VET & TAFE
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of the difference we see is because non-Indigenous graduates are
more likely to be employed before training than Indigenous graduates.
So when we take that out, it is more even.
Does that pre-qualification employment relate to the qualification
itself, or can it be any kind of employment?
It could be any kind. We don’t capture that in our survey.
Why is VET the preferred option for Indigenous people?
That wasn’t something we looked at specifically in our survey … but
literature suggests that VET is popular because it’s more accessible.
There are many VET providers, and there are a lot more in many of
the regional and remote areas, so they may be a more accessible
training option for Indigenous students than higher education.
But it’s also been suggested that Indigenous students might prefer
vocational education because they enjoy and prefer work-based
approaches to learning. There will be some who aren’t necessarily
interested in an academic pathway. So these are some of the
things that come up in the literature, but it wasn’t something we
specifically looked at in our research.
Were there other findings in the research that you saw as pertinent?
Yes. One key area is Indigenous completion rates being lower
than those of non-Indigenous. But, in addition to that, there are
Indigenous graduates that are doing lower level completions, and
so those in remote and very remote areas were even less likely to
complete as well. So there were some key concerns there and
areas for possible improvement.
Another finding that we found quite interesting was around further
study. While about a third of Indigenous graduates go on to further
study, which is similar to non-Indigenous graduates, we found that less
than 30 per cent of young Indigenous graduates – that is, 15 to 24-year-
olds who were studying the lower level qualifications – went on to study
at a higher level. And this proportion hasn’t really changed over the last
decade. So once again, from that, it would be good to see strategies in
the future that are geared towards helping these young graduates with
low level qualifications move into higher level qualifications.
How can this research be translated into policy?
We haven’t looked at that specifically or done any policy analysis.
However, I think our sector could consider programs and targets like
those operating in higher education. That is, programs which not
only help to improve retention and completion, but also help with
pathways into higher level qualifications, whether it be diploma-level
study or university. But given that the employment outcomes for
Indigenous trade apprentices are so high, we also think that anything
that encourages or facilitates the uptake and completion of trade
apprenticeships and traineeships is a positive step. ■
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