HIGHEST YEAR OF SCHOOLING COMPLETED
JUSTIFICATION
This topic is an important input into determining level and main field of highest educational attainment. Information on highest year of schooling completed is particularly important because of the extent of change occurring in education participation and the labour market. It is also an important indicator of educational need and disadvantage, and is used for planning and profiling at the small area level.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
A question relating to level of school attainment was first asked in 1966 when a question on the highest level of schooling was included. In 1976 the question was changed to age left school to overcome reporting problems due to the lack of standardisation of schooling across state and territories and different systems used overseas.
Given that standardised schooling in Australia has been in place for a number of years, a question on highest level of school completed was included in the 2001 Census. The question also included the category 'still at school'.
The 'still at school' response category was removed for the 2006 Census, to enable level of highest educational attainment (which relies on information about highest year of school completed and highest non-school qualification) to be determined for people still at school. People attending secondary school can be identified by cross-classifying responses from this question with the full-time / part-time attendance at an educational institution questions.
USER REQUIREMENTS
Data on highest year of school completed are primarily required for:
- determining level of highest educational attainment
- assessing the likely usefulness of extension courses or other educational programs and assessing demand for university education
- determining disadvantage of particular socioeconomic groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recently arrived migrants
- planning and profiling at the small area level and in the analysis of student pathways.
AVAILABILITY OF NON-CENSUS DATA
Statistics on highest year of school completed are collected annually for persons aged 15-64 in the Survey of Education and Work (results released in
Education and Work, Australia, cat. no. 6227.0).
Highest year of school completed is also regularly collected in household surveys, including:
- Survey of Education and Training
- General Social Survey
- Multi-purpose Household Survey
- National Health Survey
- Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers.
However, these surveys do not provide reliable data at the small area level or for small population groups.
Administrative data provide detailed information on age participation rates at school for contemporary students, and the highest year of schooling completed. This item is also embedded into the Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard, for the collection of administrative vocational education and training statistics by training providers.
2006 CENSUS QUESTION
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