The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) are a series of nationally representative surveys of young people, which follow their transitions from compulsory schooling to postschool education and into employment. The survey program is administered by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) on behalf of the Australian…

In November and early December 2010, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) conducted consultations to identify research topics using the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY). LSAY tracks young people from the age of 15 to 25 as they move from school into further study, work and other destinations. It uses large,…

Taking a break between completing high school and entering university is common overseas, and is becoming more popular in Australia. There are many reasons why young people take a gap year. It may be to travel, to take a break, to study, or to work. The authors' definition of a "gapper" is a young person who commenced university one to…

This report examines the factors that influence course completion by young Australians who commence university. It also documents the labor market outcomes of those who enroll at a university but who leave before obtaining a qualification. It analyzes data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program to address these…

This report focuses on a group of young people who were living in non-metropolitan areas in their final years of secondary school, and the pathways they followed in the years following secondary school, including their geographic mobility and participation in education, training and employment. Rural communities have long felt concern about the…

This study examines non-completion of Year 12 at school for a nationally representative sample of young people who were 15 years old and still attending school in 2003. The study explores relationships between non-completion and selected socio-demographic and school-related factors, and changes in rates of school non-completion from the early…

This report focuses on Year 12 students who apply to go to university but are not offered a place. This group is commonly referred to as indicating a level of unmet demand for university. The size and nature of the group are potentially important considerations in planning higher education. The report compares the Applied, no offer group with…

This report examines young people's participation in career advice activities while at school and their perceptions of the usefulness of the advice they receive. The data are from the 2003 15 year-old cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY). Most members of this LSAY Y03 cohort were in Year 10 in 2003. The present report…

Participation in senior secondary education in Australia has experienced tremendous growth since the late 1960s. Much of this growth has come from young people who were the first in their families to participate in schooling at this level. Many of the changes in participation and in curriculum offerings have been documented as part of a number of…

Data for the Y95 cohort (first interviewed in 1995 when in Year 9) of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth were used to analyze the vocational education and training (VET) activities and experiences of Australian noncompleters of year 12 in their initial postschool years. Approximately 37% of the noncompleters had undertaken some type of…

This report focuses on a group of young people who are not involved in full-time education or the labour force, that is, they are not studying full-time, nor are they working or looking for work. The data used in this report are drawn from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), which studies the progress of cohorts of young…

This report examines the relationship between students' attitudes to school and intentions to participate in education and training, and the influence of these attitudes and intentions on participation in Year 12 and in further education and training. Students' attitudes to school, educational intentions and attainments are considered in the…

This research study investigated the patterns of course choice in Year 12, and the consequences of these choices. The literature has pointed to differences in curriculum participation according to background variables such as social background and gender. If these choices lead to different but equal outcomes then there is no problem: there are…

This study analyses the role of traineeships in the transition from school to work using data from a sample of the cohort of young Australians who were in Year 9 in 1995. The sample has been surveyed each year from 1995 to 2002--corresponding to ages 14 through to 21--as part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth conducted by the…