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NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP ON YOUTH ATTAINMENT AND TRANSITIONS

-VICTORIA-

2010

ANNUAL REPORT

(Submitted May 2011)

CONTENTSPAGE

PART A:

Reporting Requirements outlines in the National Partnership on

Youth Attainment and Transitions…………………………………………………...…3

PART B

B.1 Jurisdictional Context ……………………………………………………….…….. 5

B.2Maximising Engagement, Attainment and Successful Transitions

(MEAST) - Youth Compact………………………………………………….…….12

B.3Indigenous Reporting ……………………………………………………...………20

B.4Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and

WorkplaceRelations Report on the Youth Connections and

School Business Community Partnership Broker Programs

in Western Australia …………...……………………………………………..……28

INTRODUCTION

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National Partnership Youth Attainment and Transitions (NP-YAT) was agreed in July 2009. Following this agreement, jurisdictions have worked with the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) to implement a suite of reforms and initiative under the Partnership. The NP-YAT is being implemented from 2010 to 2014.

Western Australia has established a productive working relationship with DEEWR to progress a range of reforms and initiatives to support improved participation and attainment targets for 15 to 24 year olds. This work also makes an important contribution to Indigenous “closing the gap” targets.

This first Annual Report captures data, information and progress reports from a number of NP-YAT stakeholders and partners. Much of this work is building upon existing State driven reforms and program initiatives across sectors and organisations, working to support improved participation and attainment outcomes for 15 to 24 year olds.

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PART A: Western Australia, National Partnership on Youth and Transitions – May 2011 report

Outcome / Performance Indicator / Source / May 2011 / August addendum / May 2012 / August addendum / May 2013 / August addendum / May 2014 / August addendum
Increased participation of young people in education and training / Enrolment of full‐time equivalent students in years 11 and 12[1] / National Schools Statistics Collection (ABS) / 51,359 / - / 2011 School / - / 2012 School / - / 2013 School / -
Enrolment of Indigenous full‐time equivalent students in years 11 and 12[2] / 2,196 / - / 2011 School / - / 2012 School / - / 2013 School / -
Enrolment of Indigenous full‐time equivalent students in years 9 and 10[3] / 3,393 / - / 2011 School / - / 2012 School / - / 2013 School / -
15‐19 year olds without a Year 12 certificate and not enrolled in school who are enrolled in a vocational education and training (VET) course at Certificate II level or higher[4] / VOCSTATS (NCVER) / - / 2010 VET / - / 2011 VET / - / 2012 VET / - / 2013 VET
Indigenous 15‐19 year olds without a Year 12 certificate and not enrolled in school who are enrolled in a vocational education and training (VET) course at Certificate II level or higher[5] / - / 2010 VET / - / 2011 VET / - / 2012 VET / - / 2013 VET
Indigenous 15-19 year olds without a Year 12 certificate and not enrolled in school who are enrolled in a vocational education and training (VET) course at Certificate I level[6] / - / 2010 VET / - / 2011 VET / - / 2012 VET / - / 2013 VET
Increased attainment of young people aged 15‐24, including Indigenous youth / The proportion of young people aged 20‐24 who have attained Year 12 or Certificate II or above / Survey of Education and Work (ABS) / 79.5% / - / 2011 SEW / - / 2012 SEW / - / 2013 SEW / -
VET completions (VOCSTATS)[7] / - / 2010 VET / - / 2011 VET / - / 2012 VET / - / 2013 VET
The proportion of young Indigenous people aged 20‐24 who have attained Year 12 or Certificate II or above / ABS Census / - / - / - / - / 2011 Census / - / - / -
VET completions (VOCSTATS)[8] / - / 2010 VET / - / 2011 VET / - / 2012 VET / - / 2013 VET
Young people make a
successful transition from school to further education, training or full‐time employment / The proportion of young people aged 15‐24 participating in post‐school education, training or employment six months after leaving school / Survey of Education and Work (ABS)[9] / 64.0% / - / 2011 SEW / - / 2012 SEW / - / 2013 SEW / -
Improved Indigenous attendance / Attendance rates for Indigenous students in years 1-10 in government schools / MCEECDYA National Schools
Attendance Collection (NSAC)[10]
Figures awaiting release by ACARA / Year 1 2010 attendance / - / 2011 attendance / - / 2012 attendance / - / 2013 attendance / -
Year 2 / - / - / - / -
Year 3 / - / - / - / -
Year 4 / - / - / - / -
Year 5 / - / - / - / -
Year 6 / - / - / - / -
Year 7 / - / - / - / -
Year 8 / - / - / - / -
Year 9 / - / - / - / -
Year 10 / - / - / - / -
Improved Indigenous retention / Apparent retention years 7/8 to year 10, by Indigenous status[11] / National Schools Statistics Collection (ABS) / 90.7% / - / 2011 ARR / - / 2012 ARR / - / 2013 ARR / -
Apparent retention years 7/8 to year 12, by Indigenous status[12] / 42.9% / - / 2011 ARR / - / 2012 ARR / - / 2013 ARR / -
Improved Indigenous participation and engagement / School level strategies[13] / Jurisdiction information

