VET
This work seems to tell a story of diplomas squeezed between higher certificates and the steady advance of the bachelor’ s degree caused by creeping credentialism.
The LH Martin Institute, with the support of NCVER, is leading a project examining pathways in and between education and work. The current and potential roles of mid-level qualifications have been a central concern of this research.
A key finding has been that educational pathways cannot be considered, or made more effective, in isolation from the labour market. The Australian market is, we’ ve found, highly segmented, with major barriers to advancement in many fields. Exacerbating these structures in recent years has been an increase in higher- and lower-skilled jobs and a decline in intermediate jobs. Due to such structures and trends, mid-level qualifications and work are now the missing links in effective pathways for many fields, apart from some regulated professions and trades.
We’ ve examined participation in, and outcomes from, mid-level qualifications. We’ ve found that the fall in diploma enrolments of the early and mid 2000s reversed strongly from 2007: in fact, full-time equivalent student load in diplomas increased overall by 71 per cent between 2002 and 2012, larger than the increase of 40 per cent in bachelor’ s degree load over that period( advanced diploma load did decline by 4 per cent in this time). Also, the associate’ s degree load increased over six-fold between 2002 and 2012, albeit from a small base.
However, such change varied markedly by field. For example, in the broad field of health education, diploma load increased by 607 per cent between 2002 and 2012, probably reflecting a change in nursing registration enrolment requirements from a Certificate IV to a diploma in all states. By contrast, diploma load in the natural and physical sciences was virtually the same in 2012 as it was 10 years before.
We’ ve also examined how employment, further studies and skills outcomes from mid-level qualifications have varied by field of education and age, using the 2011 Student Outcomes Survey( defining mid-level qualifications for this purpose as qualifications at“ diploma and above” levels). We wanted to examine the age differentiation to test the idea that mid-level qualifications play different roles at various stages of a career: labour market entry and pathway to further study for young people; skills development and occupational advancement for older workers.
We found outcomes varied considerably by field and age group. Graduates with diplomas and above had similar rates of full-time employment to graduates of certificates III and IV: all from 53 per cent to 55 per cent. However, the full-time employment rate for graduates with diplomas and above varied by broad field, from 35 per cent for information technology to 75 per cent for education. When we accounted for differences of gender, field of study and whether graduates worked before study or not, the probability of employment for diploma and above was 22 per cent for those aged 15 to 24 and a little higher – 28 per cent – for those over age 24.
Graduates with diplomas and above also had a similar rate of participation in further study( 34 per cent) as Certificate IV( 33 per cent) and Certificate III( 29 per cent) holders. This reinforces a finding from other data( the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Survey of Education and Training) that an increasing proportion of people are undertaking multiple stints of study, from varied starting points. The rates of those undertaking study at a level of bachelor’ s degree or higher was more highly differentiated. Graduates with diplomas and above were at 15 per cent, with 7 per cent for Certificate
IV and 4 per cent for Certificate III.
Further study among diploma-and-above graduates also varied by field. The rates ranged from 23 per cent in agriculture and environmental studies to 44 per cent in engineering. And although 29 per cent of diploma and above graduates in the natural and physical sciences were in study at a bachelor’ s degree level or higher, this proportion was only 5 per cent in agricultural and environmental studies.
Further study also varied by age. Whereas the probability of further study( of any sort) was 39 per cent of graduates with diplomas or above aged 15-24, the rate was about 30 per cent for those aged over 24. The probability of further study at bachelor’ s degree or higher was 14 per cent of those diploma-and-above graduates aged 15-24 – statistically very similar to the 12 per cent for those aged 25-44. However, the rate among those 45 and over was only 7 per cent.
We measured occupational progression in terms of whether work after study was at a higher skill level than before study. Overall, the rate for such progression was higher for Certificate III graduates( 22 per cent), many of whom have clear pathways to the skilled trades, than for graduates of Certificate IVs( 12 per cent) or programs for diplomas and above( 17 per cent). Among diploma-and-above graduates, there was marked variation by broad field. For example, in agriculture and environmental studies, where the industry can have particularly high barriers to advancement, the proportion that had progressed was just 10 per cent. In health it was 32 per cent, reflecting the clear pathway to enrolled nursing that a diploma can provide.
It was in age variation that the results for occupational advancement were unexpected. Although the probability of moving into more highly skilled work was 36 per cent for diploma-and-above graduates aged 15-24, for those aged 25-44 it was 7 per cent, and for those 45 and above, 3 per cent. Although it should be noted that the survey is undertaken six months after graduation, and improved job outcomes for many would no doubt take longer, these results for older workers were surprising.
Hence, our examination of the role of mid-level qualifications today shows a mixed picture. After a period of decline, increasing numbers are studying diplomas, whilst the place of the advanced diploma is perhaps being overtaken by the relatively new contender, the associate’ s degree.
But patterns of participation, and outcomes, vary markedly by field of education in ways related to changing labour market occupational regulatory structures. Mid-level qualifications appear to play somewhat different roles according to field of education and work, as balances between labour market entry, pathways to further study and occupational progression vary in different fields.
On the whole, however, the effectiveness of midlevel qualifications in providing links to further study and more highly skilled work is much better for young people entering the labour market than for older people, and skills progression through working life is a major missing link. As such pathways are generally better in the more regulated trades and professions, our findings suggest that better coordination in the structures of education and work between employee and professional bodies, government, industry and educational institutions is needed. n
Nick Fredman is a research fellow at LH Martin Institute. www. campusreview. com. au Issue 8 2013 | 37