Equity in VET:Participation, Achievement

and Transitions

Sheldon RothmanPrincipal Research Fellow

National Report on Social Equity in VET

Baseline information on participation, achievement and transitions for six groups:• Indigenous Australians• people with a disability• people from a CALD background• people living in remote areas• people from low SES backgrounds• women• plus intersections where possible

National Report on Social Equity in VET

Baseline information on participation, achievement and transitions for ‘second chance learners’:• less than Year 12 or equivalent• returning to learning after a long period of

absence from study and/or work• re-skilling following redundancy• involved in the criminal justice system• of working age who are neither working nor

studying (older workers aged 55-64)

Summary indicators: participationRepresentation

All VET

Indigenous Australians

Disability

CALD background

Remote/Very Remote

Low SES

Women

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90100

100%

5%

8%

11%

4%

16%

49%

Summary indicators: participation Percentage of the population

All VET

Indigenous Australians

CALD background

Remote/Very Remote

Women

0 5 10 15 20 25

10%

22%

7%

19%

10%

Summary indicators: participation Enrolled at Certificate III or above

All VET

Indigenous Australians

Disability

CALD background

Remote/Very Remote

Low SES

Women

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

62%

37%

44%

63%

49%

54%

64%

Summary indicators: Achievement Load Pass Rate

All VET

Indigenous Australians

Disability

CALD background

Remote/Very Remote

Low SES

Women

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

82%

73%

73%

77%

72%

80%

82%

Summary indicators: Transitions Improved employment

All VET

Indigenous Australians

Disability

CALD background

Remote/Very Remote

Low SES

Women

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

63%

57%

42%

49%

70%

58%

60%

Summary indicators: Transitions Graduates employed after training

All VET

Indigenous Australians

Disability

CALD background

Remote/Very Remote

Low SES

Women

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

48%

40%

28%

34%

58%

41%

44%

Selected learner groupsIndigenous Australians

• Participation rate more than 2 times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians

• Percentage of enrolments at Certificate I/II and in non-award courses much higher than for other groups

• Participation rate at Certificate III and above same as for non-Indigenous Australians

Selected learner groupsIndigenous Australians

AgriFood Community Services/Health

Innovation & Business

ElectroComms/ Energy Utilities

Service0

5

10

15

20

25

30

13% 11% 25%2%

20%6% 8% 21% 4% 26%

Indigenous Non-IndigenousApprenticeship completions

Selected learner groupsCulturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

• Participation in VET for persons born overseas highest among those who speak another language at home

• Persons from new and emerging communities tend to enrol at lower certificate levels and have lower completion rates

• Persons from new and emerging communities are less likely to undertake an apprenticeship or traineeship

• Persons who do not speak English well are more likely to enrol in further study and less likely to enter the labour force compared to those who speak English well

Selected learner groupsCALD: new and emerging communities

Engineering Business Society Mixed Fields Other Fields0

10

20

30

40

50

60

17% 20% 20% 23% 12%6%3%

18% 58%4%

Speak English well/very well Speak English not well/not at allField of education

Selected learner groupsCertificate completed by SEIFA quintile

Quintile 1

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

11%

12%

13%

16%

19%

16%

19%

21%

22%

24%

39%

42%

40%

39%

37%

26%

22%

20%

19%

16%

8%

5%

6%

5%

5%

Diploma or higher Certificate IV Certificate III Certificate II Certificate I

Selected learner groupsCertificate completed by SEIFA quintile

Quintile 1

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

11%

12%

13%

16%

19%

16%

19%

21%

22%

24%

39%

42%

40%

39%

37%

26%

22%

20%

19%

16%

8%

5%

6%

5%

5%

Diploma or higher Certificate IV Certificate III Certificate II Certificate I

Selected learner groupsCertificate completed by SEIFA quintile

Quintile 1

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

11%

12%

13%

16%

19%

16%

19%

21%

22%

24%

39%

42%

40%

39%

37%

26%

22%

20%

19%

16%

8%

5%

6%

5%

5%

Diploma or higher Certificate IV Certificate III Certificate II Certificate I

Selected learner groupsCertificate completed by SEIFA quintile

Quintile 1

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

11%

12%

13%

16%

19%

16%

19%

21%

22%

24%

39%

42%

40%

39%

37%

26%

22%

20%

19%

16%

8%

5%

6%

5%

5%

Diploma or higher Certificate IV Certificate III Certificate II Certificate I

Selected learner groupsCertificate completed by SEIFA quintile

Quintile 1

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

11%

12%

13%

16%

19%

16%

19%

21%

22%

24%

39%

42%

40%

39%

37%

26%

22%

20%

19%

16%

8%

5%

6%

5%

5%

Diploma or higher Certificate IV Certificate III Certificate II Certificate I

Selected learner groupsCertificate completed by SEIFA quintile

Quintile 1

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

11%

12%

13%

16%

19%

16%

19%

21%

22%

24%

39%

42%

40%

39%

37%

26%

22%

20%

19%

16%

8%

5%

6%

5%

5%

Diploma or higher Certificate IV Certificate III Certificate II Certificate I

Selected learner groupsCompleters and non-completers of Year 12

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000Year 12 Year 11 Year 10 Year 9 or below

Selected learner groups‘Second chance learners’

• Close to 60% of VET participants had not completed Year 12– Most studying at Certificate III or below– Most were studying for employment-

related reasons• Among older workers, the most common

reasons for undertaking VET study was to gain extra work skills for their current job—sometimes required, sometimes not—and to get a job

SummaryWhat the report tells us

• VET provides a wide range of opportunities to learners in a wide range of circumstances– Improve or update skills– Acquire new skills to change careers– Ongoing personal or professional

development• Participation rates for equity groups higher

than national average for participation in VET – Levels of qualification vary by group– Levels of achievement vary by group

by Sheldon Rothman, Chandra Shah, Catherine Underwood, Julie McMillan, Justin Brown and Phil McKenziefor the National VET Equity Advisory Council

http://research.acer.edu.au/transitions_misc/17/http://www.nveac.natese.gov.au/nveac_research_papers