GLOSSARY


Apprentice

An apprentice is a person who has entered into a legal contract (called a training agreement or contract of training) with an employer, to serve a period of training for the purpose of attaining tradesperson status in a recognised trade. In this survey, persons who are apprentices and trainees are identified by their answer to a question specifically pertaining to a contract under the Australian Apprenticeships scheme.

Balance of state/territory

Comprises the balance of each state/territory not included in Capital City. See Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 - Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, July 2011 (cat. no. 1270.0.55.001).

Capital city

Refers to Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA) as defined by the ASGS. The GCCSAs represent the socio-economic extent of each of the eight State and Territory capital cities. The whole of the ACT is included in the GCCSA.

Certificate n.f.d. (Certificate not further defined)

Survey responses are coded to Certificate not further defined (n.f.d.) when there is not enough information to code them to Certificate I, II, III or IV in the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0), Level of education classification.

Completed

'Completed' a qualification means having successfully passed all of the requirements for the qualification.

Country of birth

Country of birth has been classified according to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), Second Edition (cat. no. 1269.0).

Currently enrolled in study

Enrolled in a course of formal study for a trade certificate, diploma, degree or any other educational qualification, in May of the survey year.

Dependent child

Persons aged less than 15 years who have a parent/guardian in the household.

Educational institution

Any institution whose primary role is education. Included are schools, higher education establishments, colleges of technical and further education and public and private colleges.

Employed

Persons who, during the reference week:

• worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind in a job or business, or on a farm (comprising employees, employers and own account workers); or
• worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers); or
• were employees who had a job but were not at work and were:
  • away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the reference week; or
  • away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the reference week and received pay for some or all of the four week period to the end of the reference week; or
  • away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement; or
  • on strike or locked out; or
  • on workers' compensation and expected to return to their job; or
• were employers or own account workers who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.

Employed full-time

Employed persons who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and those who, although usually working less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference week.

Employed part-time

Employed persons who usually worked less than 35 hours a week (in all jobs) and either did so during the reference week, or were not at work in the reference week.

Engagement

The term engagement is used when assessing a persons level of participation in employment and education. People can be Fully engaged, Partially engaged, or Not engaged. For more information, see the Key Concepts page.

Enrolled

Refers to persons registered for a course of formal study in the particular reference period (e.g. survey month, or previous calendar year).

Field not determined

Field not determined includes inadequately described responses or where no responses were given.

Field of trade

Refers to the occupation of an apprentice or trainee and is classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), First Edition, Revision 1 (cat. no. 1220.0) Unit Group.

Formal study

Any study being undertaken that will lead to a recognised qualification, issued by a relevant approved body, in recognition that a person has achieved learning outcomes or competencies relevant to identified individual, professional, industry or community needs. This includes study for a school qualification. In this survey, if the respondent was still attending school their level of study was recorded as their current year of schooling. If the respondent had left school and was enrolled in formal study they were asked the level of the qualification.

Fully engaged

People who were employed full-time and/or in full-time study, or employed part-time combined with part-time study.

Higher education institution or organisation

An Australian institution providing higher education courses, e.g. universities; colleges of advanced education; institutes of advanced education; institutes of higher education; institutes of tertiary education; agricultural colleges; and some institutes of technology, and the equivalent institutions overseas.

Industry

Industry data is classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (cat. no. 1292.0).

Level of highest educational attainment

Level of highest educational attainment identifies the highest achievement a person has attained in any area of formal study. It is not a measurement of the relative importance of different fields of study, but a ranking of qualifications and other educational attainments regardless of the particular area of study or the type of institution in which the study was undertaken. For more information regarding how Level of highest educational attainment is derived see the Decision Table: Level of Highest Educational Attainment in the Key Concepts page. It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0) Level of education classification.

Level of highest educational attainment (non-school priority)

A person's level of highest educational attainment (non-school priority) is their highest non-school qualification where they have completed one. For persons who have not completed a non-school qualification their level of highest educational attainment (non-school priority) is the highest year of school they have completed. It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0) Level of education classification.

