The distinction between VET and higher education in Australia is blurring. The purpose of this paper is to examine – through the conduct of a case study of engineering qualifications (AQF6) delivered in Victoria – how education and training providers and students are likely to respond to different fees and funding arrangements under the student...

Using data from the 2009 Student Outcomes Survey, the report looks at the pay-off to completion on a range of outcomes, and identifies the groups for whom completion is particularly important. The overall qualification estimated completion rate for the cohort commencing in 2005 was 27%, a figure that was greeted with some consternation. While this...

This report investigates attrition in the trades by comparing the rate at which tradespeople leave their occupation with that of professionals. It also determines whether attrition is influenced by economic conditions, and if a trade can provide a good start to a career in the professions. . Skill shortages in the trades are of growing...

This paper documents the transition of young people from high school to professional work, via tertiary study or vocational training and apprenticeships. In this paper, the authors identify various educational paths involving school and post-school study and assess the effectivness of these in relation to post-school outcomes at age 25 years. They use the 1995...

This paper updates an earlier paper by Karmel and Mlotkowski and looks at how the probability of getting a job, in addition to wages, impacts on completion rates. It finds that for trade apprentices the premium (or extra wage completing an apprenticeship brings) attached to becoming a tradesperson is a significant factor, whereas for non-trade...