Learning and Earning for All: Why the Fuss?

1. Learning and Earning for All:Why the Fuss? John Spierings DUSSELDORP SKILLS FORUM August 2007

2. Dusseldorp Skills Forum • Established 1988 by Lend Lease shareholders • Independent public interest enterprise • Operating foundation with policy, research & practice arms • Focus: youth, skills, participation, citizenship • Seeks: individual, community & policy change • Catalyst for significant legislative, policy & practice change in education and training

3. The challenge of youth transition • Social & cultural induction to adulthood & workforce • Successful transitions are taking longer • First 12 months post-school are central to successful transitions • Economic impacts on participation & productivity: returns from good transitions are very large • Potential offset to looming demographic squeeze • Demand for ‘knowledge workers’ outpacing others

5. Why the fuss NOW • Unprecedented economic conditions & growth • Strong domestic demand for skills • International competitiveness dependent on skills • Others powering ahead on skills & education • We have education & training building blocks • Imperative to really deliver • Demographic squeeze looming

6. We are not running out of young people Teenage population as a proportion of the workforce population,1986-2026

7. What young people are thinking • Newspoll survey of Australians aged 18-24 years • Substantial qualitative work by Saulwick & Muller • Optimistic, confident & fearless about the future • Positive about final year at school, work & study* • Engagement significantly affected by early school leaving, school type, parental background • Significant disaffection among casual workers • Some concerns about education costs * Significantly higher levels of dissatisfaction by respondents from a government school about their final year at school

8. Some policy contradictions • Australia’s excellence & equity gap • From mass schooling to universal provision • Attractions of the labour market • Poor resource allocation across sectors • Core standards alongside customised learning • Points of change in very large systems • Civic virtues of learning & instrumental outcomes

9. School leavers not fully engaged Slightly more than 26% of 2005 school-leavers were not in study or work full-time in May 2006.

10. Completing Year 12 matters 20% of Y12 leavers; 45% of Y11 leavers; 50% of Y10 leavers not fully engaged six months after leaving school: a major opportunity gap.

11. Growth in full-time jobs since 1995 1.270 million full-time jobs created for 25-64 year olds since 1995; static full-time job growth for teenagers & decline of 42,000 for young adults.

12. Core attainment issues • School or Cert III completion rate of 81 percent • Relatively static completions for more than a decade • Indigenous completion at half this rate • 20th in OECD for school completion • 46% of school leavers not in post-school study • 47% overall traineeship completion rate • 60% traditional apprenticeship completion rate

13. Estimated Year 12 completion

14. Core engagement issues • Noticeable improvement in recent years • 13.8% of teenagers not fully engaged • 22% of young adults not fully engaged • 27% of SA young adults not fully engaged • 526,000 or 18% of 15-24 yo not fully engaged • 306,000 or 11% of 15-24 yo unemployed, underemployed or marginally attached to work • 1:3 Year 11 leavers & 2:5 Year 10 leavers not fully engaged as young adults

15. Thepolicy challenge Subject to their ability, every young Australian will: • Attain Year 12 or an AQF III qualification • Be engaged in full-time work or learning or a combination of these • Be provided with the resources, relationships & integrated pathways to achieve these outcomes • Independent evaluation, research & good practice approach reporting to parliament

16. What works … • Relationships: mentoring & case management for transition • Organic stakeholder partnerships & shared responsibility • Leadership by school principals • Tracking post-school pathways: role of data • Clear exit procedures • Quality career advice & guidance • Local knowledge about pathways • Successful transition from primary school • Student-centred ‘middle years’ • Making the economic case

17. Crunch Time proposals • Establish Certificate III as a major benchmark • Encourage demand-side intermediaries • Develop cross-sectoral settings alongside schools • Provide a guaranteed second chance for young adults • Review the purpose of traineeships • Consider segmenting traineeships as skill pathfinders & transitional labour market platforms • Incremental change rather than sweeping reform • Emphasis on evaluation, good practice & accountability

18. Final comments • Young Australians are confident & fearless • Early school leaving, school type & parental background can significantly affect engagement • Gaps around policy rhetoric & current resources • Significant opportunity to address Australia’s 3Ps • A robust national debate is crucial • It’s up to us: the investment & policy decisions we make will determine if youth confidence is justified