September 2011     New research shows that university study after the completion of Year 12 is the best pathway for young women, regardless of academic orientation.

Released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Which paths work for which young people? finds that for women, going to university leads to the best outcomes in terms of engaging in full-time work or study and earning higher pay for those who work full-time.

Dr Tom Karmel, Managing Director, NCVER said there are fewer attractive job opportunities available to women that do not require a degree.

“For young men, going down the apprenticeship pathway after completing Year 12 leads to the best predicted pay at age 25, while the university pathway leads to jobs with the highest status,” Dr Karmel said.

This study, which analyses data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) highlights that on average, young people need to have Year 12 plus further study to get them on a path to success, that is, being in full-time employment or study, earning higher wages, having better job prospects and being satisfied with life.

“Year 12 on its own is not sufficient; for females it is most worthwhile if followed up by university and similarly we find for males, that Year 12 followed by university or an apprenticeship is beneficial."

"However, it would not be a good idea to force everyone to complete Year 12; some pathways involving Year 12 do not lead to better outcomes relative to leaving school earlier. For example, a young man who leaves school early to take up an apprenticeship will be, on average, in a higher status job at age 25 than a peer who completed Year 12 and then took up a traineeship."

“It is worth noting that this study follows young people who completed Year 12 in 1998 which was a buoyant economic period, so it is possible that the success of various pathways would differ in a downturn.”

Copies of Which paths work for which young people? by Tom Karmel and Shu-Hui Liu, NCVER are available from www.lsay.edu.au/publications/2397.html

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