News & Events
Youth policy forum
Young people: Finding their way in a new era
10 November 2009
Researchers, policy-makers and others with an interest in youth transitions gathered in Melbourne on 10 November 2009 for the Young people: Finding their way in a new era policy forum. The event was sponsored by NCVER and DEEWR. The forum was primarily designed to showcase data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) and highlighted how the survey data can be used in multiple ways to improve young people's transitions into life after schooling.
The presenters were: Lucas Walsh, Alison Anlezark, David Curtis, Mike Dockery, Nicolas Herault, Kylie Hillman, Tom Karmel, Patrick Lim, Kristy Muir, Nhi Nguyen, Chris Ryan and Joanna Sikora. The panellists were: Evan Arthur, James Barron, Alice Bleby, Ian Colley, Phillip McKenzie and Lucas Walsh.
Abstracts for each of the sessions are contained in the program booklet.
Young people finding their way booklet (2.6 MB PDF file)
Three strong themes emerged during the day:
- Channelling resources into a one-size-fits-all approach of boosting Year 12 and higher education participation will not reach those groups of young people at risk of becoming disengaged. More prominence needs to be given to alternative pathways which combine education and training.
- Setting out a plan for their transition can contribute to young people's success in moving from school into further education and work. This calls also for well-tailored career advice that understands the multiple pathways available.
- Most young people go on to achieve satisfactory education and labour market outcomes by their mid-20s. A much smaller proportion, less than 10%, are genuinely 'at risk' for significant periods of time between the ages of 15 and 25 years. One of the strongest factors associated with being at risk of long-term disengagement is having low levels of literacy and numeracy.
Two publications presented on the day:
Muir, K, Mullan, K, Powell, A, Flaxman, S, Thompson, D & Griffiths, M 2009, State of Australia's young people: A report on the social, economic, health and family lives of young people, DEEWR, Canberra, viewed November 2009, http://www.youth.gov.au/news.html#youngpeople.
This report presents a comprehensive picture of young Australian people. Overall the report presents a positive picture. It also highlights some areas of concern and underlines the important role that families, education and employment play in young people's development.
Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) 2009, How young people are faring '09, Education Foundation, Melbourne, viewed November 2009, http://www.fya.org.au/hypaf-2009/
How young people are faring is a national annual report on the learning and work situation of young Australians. This year's report focuses on the global economic downturn and the subsequent impact on young people's aspirations, employment opportunities and education pathways.