Notes on the data

a)Attainment measure for 20 to 24 year olds is sourced from the ABS Survey of Education and Work. The survey is undertaken in May each year with results normally reported in December of the same year. The data from the survey relates to measures at that point in time.

b)The ABS Survey of Education and Work is a sample survey; results are therefore reported with confidence intervals. For smaller jurisdictions confidence intervals can be substantial. The nature of the survey and the size of the error mean that it may not be possible to accurately identify change over time, even in larger jurisdictions. These data limitations were signalled by the COAG Reform Council (2010).

c)Data from NCVER VOCSTATS are normally available in July of the following year. VET statistics reflect a cumulative summary of the year’s activity as opposed to a point in time.

d)According to MCEECDYA guidelines, “Attendance rates for indigenous students” relates to students who identify as Indigenous. The data are collected for the first semester of the school year, and reported in the first quarter of the following year. There are data quality issues. Significant numbers of students in all jurisdictions have not indicated their Indigenous/non-Indigenous status. Collection methodologies vary across some jurisdictions and sectors. Data should be treated with caution.

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NP-YAT DATA SOURCE ISSUES

In considering the various data sources (Template A: Reporting Requirements outlined in the National Partnership Youth Attainment and Transitions) and their use to measure against the NP-YAT deliverables, Western Australia raised a number of issues in the 2009 NP-YAT Implementation Plan regarding usage and appropriateness. These issues continue to be relevant and are raised in relation to the reporting data template as detailed below.

Under the outcome “Increased participation of young people in education and training”, the complicated definition is mirrored by the complicated data queries required to gather the data and by the difficulty in interpreting parts of the data when poor response rates at enrolment result in a significant proportion of “Not stated” data. The “Not stated” data are usually interpreted conservatively, but this is expected to produce underestimates of the participation rates

Under the outcome “Increased attainment of young people aged 15-24, including Indigenous youth”, the first indicator is “The proportion of young people aged 20 - 24 who have attained Year 12 or Certificate II or above”. The original proposed data source was the Survey of Education and Work (SEW) alone. The SEW is still the only data source which can provide this information. Why are Year 12 Certificate data and VET completions data being asked for? They cannot be added to the SEW data and they cannot be used to construct the indicator. Although footnotes 7 and 8 suggest that the data can be used to monitor changes, neither of the extra data sources can monitor changes of the indicator itself.

The other indicator under the same outcome is “The proportion of young Indigenous people aged 20-24 who have attained Year 12 or Certificate II or above”. Although this is more complicated, the limitations of the Year 12 Certificate data and VET completions data are similar. They cannot generate the indicator, and this advice was sent from Western Australia previously. The base data source for Indigenous young people is the ABS Census which is conducted every five years. The only other source of data is the NATSISS and the NATSIHS, conducted by the ABS every 6 years, which makes the attainment data available every 3 years.

