December 2011     More teenage girls than boys head off to university, where as more teenage boys than girls choose vocational education and training (VET). 

Published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Young people in education and training 2010 provides a picture of how many and where young people (aged 15 to 19 years) study.

Nationally, the data show that of the young people at university, 57% were female and 43% were male, and of those in training, 56% were male and 44% were female. In comparison, the gender divide at school is just about equal, in line with population figures.

“Beyond school, factors such as advice from parents and career aspirations, influence young people’s study choices”, said Ms Sandra Pattison, General Manager, Statistics.

Of all young people in Australia, 80% of all teenage girls and 78% of all teenage boys were enrolled in school, vocational training or university in August 2010.

Compared with 2009, the number of young people studying increased, with a 2.4% rise in school students, a 4.8% growth in university students, and a 3.3% increase in VET students.

“The states raising the school leaving age combined with the soft labour market for young people have contributed to the numbers going up”, said Ms Pattison.

Young people in education and training draws together data collected by NCVER, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Copies of Australian vocational education and training statistics: young people in education and training 2010 are available from www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2455.html

From information provided by NCVER, December 12, 2011.

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