The current study examined financial stress, career-related optimism, and psychological distress from the age of 19 (2013; n = 5,787), until the age of 25 (2019; n = 2,933) using the Longitudinal Surveys of Australia Youth (2009 cohort). Longitudinal mediation using latent growth curve modeling observed trajectories of change across young…

Children who are excluded from school may end up being excluded from other social institutions. Yet little research has considered whether low school belonging is a risk factor for not being in education, employment, or training after graduation. Using two longitudinal cohorts from Australia (N = 14,082; 51% Boys), we explored this relationship.…

Although the gender gap in non-compulsory science attracts much attention, few studies compare factors that shape it at subsequent life stages. Here, a life-course approach is used to examine the gender gap in science career expectations at ages 16, 23 and 26 for a recent student cohort. Then, a decomposition is applied to assess what share of the…

It is well established that a successful transition to the labour market has long-term social and economic implications for both individuals and society. However, the journey from school to the world of work is not straightforward and needs to be better understood. Based on data from the 2006 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth…

As part of the drive to lift Australia's productivity, there has been a push for an increase in the number of course completions in both the vocational education and training (VET) and higher education sectors. While it is generally assumed that completing a course is the desired outcome, it is also expected that individuals will acquire skills…

Lower-level qualifications (certificate I and II programs) provide little or no immediate return to the individual in terms of increased wages. However, lower-level qualifications are intended to prepare students who would otherwise not be capable of enrolling in and completing a higher-level qualification or making a successful transition into…

There was a time when leaving school marked the beginning of adulthood. Even though this transition has now lengthened, the traditional markers of a successful transition remain the same: getting a good job, becoming a responsible citizen, establishing a household and having a family. Being either in full-time education or work, or a combination…

Following the collapse of the US investment bank Lehmann Brothers in September 2008, the world economy began a downward spiral, with many countries falling into recession. Australia experienced significant stock market losses and unemployment rates began to climb. This briefing paper considers how young people fared in previous downturns and…

Apprenticeships and traineeships offer pathways from school to adult working life for a significant proportion of young people by formally combining study and work to link learning in the workplace with learning in an educational institution. They contribute in important ways to the formation of skills for individuals and for the community as a…

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…

Taking a gap year--a break between high school and university--is becoming increasingly popular with Australian students. In terms of length and purpose, the traditional notion of a gap year being a year off between school and university has expanded considerably over time. For the purposes of the analysis reported in this paper, a person who…

Vocational education in schools declined significantly following the demise of the 1970s of technical high schools. By the 1990s, it had undergone a renaissance after formal school vocational education and training (VET) programs became an accepted feature of the latter years of schooling. There is now a diverse range of school VET options…

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program studies the progress of several groups of young Australians as they move from school into post-secondary education and work. This technical paper contains the questionnaire for the LSAY 1998 cohort Wave 12 (2009) data set. [For the accompanying frequency tables, "Longitudinal Surveys…

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,…

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program studies the progress of several groups of young Australians as they move from school into post-secondary education and work. This technical paper contains the frequency tables for the LSAY 1998 cohort Wave 12 (2009) data set. [For the accompanying questionnaire, "Longitudinal Surveys…