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In late 2010, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Grampians Region, contracted researchers at the University of Ballarat to undertake a research study aimed at enhancing understanding of the ways in which community - and other relevant factors - might affect and influence secondary school student completions and destinations, with particular emphasis on students from rural areas. The research sought to explore the range of local community factors that may impact on school retention and educational outcomes and aspirations among rural adolescents.

The key objectives for the project were to: (1) Review the national and international literature about community influences (with particular reference to rural settings) on the aspirations, educational achievements and destinations of secondary students; (2) Review the national and international literature on the most effective community programs that can positively influence the aspirations, educational achievements and destinations of secondary students; (3) Identify factors (particularly community factors, including the socio cultural environment) that positively and negatively influence the aspirations, educational and destination outcomes of high school students in the selected towns and regions; (4) Identify the characteristics operating in the rural communities where students perform well in educational achievements and destinations; (5) Recommend programs and strategies for community-based approaches to improved educational achievements and destinations; and (6) Publish findings of this research in refereed journals.

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The Australian states and territories are required under paragraphs 69 to 72 of the National Partnership on Youth Attainment and Transitions to provide annual reports to the Commonwealth against the outcomes, performance benchmarks and performance indicators specified in the Agreement [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 100.967]. To meet a shared commitment to reporting on efforts to close the gap for Indigenous people, states and territories also commit to including in their annual reports progress towards halving the gap in Indigenous Year 12 or equivalent attainment by 2020. The reporting includes detail of funding provided to the non-government sector and maintenance of any existing state and territory funding for careers and transitions support services.

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This paper was funded through the Community of Practice program, part of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) Building Researcher Capacity initiative. Sudanese people have been moving to the main towns of the Latrobe Valley - Moe, Morwell and Traralgon - for the past five years, some as a result of a preference for a regional rather than a metropolitan Melbourne location. Sudanese migrants to the Latrobe Valley often have a limited knowledge of the range of employment possibilities in the area and perhaps less knowledge than local people of the work tasks, responsibilities and cultures associated with particular jobs. Sudanese people are now the largest single group in Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE (GippsTAFE) English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. In addition to ESL and general education programs for adults, GippsTAFE is the largest training organisation in the Gippsland region, providing for industry sectors such as automotive, electrical, building trades, construction, engineering, power, telecommunications, horticulture, health, business, hospitality, fashion, music and information technology. Through its GippsTAFE Employment and Transitional Training (GETT) subsidiary - GETTing Sudanese Workers Into Industry - GippsTAFE also provides a range of case management and employment placement services for Sudanese job seekers. This project seeks the views of a range of stakeholders, including current and past students of vocational programs, vocational training teachers, ESL and general education teachers, and staff of employment support programs. By examining some of the relationships between English language learning, vocational training and cultural knowledge, the project endeavours to identify ways in which GippsTAFE can better meet the vocational training needs of Sudanese Australians in this region. Key messages were that: teachers highlighted speaking and listening as well as reading and writing in English as key areas for skill development; some Sudanese students overestimated their proficiency in reading and writing; employment is a clear aim of Sudanese students, but they have unrealistic views of the Australian labour market; and to convert their training into employment, they require both basic skills and cultural understanding. The author suggests that an integrated approach to learning, in which skills development and language development are combined, could lead to a greater understanding of how Australian workplaces function, and produce realistic expectations for future employment. That said, this report highlights the enormity of the challenge that Sudanese students face in acquiring the skills and English proficiency required for the labour market.

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The Victorian Aboriginal Economic Development Group was a mix of 13 high-profile members of the Aboriginal, not-for-profit and business communities that was formed in 2008 to make recommendations on ways to close the economic gap for Aboriginal Victorians. The recommendations in this report give priority to: creating real pathways from school to further education, training or work; preparation for work, finding a job and support in the workplace; growing Indigenous businesses, particularly in tourism; building wealth from the land; and creating leadership skills and support from mentors.