Under the outcome “Young people make a successful transition from school to further education, training or full-time employment” the indicator is “The proportion of young people aged 15-24 participating in post-school education, training or employment six months after leaving school”. The agreed data source is again the SEW. Some of the school-leaver destination surveys can provide some data which bear on the issue but they are primarily designed for operational purposes (identifying at-risk people), they are not comparable across jurisdictions, and the data cannot be added to the SEW data. Furthermore, it is generally not valid to generalise from the results due to biased respondent patterns (the non-responders are not evenly distributed across the range and may have a higher probability of being at risk). They are not suitable for the purpose envisaged in footnote 12.

Under the outcome “Improving Indigenous attendance”, space has been set for data for all year levels from Year 1 to Year 10. These data are available but there has not been a convincing argument as to why attendance at Year 1, etc, is used as a measure for the NP-YAT.

PART B

B.1Jurisdictional Context

Australian jurisdictions including Western Australia became signatories to the Council of Australian Government (COAG) National Partnership Youth Attainment and Transitions (NP-YAT) in 2009. At this time, the global economic crisis was beginning to impact and attention was focused on implementing supporting programs for young people through the Youth Compact and additional education and training initiatives at both the State and Commonwealth levels. In Western Australia, the education and training authorities had already embarked on a range of system and program reform measures including legislative changes to the school leaving age via amendments to the School Education Act through the HigherSchool Leaving Age and Related Provisions Act 2005. Reform in the vocational education and training sector had also been gaining momentum resulting in changes in 2009 to the Vocational Education Act (1996). These changes modernised the Western Australia training system, increasing flexibility and diversity to meet growing workforce development needs.

The introduction of the NP-YAT complemented these reforms and Western Australia has worked closely with the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Workforce Development (DEEWR) to implement the National Partnership. This work involved closer alignment of State and Commonwealth funded career and transition support services, information dissemination about the new programs and collaborative provider service selection.

Western Australia’s NP-YAT Implementation Plan 2009 provided an overview of the State’s economic and demographic trends, education and training reform and recent relevant legislatives changes. Outlined below is an update on the Western Australian context, including some of the State Government’s more recent strategic initiatives and reforms that contribute to supporting increased participation, attainment and successful transitions for all young people.

The Western Australian economic outlook is both complicated and contradictory. A recent press release from the Western Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) identified that “Western Australia’s domestic economy contracted for the second consecutive quarter at the end of 2010. CCI’s quarterly snapshot of the local, national and international economies shows the local economy went backwards in the last three months of 2010.[14]” However, recent evidence suggests that Western Australia is on the cusp of another period of sustained growth, driven by a number of key resource and infrastructure projects[15]. In support of this, Access Economics and MonashUniversity forecasts suggest continued significant growth in Western Australia between 2010 and 2017 of between 220,000 and 239,000 jobs respectively[16]. In April 2011 ABS labour force data reflected a robust Western Australian labour market and a decline in unemployment coupled with increases in labour force participation and employment. The unemployment rate declined by 0.1percentage points to 4.1% the lowest level since June 2010. Nationally, the unemployment rate remained stable at 4.9%. Western Australia has had the lowest unemployment rate of all states for the past 14 consecutive months. The number of unemployed in Western Australia is currently at 52,100 persons.

Western Australia’s teenage unemployment rate[17] also declined to 17.8% in April from 18.8% a month earlier. Nationally, the rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to 23.0% for the month of April. The number of youth looking for full-time work in Western Australia is currently at 6,600.

An indication of the burgeoning economic up turn in Western Australia is reflected in the commencement of apprentices and trainees; with the total number of apprentices and trainees in training increasing from 37,358 at end of January 2010 to 39,600 (6%) at end of January 2011[18].

The strong economic environment in Western Australia presents both opportunities and challenges for young people transitioning from school to further education, training and employment. The high demand for skilled labour presents many career opportunities for young people with the education level and motivation to access these pathways. For those at educational risk, particularly early school leavers, the future is less optimistic. Unless there is effective transition support for these young people, they tend to move between periods of unemployment, low level employment and job churning. Addressing these needs and improving successful transitions of all young people continues to be a key priority for the Western Australian Government.

