LET'S NOT BE A NATION OF DROPOUTS!

Dropout rates at university level are one of those educational facts of life; but recently the trend is becoming quite a concern, and a costly one at that. Increasing numbers of students are drowning in the HECS debts of unfinished courses, before they even make it to the workforce!

More Australians are making the wrong decisions about their future when it comes to education begins Liz Burke in her recent article ‘Nation of dropouts: University completion rates drop to a new low’. (January 20 2017 news.com.au)

She cites university completion data that reveals one in three students fail to complete their studies within six years of enrolment; and of the 43 Australian universities, only seven have completion rates of 75 percent. Pretty confronting statistics for the clever country! 

So, why are we making the wrong decisions? Who or what is to blame?

• The recent focus on University education at any cost?

• Disparate ATAR entrance scores?

• Parental or societal expectations?

• The increase of online courses?

• Conflicting market forces?

• Confusing course prospectuses?

• The lack of preparation and clear guidance from schools?

• Students choosing the ‘wrong’ or inappropriate courses in the first place?

The reasons are complex, but the up shot is that it’s more important than ever before for students to make better-informed decisions on their journey into further education (or otherwise). 

For our part in the equation, careers educators can help to empower students with a greater understanding of themselves, their alternatives and an awareness of some of the issues they might encounter along the way.
This way they are less likely to find themselves as that one in three, floundering in a course they are not likely to complete.  

The Work-Ready Program emphasizes the importance of students doing the footwork, understanding themselves, gaining experience, attending careers days, speaking to family and friends, graduates and people in industry. It aims to give them the confidence to be proactive in their future and not just let things happen around them. 

Some modules in Work-Ready are designed specifically to address career decisions, study and alternative pathways. So take the time to explore these:

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Utilise the activities in thismodule to help your students think a little more deeply about what makes them tick - their interests, values and goals. Let’s face it – if they are not working towards, or working at something that doesn’t align with at least one of these, chances are it’s not going to work!

The simple activity ‘Childhood Dream Careers’ is helpful if students are having difficulty identifying what it is they wish to do.
It’s an ideal springboard to reconnect with old passions and explore all kinds of options.

UNDERSTANDING WORK

‘The Career Pathway’ explores the twists and turns the pathway into a career can take. It highlights how their lifestyle and circumstance can influence their decisions, and how consideration of these will increase their chances of success in study and at work. 

Pathway Options provides information, ideas on alternative study and career entry options and suggests a number of helpful websites. Students can identify the pathway that best suits them!   

Remember: As educators we can’t address all of the issues of the university dropout rate, but we can help students to identify and put in place strategies for making more informed study and career choices. 

If you’re interested in reading Liz Burke’s article that started this conversation, you will find it on the following link:

http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/careers/nation-of-dropouts-university-completion-rates-drop-to-a-new-low/news-story/1265f4d9872db263694aaa74f815c432

Interested in the stats? See for yourself. They’re up on the DET website ‘Completion Rates of Higher Education Students – Cohort Analysis, 2005 -2014’:

https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/cohort_analysis_2005-2014_0.pdf

(If you’re brave enough to disseminate the report, it’s pretty comprehensive and makes for fascinating reading).

TRADE vs UNIVERSITY

You have probably heard the stories. Some of you may even remember it. Years ago when flared pants were the rage, petrol priced in cents per gallon and we listened to vinyl through headphones – high school students were streamed. Yes, streamed! Towards the middle years, some were syphoned off into trade school or an apprenticeship; some stayed a little longer to get into a bank job, and fewer still, remained to complete their secondary studies and compete for a place at university.

But that was when life seemed simpler, and jobs more bountiful.

In more recent years a shift in manufacturing and government policies saw trade schools close their doors and universities throw theirs open. Public perception shifted from ‘Get a trade’ to ‘Get a Degree’, and more people did just that in the belief it would secure them a better career. 

But is the tide of perception turning once again? 

Today it seems that apprenticeships are like gold and degrees a dime a dozen. These perceptions are not necessarily fair or accurate; but both streams are now competing for talent and because students must now stay longer in secondary school, that talent is from the same pool. 

So the debate is on. Trade versus University? 

This is a great debate to explore with your students and in their article from 25th January 2017, Trade versus University: a breakdown of employability, costs and earning potential, Lauren Ahwan and Melanie Burgess of News Corp Australia do just that. The statistics might just surprise you and would be a great starting point for class discussion. 

Employability – (Statistics from 2014)

University graduates employed - 68.8% (full time within four months)

Apprentice and trainee graduates employed - 84.1% (full time on completion) 

Student Debt and Earnings

University fees (depending on degree and institution) - $6000 to $10 000 a year.

Apprenticeships – paid for by the employer. 

Apprentices on award rates earn from $12.78 an hour (first-year) to $20.07 an hour (fourth-year)

Graduate Salaries (2015)

Median starting salary for a bachelor degree graduate (full-time) - $56 000

Median starting income of a VET graduate (full-time) - $56 000 to $59 000 

However…

Employability is important, very important. But what is often lost in the debate is that it’s not always about earnings and graduate salaries. Working at what we enjoy often outweighs the monetary gain, and some of our students just won’t be cut out for either the physical demands of a trade or the intellectual demands of a degree. Many just won’t be interested in either. As career educators we need to be alert to the needs of all of our students.

