This report was originally published 04 March 2016.

Summary

Main post-school destination

The most common post-school destination among Year 12 completers surveyed in 2015 continues to be a Bachelor degree (53.2%), while 8.9% had entered a Certificate IV+ course, 4.8% in Certificates I, II or III, 4.7% in apprenticeships and 3.6% in traineeships. The remaining 24.8% of Year 12 completers were not participating in any form of further education. Typically, these Year 12 completers had entered part-time employment (10.7% of all Year 12 completers), but some had entered full-time employment (7.0%), were actively looking for employment (5.0%) or were classified as not in the labour force, education or training (2.1%).

The 2015 survey provides evidence of a continuation in small annual increases in the proportion of Year 12 completers who entered a Bachelor degree. The proportion increased by 0.7 percentage points from 2014 and is 5.8 points higher than 2010. Survey results also suggest the gap between female and male Year 12 completers entering a Bachelor degree – which had appeared to be decreasing since the 2010 survey – has widened in 2015. Further, since 2010 there has been a slight decrease in Year 12 completers entering part-time employment (down 1.8 points). The apparent decrease noted in 2014 in VET course participation (Certificate IV+ and Certificates I-III) was not sustained in 2015 and the proportion not in the labour force, further education or training continued to be higher than seen in 2010.

Initial post-school destinations among early school leavers continue to be substantially different to those who complete Year 12. The most common post-school destination for early school leavers continues to be an apprenticeship (26.0%), while 9.6% had entered a Certificate IV+, 11.3% had entered a Certificate I-III and 5.8% had entered a traineeship. Overall, 46.2% of early school leavers were not participating in any form of further education. Typically, these early school leavers were looking for work (16.4%) or working part-time (12.6%), although 9.7% were working full-time and 7.6% were not in the labour force, education or training. Since the 2014 survey, there appears to have been a slight increase in those entering Certificate IV+ courses (up 1.8 percentage points), along with a larger decrease in those entering Certificates I-III courses (down 3.3 points). The proportion not in the labour force, education or training also remained higher than seen in 2010.