4102.0 - Australian Social Trends, 2003
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 03/06/2003
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Education and work: Work-related training PARTICIPATION IN WORK-RELATED TRAINING BY PERSONS IN THE LABOUR FORCE(a)
(b) People may have undertaken more than one type of training and therefore components do not add to total persons in the labour force. (c) In the 12 months prior to the survey. (d) Includes persons who started training courses in the 12 months prior to the survey but did not complete them. Source: Education and Training Experience, Australia, 2001 (ABS cat. no. 6278.0).
Completion of work-related training courses In 2001, 4.6 million people in the labour force completed one or more work-related training courses, an increase of 67% (almost 2 million participants) since 1993. During this period, the proportion of all people in the labour force who completed a work-related training course increased from 30% to 45%, while the proportion of those doing on-the-job training decreased slightly. This change reflects increasing importance being placed on the completion of formalised, structured courses, with Australia's training system now based on nationally agreed industry competencies, qualifications and assessment.2 Employers are encouraged to deal with registered training organisations (RTOs), as they provide nationally recognised training. Who completes work-related training courses? In 2001, most work-related training courses were completed by people who were wage and salary earners at the time of training (84%). Courses completed by people working in their own business or under other arrangements made up 12% of work-related training completed, with a further 4% of courses completed by individuals who were not working. The remainder of this article focuses on the 8.3 million training courses completed by wage and salary earners in 2001. While an equal proportion of work-related training courses were completed by men and women in 2001, training was more likely to be undertaken during the early to middle stages of a person's career. Almost 78% of all training courses were completed by wage and salary earners aged 25-54 years. Training courses were less likely to be undertaken or completed by individuals at the beginning of their working experience (16% among 15-24 years) and closer to the age of retirement (6% among 55-64 years). TRAINING COURSE COMPLETIONS BY WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS - 2001
(b) Relates to occupation in job of main period of employment over the previous 12 months. (c) Skill level ranked from 1 (the highest) to 5 (the lowest) based on the ASCO - Australian Classification of Occupations, Second Edition (ABS cat. no. 1220.0). (d) Responses not determined were excluded prior to the calculation of percentages. (e) Includes responses not determined. Source: ABS 1997 Survey of Education and Training; Education and Training Experience, Australia, 2001 (ABS cat. no. 6278.0). Employment characteristics The distribution of work-related training course completions varies across different occupation groups. In 2001, Professionals and Intermediate clerical, sales and service workers completed the most work-related training courses (30% and 19% respectively). Variation in the number of work-related training course completions between occupation groups partly reflects their differing sizes. For example, as Professionals and Associate professionals together made up the largest occupation group of employees in 2001 (around 30%),3 they also completed the highest proportion of training courses (44%). However, patterns of training course completions are also likely to be related to differing demands for skill and knowledge development in certain occupations groups. For example, lower skilled occupations such as Labourers and related workers (completing 4% of all courses) may develop skills on the job rather than through formal training courses. Between 1997 and 2001, the number of training course completions increased for each of the broad occupation groups. Most notably, work-related training course completions increased by 33% for Elementary clerical, sales and service workers and 27% for Associate professionals. The number of work-related training course completions by part-time wage and salary earners increased by almost 50% between 1997 and 2001. This may be attributed to the steady rise in part-time employment within the labour force over the same period.3 Employer characteristics In 2001, 35% of work-related training courses were completed by wage and salary earners employed within the public sector, although this sector accounted for 20% of all wage and salary earners in the labour force.4 In contrast, the private sector made up 80% of wage and salary earners in 2001 but accounted for 65% of training course completions. These differences can largely be attributed to the occupational composition of each sector. Small businesses (i.e. those with fewer than 20 workers) are less likely than other businesses to offer work-related training. Although in 2001, 38% of wage and salary earners (working within the private sector) were employed by small businesses,4 only 13% of course completions were from this group. On the other hand, 87% of all work-related training courses over the same period were completed by wage and salary earners in larger businesses, which may have a greater need for standard training across their organisations, as well as the resources to support such training. Field of work-related training Completion of training courses in specific fields reflects industry needs for certain skills and expertise in particular areas. In 2001, 29% of all work-related training course completions were in the Management and professional field. However, completions of Health and safety training courses increased most rapidly between 1997 and 2001, from 12% to 17%. This may reflect more attention being placed on health and safety issues in the workplace than in the past. In 2001, lower proportions of work-related training course completions were recorded in fields such as Trade and craft, Transport, plant and machinery operation, and Clerical and office. Where skills required are lower, and/or labour with skills needed is in abundance, employers may be less likely to offer work-related training.5 It has also been suggested that there is a lower return on investment in training for employers who largely rely on contracted labour (such as trade work), due to the more transient nature of contract employment.5 TRAINING COURSE COMPLETIONS(a): FIELD OF TRAINING (a) In the 12 months prior to the survey, by persons who were wage and salary earners at the time of training. Source: ABS 1997 Survey of Education and Training; ABS 2001 Survey of Education, Training and Information Technology.