Work-Ready Suggestions for your students 

Look out for our Case Profiles to be uploaded onto the Work-Ready website in the very near future, where young adults talk about their studies, training and career experiences. 

The student activities ‘Consider Your Job Fit’ and ‘What influences your career pathway decisions’ in the UNDERSTANDING WORK module will give students some idea of the type of work they might be cut out for. (Under what conditions would they be happiest and work best?) 

Adapt the Research Assignment in Career Pathways to interview a person who has completed a trade, and one who has completed a degree.

You can read the full article from Lauren Ahwan and Melanie Burgess here:

http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/trade-versus-university-a-breakdown-of-employability-costs-and-earning-potential/news-story/364d23ae946a94d9808775675a5498dd

THE IMPORTANCE OF PART-TIME JOBS

The problem

Time and again we hear employers bemoan the fact that young adults are coming into the workforce armed with a qualification, but with little knowledge of what it means to actually work. The reality is that many employers these days often prefer to take on workers in their 40s, 50s and even 60s – those who have the life-skills and appreciation of what it is to be a part of a working team.

What exactly are employer’s complaints?

Young people often enter the workplace totally unprepared. Employer complaints include workers:

•Arriving late

•Leaving early

•Clock watching

•Spending working time on personal mobiles or social media

•Taking a disproportionate amount of time off

•Lacking initiative

•Not being able to take direction

•Unwilling to take on some tasks

•Poor interaction with co-workers, clients or customers

•Expecting promotion before they are ready

•Quitting

It’s a given that employers expect to train new workers in work specific skills. But they find it time consuming, expensive and frustrating to also have to school new workers on ethics and attitude. You know the kind of thing, arriving on time every day, taking initiative, answering the phone professionally, cheerfully taking on the tasks you don’t necessarily like…

Why is this happening?

One of the reasons so many young people are unprepared for the workforce, is that fewer of them are taking on part-time employment than in the past. Australia is a more affluent society and with the emphasis on education, parents are encouraging high school students to forego part-time work and concentrate on their studies. It was found in the most recent census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics that there are more young adults at university who are fully supported by their parents than ever before.  

Here’s the rub

Studying for a qualification is valuable and in many cases, necessary. But there are some skills that don’t come with that parchment. Young adults entering the workforce with a freshly minted degree and without the experience of part-time work could find themselves on the back foot. The perception of many employers is that a graduate, without work experience will be less likely to adjust to the environment of the workplace. 

Whether this is fair a perception or not, there are ethics and attitudes that only come with the experience of employment and under the model of others. (And here’s the rub. We all have to start somewhere, and it takes time to get used to a new environment, especially straight from school or study.) 

The solution

It might sound like a strange thing to say, but one of the best ways students can get themselves work ready, is to get a part-time job! Prove to future employers that they have the discipline a job requires, the organisational skills to work and study at the same time, the personal attributes to get along with others and the appreciation of earning an honest days pay.  

Work-Ready Suggestions for your students

•The ‘Finding employment’ section in the Understanding Work module has extensive resources and suggestions for helping students in their search for part-time or casual work. It provides activities to help with job applications and job interviews. 

•‘Networking’ provides tips on where and how network when searching for employment. 

•The Workplace module has tips on getting along with colleagues and developing good and productive work habits. 

If part time or casual work is impossible, volunteering helps to develop similar skills and brings similar benefits. The experience gained from volunteering is a valuable addition to any CV.

•The Personal Development module has a section on volunteering, ‘Make a Difference’ with up-to-date websites and suggestions on how students can get involved. 

•The student activity ‘Volunteering’ encourages students to identify and explore volunteering opportunities and commitments.


My own career journey has taken some strange and exciting turns, so my experiences have gone a small way into shaping my observations in the Work-Ready Program. 

I was still at school when I started my very first part-time job at the local pharmacy on Thursday nights and Saturday mornings. I still remember the delicious taste of independence my first pay packet brought.  At the age of 17 I moved to the city, deferred a degree and promptly landed myself a window dressing apprenticeship. I have had many jobs and a number of quite different careers since then; most of which were never even on my radar when first I walked out of the school gates. That’s what I find exciting about what we have been doing on Work-Ready – preparing young adults for the opportunities ahead of them, some of which might not even be on their radar! 

My own qualifications are in health, an Honours Degree in Humanities, and a Post- Graduate Degree in Education. These qualifications have certainly enhanced my opportunities, but have not been their limit. I have dressed windows, flipped burgers, cleaned houses and pulled a pint or two. My work has taken me to tiny villages along the coast and into the rugged highlands of Papua New Guinea. I have nursed throughout Australia, taught on communities in the remote outback and edited in between. 

Some of my most rewarding experiences have been my time in education, working with young people and educators from all backgrounds. Teaching on the APY Lands I was involved with industry and elders in developing a quality and relevant work experience program for my students. I have also taught the Personal Learning Plan (PLP) in Adelaide schools. Helping students to identify opportunities can be challenging, but so rewarding when you see them step into the future with an air of confidence and enthusiasm. 

I have worked as editor, researcher and assistant to the publisher at TMP since 2014. I enjoy the camaraderie of our workplace, and fact that we are all passionate about putting together publications that genuinely assist students and educators alike. 

In my life I have learned not to be afraid to take myself out of my comfort zone. Look out for opportunity, take a deep breath, and go for it!

Cheers, Mandy