Vocational, adult and professional education research

Publication Date

4-2009

Comments

This report was prepared by ACER for the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood.

Abstract

Data presented in this report is based on the On Track telephone survey of 33,250 Year 12 or equivalent completers and 4740 early leavers from the 2007 school year in Victoria. Year 12 or equivalent completers are defined as those who completed a Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), International Baccalaureate (IB) or Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL, Senior or Intermediate). The sample includes those who completed these qualifications in schools (the large majority), Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes, or adult and community learning organisations. Early leavers are defined as those students in Years 10, 11 and 12 who had registered their details with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) by enrolling in a VCE or VCAL unit and who left school before completing Year 10, 11 or 12. Leavers were contacted in April–May 2008 and destination data was collected from them on two dimensions: education and training, and employment and occupation. In addition, respondents were asked about the reasons for their choices. The first large-scale On Track survey was in 2003 and this is the sixth annual report in the series. The project is designed to provide a valuable database and tool for guiding policy and practice at government, school, regional and local levels. The program enables schools and other education providers to monitor how their students fare in a context of rapid labour market change and complex educational pathways. On Track also collects background information on students so that the destinations of particular sub-groups can be considered, for example, those from different socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds and those of Indigenous origins. Transition differences between regions in Victoria are also documented in this report. This information is valuable not only for schools but also for the Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENs), regions and vocational education and training (VET) providers. An important feature of On Track is that it also offers a referral service for school leavers who appear to be experiencing difficulties in the transition process. The 2008 data was collected by the Social Research Centre (SRC) and analysed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

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