Level of highest non-school qualification

A person's level of highest non-school qualification is the highest qualification a person has attained in any area of formal study other than school study. It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0) Level of education classification.

Level not determined

Level not determined includes inadequately described responses or where no responses were given.

Main field of education

The main subject matter of the study undertaken by a person in completing an educational activity. It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0) Field of education classification.

Non-school qualification

Non-school qualifications are awarded for educational attainments other than those of pre-primary, primary or secondary education. They include qualifications at the Postgraduate Degree level, Master Degree level, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate level, Bachelor Degree level, Advanced Diploma and Diploma level, and Certificates I, II, III and IV levels. Non-school qualifications may be attained concurrently with school qualifications.

Not in labour force

Persons who were not in the categories ‘employed’ or ‘unemployed’.

Not Engaged

People who were not employed and not studying.

Occupation

Occupation data is classified according to the ANZSCO - Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, First Edition, Revision 1 (cat. no. 1220.0).

Partially Engaged

People who were employed part-time and not studying, or in part-time study and not employed.

Qualification

Formal certification, issued by a relevant approved body, in recognition that a person has achieved an appropriate level of learning outcomes or competencies relevant to identified individual, professional, industry or community needs. Statements of attainment awarded for partial completion of a course of study at a particular level are excluded.

Remoteness

The Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) was used to define remoteness. The Remoteness Structure is described in detail in the publication Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 5 - Remoteness Structure, July 2011 (cat. no. 1270.0.55.005).

Reference week

The week preceding the week in which the interview was conducted.

School-based apprenticeship or traineeship

School-based apprenticeships or traineeships are undertaken part-time while at school and combine paid employment as an apprentice or trainee, vocational training and senior secondary school studies. This is a different population to those people who are undertaking apprenticeships or traineeships through the Australian Apprenticeships scheme which are considered separately.

School study

School study is participation in primary or secondary level education, regardless of the institution or location where the study is or was undertaken. It therefore includes such study undertaken in a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) or other institution.

Socio-Economic Status (SEIFA-IRSD)

This is one of four Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFAs) compiled by the ABS following each Census of Population and Housing, from various characteristics of persons resident in particular areas. The Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage summarises attributes such as income, educational attainment, unemployment and occupation skill levels. The index refers to the area (the Statistical Area Level 1) in which a person lives, not to the socio-economic situation of the particular individual. The index ranks areas on a continuum from most disadvantaged to least disadvantaged. A low score on the index (i.e. lowest quintile or decile) indicates a high proportion of relatively disadvantaged people in an area. Such areas include many households with low income, people with no qualifications and many people in low skill occupations. It should be noted that it cannot be concluded that an area with a very high score has a large proportion of relatively advantaged ('well off') people, as there are no variables in the index to indicate this. It can only be concluded that such an area has a relatively low incidence of disadvantage. The indexes used in this publication were those compiled following the 2011 Census. For further information about the indexes, see Census of Population and Housing: Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia, 2011 (cat. no. 2033.0.55.001).

TAFE

A Technical and Further Education institution. In Victoria this may also be interpreted as Training and Further Education.

Trainee

A trainee is a person who has entered into a legal contract (called a training agreement or contract of training) with an employer, to serve a period of training in a vocational area (e.g. office administration, information technology, hospitality). In this survey, persons who are apprentices and trainees are identified by their answer to a question specifically pertaining to a contract under the Australian Apprenticeships scheme.

Unemployed

Persons who were not employed during the reference week, and:

• had actively looked for full-time or part-time work at any time in the four weeks up to the end of the reference week and were available for work in the reference week; or
• were waiting to start a new job within four weeks from the end of the reference week and could have started in the reference week if the job had been available then.

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

VET relates to education and training that aims to equip people with knowledge, skills and/or competences required in particular occupations or, more broadly, on the labour market. VET is a component of apprenticeships or traineeships, including those that are school-based. However, VET can be undertaken without also undertaking an apprenticeship or traineeship.