1246.0 - Education Variables, June 2014  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 26/06/2014   
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UNDERLYING CONCEPTS

NAME OF VARIABLE

The name of the standard is 'Highest non-school qualification'.

The names of the three variables contained in the 'Highest non-school qualification' standard are:

  • Level of highest non-school qualification
  • Main field of highest non-school qualification
  • Year non-school qualification completed.
DEFINITION OF VARIABLE

Nominal definition

Nominally, Highest non-school qualification is defined as the highest qualification a person has attained in any area of formal study other than school study.

The variable 'Level of highest non-school qualification' is defined as:

  • The highest qualification a person has attained, other than qualifications associated with school education.
  • The order (or 'levels') of qualifications are defined based on the complexity and quantity of the learning involved in attaining the qualification. The order of qualifications for this variable is that specified by the Australian Qualifications Framework.
The variable 'Main field of highest non-school qualification' is defined as:
  • The main subject matter of the study undertaken by a person in completing their highest non-school qualification.
The variable 'Year non-school qualification completed' is defined as:
  • The year in which a person completed the non-school qualification. ‘Completed’ refers to successfully passing the required assessment(s) or examination(s) to gain the educational qualification.
Non-school qualifications are restricted to qualifications resulting from formal education. Formal education is defined in the 'Education Standard Variables Guide’.

Operational definition

Operationally, the Highest Non-School Qualification standard contains three variables and they are defined as follows:

    Level of highest non-school qualification
    Operationally, 'Level of highest non-school qualification' is defined as the highest completed non-school qualification. Data are obtained by direct question and often sequenced to follow a direct question on 'Highest year of school completed'.

    Main field of highest non-school qualification
    Operationally, 'Main field of highest non-school qualification' is defined as the main field of study undertaken in completing the highest non-school qualification reported by a person. 'Main field of highest non-school qualification' is obtained by a direct question, sequenced after a direct question on 'Level of highest non-school qualification'.

    Year non-school qualification completed
    Operationally, the year a person 'completed' the 'qualification' is defined as the year the study leading to the qualification was completed, not to the year when formal awards were made. 'Year non-school qualification completed' is obtained by direct question.
Partial completion of, or current participation in, a course of study is excluded from the variables contained in the 'Highest non-school qualification' standard. Therefore Statements of attainment are excluded.

Formal education that does not result in a non-school qualification, recognised by the AQF, is excluded. Bridging and Enabling courses, as well as other Non-award courses, are excluded.

Primary and secondary education, regardless of the location or institution where it was undertaken, is excluded. Qualifications generally associated with school education, such as the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education, are excluded from these variables even if they are awarded as the result of study at a non-school institution such as TAFE.

DISCUSSION OF CONCEPTUAL ISSUES

With the introduction of the AQF in 1995, qualifications at the Certificate Level and Advanced Diploma/Diploma Level were re-named. The variable 'Year non-school qualification completed' is therefore required to accurately derive the variable 'Level of highest non-school qualification'. The standard variable 'Main field of highest non-school qualification' should also be collected to ensure 'Level of highest non-school qualification' is coded as precisely as possible.

‘Non-school education' does not include secondary education undertaken at a non-school institution, for example as a mature-age student at a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institution.

The variable includes non-school qualifications (e.g. Certificate I) completed by school students regardless of the location or institution at which the non-school study took place. It includes non-school qualifications that are issued by a school.

The variables 'Level of highest non-school qualification' and 'Main field of highest non-school qualification' superseded the variable 'Post-school educational qualifications' in 2001. The changes are a consequence of the development of the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0) to replace the ABS Classification of Qualifications (ABSCQ) (cat. no. 1262.0).