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The On Track project was initiated in Victoria in 2003 and seeks to: offer a consistent and comprehensive approach to monitoring the transitions of school leavers; report the information to schools, TAFE institutions and other education providers, organisations concerned with assisting young people, policymakers, parents and students; provide detailed analyses of the transitions experienced by different groups of leavers; enable education providers to use the findings to monitor and improve their programs; and provide a referral service for school leavers who appear to be experiencing difficulties in the transition process. The latest survey was conducted in April-May 2012 by the Social Research Centre (SRC) in collaboration with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). This report is based on data from telephone surveys of 33,901 Year 12 or equivalent completers and 3552 early leavers from the 2011 school year. It focuses on analyses at the state and regional levels. 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 such qualifications in schools (98.2 per cent), or in TAFE institutions or adult and community education providers (1.8 per cent). For On Track, early school leavers are defined as those students 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 during 2011 before completing one of the above qualifications. In general, early leavers had been in Year 10, 11 or 12 when they left school. As such, the sample does not represent all early leavers from Victorian schools.

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The Inner Eastern Local Learning and Employment Network (IELLEN) established the e2e (Education to Employment) Working Group comprised of stakeholder members to respond to worrying levels of youth disengagement and unemployment, and to consider actions to improve youth transitions and pathways. As a first step, this group agreed to develop a discussion paper. This paper provides key reflections from the group and might be best summarised as a response to two related questions: how to ensure all young people see a future for themselves and how to ensure all young people have a future.

The group has aimed for a wide ranging overview of issues in relation to the disengagement of young people from education, and youth unemployment. Accordingly, the paper's recommendations are based on five principles to guide future investment in the education, and transitions of young people. These principles are: (1) every young person, including those in the middle years, should have an opportunity to access education, and other related services they may need, to ensure that they can learn, develop and flourish; (2) additional resources should be directed towards particular cohorts where outcomes are poor or where the risk factors for poor outcomes are high; (3) investment should also focus on achieving improved outcomes including successful post-education transitions; (4) young people themselves should be given a say in what they need; and (5) recognising the social and economic benefits of investing in young people, the responsibility for improved transitions and pathways can be shared by all. Eleven themes, or areas, are then identified, and these serve as headings for each section, which includes recommendations: policy; consultation; funding youth specific programs; workforce strategy for professionals involved in the education and support for young people, including professional learning; partnerships including with industry; education disengagement; education through [Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning] VCAL and [vocational education and training] VET; disabilities; middle years; abuse and trauma; and diversion from the justice system into support services.

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The Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENs) were established by the Victorian Government in response to the recommendations of the Ministerial Review of Post-compulsory Education and Training Pathways in Victoria (the Kirby Report), indexed at TD/VIC 63.01. They were established to improve the education, training and employment outcomes of young people. The report tries to answer the question of whether the LLENs have made a difference to Victoria since their inception. The purpose of this project is to meaningfully represent the accumulated achievements of all LLENs, so that the state-wide impact of the LLEN initiative can be identified. The report focuses on the LLENs? contributions to date in improving outcomes for young people through a community-building approach. Show less

This research examines the employment experiences of new migrants who had undertaken industry-specific vocational courses offered by AMES Australia. Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community) and Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, offered at sites across metropolitan Melbourne, train and prepare clients for a job in aged care or childcare education in Australia. The objective of this study was to understand the effectiveness of AMES Australia's vocational programs for transitioning new migrants into employment. This report provides an analysis of the employment outcomes and postcourse activities including further education and training of 203 AMES Australia clients who participated in these courses. The report also discusses the aspects of vocational training at AMES Australia that clients identified as being most effective to secure employment.

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On Track is a Victorian Government initiative which surveys school leavers who have left school in the last six months to find out if they are on track to a bright future. The On Track survey is designed to provide a tool for guiding program policies both at the government and school level and at a local or regional level. On Track ensures school leavers are contacted within six months of leaving school to see if they are on a path to further education, training or employment. It also enables young people to seek further advice and assistance via a referral service if required to get back on track. This report presents the 2007 results from the longitudinal survey undertaken as part of the Victorian On Track surveys of school leavers.

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On Track is an annual survey run by the Victorian Government to monitor destination outcomes of school leavers six months after they exit school. This report provides insights into the post-school destinations of Victorian students who exited school in 2013 and participated in the 2014 On Track survey (conducted in May-June 2014). In 2013, there were 54,371 Year 12 or equivalent completers in Victoria. Of these, 32,183 (59.2 per cent) participated in the 2014 On Track survey. Regardless of the education level they attain, most students leaving school choose to either continue their education or training, or enter the workforce. The desire to start working and earning money was the main reason why school leavers did not continue their education or training. In 2014, a record 77.4 per cent of all Year 12 (or equivalent) completers and over half (53.8 per cent) of early leavers, chose to further their education. For both cohorts, this was an increase from the previous year.

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