QUALITY DECLARATION - SUMMARY
INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
TableBuilder files are released in accordance with the conditions specified in the Statistics Determination section of the Census and Statistics Act 1905 (CSA). This ensures that confidentiality is maintained whilst enabling micro level data to be released. More information on the confidentiality practices associated with TableBuilder can be found on the Confidentiality page.
For information on the institutional environment of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), including the legislative obligations of the ABS, financing and governance arrangements, and mechanisms for scrutiny of ABS operations, please see ABS Institutional Environment.
RELEVANCE
Data on Learning and Work were collected as part of the 2010–11 Multipurpose Household Survey (MPHS). The MPHS is a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS) and is designed to collect annual statistics on a small number of self-contained topics. The scope of the LFS is restricted to people aged 15 years and over, and excludes members of the permanent defence forces; certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments usually excluded from census and estimated resident populations; overseas residents in Australia; and members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependents). Refer to Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) for further information regarding the LFS. In addition, the 2010–11 MPHS excluded people living in very remote parts of Australia and people living in non-private dwellings such as hotels, university residences, students at boarding schools, patients in hospitals, inmates of prisons and residents of other institutions (e.g. retirement homes, homes for people with disabilities).
Microdata from the Learning and Work component of the MPHS are available in TableBuilder. Respondents were asked questions regarding their non-school qualification history. The type of information collected included the level and field of each qualification, year of completion and whether the qualification was completed in Australia. Data was also collected on the impact of each qualification on the person's working life in the first six months after completion, the relevance of each qualification to a person's current job as well as information about their cultural background. The data was collected from one person selected at random in each selected household.
For more information, see Microdata: Learning and Work, Australia, 2010–11 (cat. no. 4235.0.55.001).
TIMELINESS
The MPHS is an annual survey with enumeration undertaken over the financial year period from July to June. The Learning and Work topic was collected for the first time using the MPHS in 2010-11 and is scheduled to be repeated in 2014–15. Data from the Learning and Work topic (in the form of html and data cubes) were released on 21 February 2012. Microdata in the form of a TableBuilder file is expected to be released within 24 months of the completion of enumeration.
ACCURACY
The microdata contains finer levels of detail than has been released in other formats, such as in Learning and Work, Australia, 2010–11 (cat. no. 4235.0). For more information on the level of detail provided, please see the associated data item lists.
Steps are taken to confidentialise the data made available on TableBuilder in such a way as to maximise the usefulness of the content while maintaining the confidentiality of respondents selected in the survey. As a result it may not be possible to exactly reconcile all the statistics produced from the microdata with other published statistics. Further information about the steps taken to confidentialise the microdata is available through the following link:
TableBuilder confidentiality
COHERENCE
While the 2010-11 MPHS Learning and Work topic evolved from the 2006-07 MPHS Adult Learning module, there is sufficient difference between the two to make comparisons inappropriate. The most recent survey focused only on formal non–school qualifications, while the Adult Learning module collected information about the recent learning experiences (including formal qualifications, non–formal training and informal learning) of people aged 25–64. The Adult Learning topic was restricted to this age group to exclude people who were in the initial stages of education (to align with the European Adult Learning Survey). Learning and Work also includes information about the impact of qualifications on labour market outcomes and the relevance of qualifications to an individual's current job.
Data on educational participation are also collected through the Survey of Education and Training (SET) and the Survey of Education and Work (SEW). Most of the content included in the MPHS Learning and Work topic is similar to that collected in the 2009 SET. The additional information available from the Learning and Work topic covers the relevance of the main field of study of the respondent's qualifications to their current job and whether the qualifications were completed in Australia. By contrast, most of the content included in Learning and Work is different to the content included in SEW.
Care should be taken when comparing data from different surveys that relate to education and training issues, due to the different scopes, definitions and methodologies used.
The Explanatory Notes section of Learning and Work, Australia, 2010–11 (cat. no. 4235.0) provides more detailed information on the differences between the ABS Education surveys over time.
INTERPRETABILITY
The information within this product should be referred to when using the microdata. It contains information including Survey methodology, File structure, Using the TableBuilder, Conditions of use and the Data item lists.
The Explanatory Notes section of the Learning and Work, Australia, 2010–11 (cat. no. 4235.0) includes information on survey objectives, survey methods and design, data quality and interpretation, output data items, information about the availability of results and comparability with previous surveys.
ACCESSIBILITY
Microdata products are available to approved users. Users wishing to access the microdata should read the How to apply for Microdata web page, before applying for access through MiCRO. Users should also familiarise themselves with information available via the Microdata web pages.
A full list of available microdata can be viewed via the List of expected and available Microdata.
Learning and Work 2010–11 can be accessed using TableBuilder.
Any questions regarding access to microdata can be forwarded to microdata.access@abs.gov.au or phone (02) 6252 7714.
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