Time spent on work-related training Most work-related training courses are relatively short in duration, with 60% of course completions in 2001 being undertaken in less than 10 hours. Completions of shorter courses (i.e. less than 10 hours) increased by 26% between 1997 and 2001, accounting for the overall increase in work-related training course completions over the same period. The number of course completions with a duration of 10 hours or more remained stable. Consistent with this trend, the average duration of courses completed by wage and salary earners fell from 20.6 hours to 17.4 hours between 1997 and 2001. Across industries, Communication services and Government administration and defence were the only industry groups that experienced an increase in the average duration of courses completed by wage and salary earners between 1997 and 2001 (up by 2.1 and 4.1 hours respectively). TIME SPENT ON EACH TRAINING COURSE(a) (a) Completed in the 12 months prior to the survey, by persons who were wage and salary earners at the time of training. Source: ABS 1997 Survey of Education and Training; ABS 2001 Survey of Education, Training and Information Technology. Training course costs and support Participation in work-related training is largely supported by employers who, in most cases, bear the costs in terms of time and money. In 2001, 77% of training course completions were undertaken wholly during work time with a further 7% undertaken in both work and own time. The financial costs of training were incurred by participants for 7% of all course completions. For those courses that involved a cost to the participant, the average expenditure was slightly higher in 2001 than in 1997 ($272 per course, compared with $243). The average cost of training course completions for men was substantially higher than for women ($374 compared with $199 per course). This variation is likely to be related to the differing types of courses men and women complete, and the fields in which they tend to be employed. Most work-related training courses completed were internal courses (i.e. courses were mainly attended by people working for the person’s employer at the time of training). Of the 27% of training courses that were external, almost three-quarters were completed by participants who received some financial support. In 2001, support for training was provided mainly through employers paying for training fees (14% of courses) and providing paid study leave (13% of courses, double the proportion in 1997). Government administration and defence industries provided the most support for external training in 2001, funding 85% of external course completions within that industry. Accommodation, cafes and restaurants, and Culture and recreation industries provided the lowest proportion of financial support compared with other industries, funding 63% of external course completions within those industries. TRAINING COURSE COMPLETIONS(a): TRAINING SUPPORT RECEIVED AND COSTS OF TRAINING
(b) Relates to main employer during the period. (c) Training course mainly attended by people not working for the person’s employer or business at the time of training. Source: ABS 1997 Survey of Education and Training; ABS 2001 Survey of Education, Training and Information Technology.
Outcomes of training courses While training involves an investment of both time and money, it also usually results in benefits to both employers and employees. For employees, training often provides the relevant skills and knowledge to remain competitive in today's labour market. In 2001, 89% of training courses were completed by wage and salary earners who considered skills gained from training to be transferable to a similar job with another employer. Overall, 8% of courses were reported to have helped obtain a promotion or pay rise, with younger people (aged 20-34 years), having the highest proportion at 55%. TRAINING COURSE COMPLETIONS(a): OUTCOMES OF TRAINING - 2001
Source: Education and Training Experience, Australia, 2001, (ABS cat. no. 6278.0). Access to training courses Although 4.8 million people participated in work-related training courses, others experienced difficulty in gaining access to training courses. In 2001, almost 3 million Australians indicated they were unable to undertake the work-related training courses they desired. Limited access to training was most likely to be due to 'too much work', reported as the main reason by 18% of respondents, or 'no time' (17%). The main barriers for accessing work-related training courses for men and women differed, with 23% of men claiming to have 'too much work' as the main reason, while 21% of women reported 'personal/family' reasons. Barriers to accessing training also differed across age groups. For example, people aged 20-24 years reported not having enough time (18%) or 'financial reasons' (17%) as the main barriers, while people aged 25-44 years reported 'too much work' (19%) as the main reason for limited access to training courses. PERSONS EXPERIENCING BARRIERS TO ACCESSING WORK-RELATED TRAINING COURSES - 2001(a)
(b) Includes persons who attended a training course, but wanted to undertake additional training courses. (c) Includes other reasons. Source: Education and Training Experience, Australia, 2001 (ABS cat. no. 6278.0). Endnotes 1 Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) 1998, A bridge to the future: Australia's national strategy for vocational education and training 1998-2003, ANTA, Brisbane. 2 Australian National Training Authority (ANTA), Australian National Training Authority, <www.anta.gov.au/emp.asp>, accessed 13 September 2002. 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2003, Year Book Australia, cat. no. 1301.0, ABS, Canberra. 4 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001, Wage and Salary Earners, Australia, cat. no. 6248.0, ABS, Canberra. 5 Hall, R., Bretherton, T., and Buchanan, J. 2000, 'Its not my problem': the growth of non-standard work and its impact on vocational education and training in Australia, National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), South Australia. 6 National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) 2002, Australian VET statistics 2001: At a glance, NCVER, South Australia. 7 National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) 2001, Australian VET statistics 2001: In detail, NCVER, South Australia. 8 National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) 2000, Vetstats: highlights for 2000, NCVER, South Australia. 9 Centrelink, Training credits factsheet, <www.centrelink.gov.au>, accessed 1 September 2002. 10 Centrelink, Transition to work factsheet, <www.centrelink.gov.au>, accessed 1 September 2002.
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