Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research - Research Publications
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ItemMaking ‘good’ choices: the impact of entitlement models on upskilling later in life(National Centre for Vocational Education Research, 2017)
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ItemThe Power of Self-Interest: Effects of Education and Training Entitlements in Later-Life(Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, 2017)Education and training among the working-age population has become an increasingly important policy issue as working lives have lengthened and the pace of technological change has quickened. This paper describes the effects of a reform that replaced a supply-driven model, in which government selected the number and providers of publicly subsidised Vocational Education and Training (VET), with a demand-driven approach that broadened access to adult training and gave working-age individuals greater freedom of VET course choice. Difference-in-differences analysis reveals that the large-scale reform, which was introduced in the Australian state of Victoria from 2009, substantively increased participation in VET among the population aged 25-54, and corresponded with an improved match between VET courses taken and objective ex ante measures of labour market demand. Indeed, the scheme was so popular that it resulted in a budget over-run by 2012 of $400 million (AUD, on a total budget of $1.3 billion).
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ItemWhat Happens to Students with Low Reading Proficiency at 15? Evidence from Australia(Wiley, 2017-12)While is it widely accepted that adults with poor reading skills have inferior labour market outcomes, little is known about whether low reading proficiency in school is a precursor to inferior labour market outcomes in adulthood. We fill this gap in the literature using education and labour market information to age 25 years for participants in the 2003 Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) who were tracked from age 15 in the 2003 Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth. We find no difference in full-time employment rates or earning capacity of jobs attained at age 25 between those who had low and medium reading proficiency at age 15. Supporting analysis suggests that high rates of participation and positive outcomes from vocational education and training (VET) among those with low reading proficiency helps them avoid any negative effects from poor achievement in school. These results highlight the role of accessible VET pathways in facilitating the labour market participation of youth who may become disengaged from learning in school.
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ItemVocational Education and Training: A Pathway to the Straight and Narrow(Melbourne Institute of Applied and Economic Social Research, 2016)
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ItemLong-Term Outcomes from Australian Vocational Education(Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, 2016)