing Year 12. Those who, at the age of 15, report intending to leave school early are in fact more likely to do so. These individuals were also more likely to have plans to undertake VET, either in the year after leaving school, or in the longer term.

The plans that parents had for their child for the year after leaving school were important in predicting any educational re-engagement, especially through VET. Early school leavers whose parents had post-school VET plans for their child were more likely to undertake VET.

The time taken to re-engage with education through VET

The current government policy, which directs young people to remain at school until the age of 17 unless they are moving into employment or another form of education, is likely to influence the time taken by an individual to re-engage with education or transition into employment. Indeed, the analysis of the LSAY data shows that a large majority of young people who re-engage with education after leaving school early do so within six months.

Re-engagement with education via VET within six months is driven by the young person’s plans for the year after leaving school. Those young people who plan to do VET in the year after leaving school are the most likely to engage with VET within six months.

School sector was also important in determining the likelihood of engaging with VET within six months, with those from Catholic schools more likely to do so.

Why is this important?

Previous research has shown poorer outcomes for young people who do not complete Year 12. For example, non-completion of Year 12 has been shown to be correlated with their having longer periods not participating in education, employment or training (Stanwick, Forrest & Skujins 2017). Having an understanding of the motivations and characteristics of those who leave school before completing Year 12, especially those who do not transition reasonably quickly into a recognised career path, such as an apprenticeship, can help to direct efforts towards these more vulnerable individuals.

This research demonstrates the importance of school students (and their parents) holding career aspirations, which can be developed through career-planning activities. Career advice and pastoral care for young people must start well before senior secondary school and it is also important that these services are available to young people who are no longer engaged in the school system.

VET is an important educational pathway for early school leavers. There is an ongoing need for the VET system to provide early school leavers with not only the required occupational skills for employment, but also a broad-based education that would otherwise be provided by completing a senior secondary certificate (Education Council 2020). This approach will enable young people to gain the skills and educational background needed to navigate the ever-changing and complex workforce and to develop the flexibility and agility required for the modern economy.