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN INITIATIVES AND STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS

Western Australia’s projected economic growth, diverse regional and remote areas, Indigenous and multicultural population mix has required a range of education and training responses to meet the needs of individuals, industry and the growing demand for skilled labour. Western Australia has an ongoing commitment to increasing the attainment of Year 12 (or Certificate II equivalent) and the transition of young people into education, training and employment as reflected in the diverse and comprehensive strategic policiesidentified below:

SkillingWA

Skilling WA – A Workforce Development Plan for Western Australia is a response by the Government of Western Australia to the “increasing demand for skills and labour by the State’s industries, which recognises the impact the major resources and infrastructure projects have on the State’s labour market and is aimed at building, attracting and retaining a skilled workforce to meet the economic needs of the State”[19].

SkillingWA provides a framework for maximising the availability of skilled labour by developing the state’s workforce through increased labour force participation, flexible responsive and innovative education and training, increasing the States participation in the national migration program and by attracting and retaining a skilled labour force especially in regional areas[20].

In particular, Strategic Goal 1 provides for “increase participation in the workforce particularly among the under-employed and disengaged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other under-represented groups”[21].

As part of this strategy, the Department of Training and Workforce Development gives priority to the packaging of funding streams and programs (including partnerships) for the engagement and training of those groups under-represented in the workforce. It also proposes to have its Career Centre and metropolitan and regional Workforce Development Centres take on a ‘case management’ role to support increased workforce participation of under-represented groups. Young people, particularly those at risk, are an important focus for this work.

The Department of Training and Workforce Development’s Strategic Plan 2010 – 2013 further supports this provision of training opportunity, equity and diversity and the NP-YAT outcomes.

Training Together – Working Together (Aboriginal Workforce Development Strategy)

In March 2010 the Minister for Training and Workforce Development launched Training together – working together: Sustainable employment outcomes for Aboriginal people through training. This strategy is designed to facilitate the removal of barriers to participation and improve employment and training outcomes of Aboriginal people in Western Australia.

Strategies include:

  • Creation of the Aboriginal Workforce Development Centre (AWDC) which is the central coordinating point to support Aboriginal people transitioning into employment and assist employers to meet their workforce needs.
  • Creation of four Aboriginal Workforce Development Centres in selected regional areas of Western Australia to engage and link Aboriginal people and local employers.
  • Develop and implement mentoring strategies to develop and support Aboriginal people to gain employment
  • Develop an Aboriginal Workforce Development website that will provide easy access to existing mentor services and resources.
  • Identify a range of Aboriginal Ambassadors (a group of role models) which will be encouraged to assist, support and mentor others.

Training Western Australia

The State Training Plan “Training WA: Planning for the Future 2009-2018”set the vision goals and key deliverables for the Western Australian training system till 2018 and outlines the direction for the training system to maximise the development of skills, training and employment outcomes for all Western Australians[22]. The State Government announced specific funding of $47.4 million for a range of immediate initiatives designed to assist employers and the community. These include:

  • Course Fee Exemptions for Unemployed People: The Government introduced course fee exemptions to assist unemployed people into training. In 2010, 8,074 job seeker students were assisted through this initiative, in addition to approximately 3,900 assisted in 2009.
  • Workers Compensation Rebate: In June 2009, the Government introduced a rebate on workers compensation premiums for employers of apprentices. As at 31 December 2010, 3,716 claims had been approved for 1,535 employers since June 2009.
  • Career development services and employment directions network: The Government has improved access to career development services for all Western Australians assisting them to take advantage of career opportunities. A new state network of 14 Workforce Development Centres has been funded. The Centres commenced operation on 1 April 2010 and are fully functional.
  • The Government is also increasingRecognition of Prior Learningservices to allow people to have their skills and experience formally recognised. A Recognition of Prior Learning fee concession was provided for 7,763 students in 2010.
  • Marketing and awareness campaignsto inform individuals and employers about training options were also conducted from 2010 to 27 February 2011, $643,000 has been either spent or committed to marketing and awareness campaigns to inform individuals and employers about training options. This is in addition to the $1.6 million expended in 2009-10.
  • The Government also introduced a range of initiatives to help employers retain apprentices and traineesduring the economic downturn, including through the Securing Out of Trade Apprentices Initiative.
  • The Business Growth Centre continues to assist small business with advice and support on training matters

Education Reform and Initiatives: