Review of CEET

CEET has been reviewed by an external panel which strongly endorsed CEET’s activities  and the importance of research and teaching in the economics of education and training. The panel made recommendations regarding future funding, research, teaching activities and staffing. These are being addressed during 2007. The review panel comprised Ms Virginia Simmons, CEO Chisholm Institute of TAFE (Chair), Dr Tom Karmel, Managing Director, National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Professor Barry McGaw, Director, Melbourne Education Research Institute, University of Melbourne, and Mr Julius Roe, National President, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union. 

Staff

Sue North has been appointed as a research fellow at CEET. Sue has a PhD (Communication) and a Bachelor of Communication with first class honours. She has experience with quantitative and qualitative research and has recently undertaken a national survey as a research fellow on an ARC Discovery Grant project titled ‘Being digital in school, home and community’. Sue had worked for an extended period in the hospitality industry before undertaking university studies.

Available on line

Stay, play or give it away? continuing, changing or leaving university study in first year (for DEST)

Michael Long, Fran Ferrier and Margaret Heagney
This study of attrition is on the DEST website. Among its findings:

• Attrition from first year university undergraduate degree courses is lower than has been suggested by previous research when movement of students between universities and courses and potential re-entry are considered.
• Students who change courses or universities have mostly entered university from school and were not particularly committed to that course or to university in the first place.
• Students who discontinue study tend to be older, studying part-time and were unlikely to nominate a clear reason for enrolling at university.
• Some students discontinuing their studies had simply found a pathway to employment other than through university study.
• Receiving careers advice made little difference to attrition.
• The majority of students who change to another university receive at least some credit for their previous study.
• A more systematic approach to student exit procedures within universities might contribute to improved re-enrolment rates.

The movement of non-metropolitan youth towards the cities (by ACER)

Kylie Hillman and Sheldon Rothman
A recent ACER report is the first Australian national longitudinal study of young people's geographic mobility. It focused on the experiences of around 5000 young Australians who were living in a non-metropolitan area in their final years of school. They were tracked from 1997 (when most were 16 and in Year 11) until 2004 when most were 23 years old. The reports findings included:

• More than one-third of young Australians from non-metropolitan areas relocate to a major city in the years immediately after leaving school although some return.
• Approximately 70 per cent of the non-metropolitan youth who moved to a city undertook formal study or training.
• Those with full-time employment in their non-metropolitan homes were more likely to stay there.
• Full time employment also worked to keep young people in the city after completing their studies.
• No significant difference was found in rates of employment, average income, work hours and life satisfaction of young people who left non-metropolitan areas for the city in comparison to those who stayed in a non-metropolitan area or returned to a non-metropolitan area after a time in the city.

Labour mobility and mutual recognition of skills and qualifications: European Union and Australia/New Zealand, CEET Working Paper No 65

Chandra Shah and Michael Long.
One of the founding principles at the establishment of the European Union (EU) was the free right of its citizens to live and work in different member states. However, cross border movements of EU citizens for work, excluding those from the new member states, has been relatively low compared to that within the United States and that between Australia and New Zealand. One of the major impediments to worker mobility is the cross-border recognition and transferability of individuals’ skills and qualifications. This paper looks at policies and programmes that attempt to overcome this problem and encourage mobility in the EU and in Australia and New Zealand.

Parents Returning to work: evaluation of grant recipient outcomes (for OTTE Victoria)

Fran Ferrier, Peter Kellock and Gerald Burke
The Parents Returning to Work Program (PRTW) was a Victorian government initiative which commenced in 2003. It provided grants to assist eligible parents after a period of caring for children to participate in training that will increase their work skills and job prospects. Up to $1000 per person was available and these funds could be used to meet course fees and other training-related costs for study materials and childcare. This evaluation reviewed the achievements of the program. Since the program began over 8000 parents had been assisted.

• The data collected indicated that the program has been highly successful in achieving the objective of assisting parents to prepare to return to work after being at home caring for their children.
• A very large proportion of those who responded to a phone survey indicated they had completed their courses and obtained work in areas related to their course.
• A number of recommendations were made on ways to improve information and advice and about the distribution of grants across regions according to need.

How Young People are Faring at a Glance (Dusseldorp Skills Forum)

This is the annual DSF report that provides an overview of the participation of young Australians in learning and work. Mike Long prepared the tables. While generally the situation seems to have improved there are several points to highlight.

• The percentage of teenagers not in full-time study or full-time work has declined in recent years and in 2007 is the lowest since 1990.
• Participation rates in full-time study or work in May 2007 were higher for young adults aged 20-24 than at any time in the past two decades, however more than one in five young adults were not in full-time study or full-time work.
• Full-time jobs for Australians 25 or over have risen but have been static for teenagers and have declined for young adults
• One in five young adults has not attained either a Certificate III or Year 12