Education and training makes an essential and diverse contribution to the prosperity and wellbeing of Australian society. By providing individuals with the information and skills they need to obtain rewarding work and contribute to the knowledge economy, the education sector helps all Australians to participate fully in modern society.
Education and training can be distinguished from a more general concept of ‘learning’ in that it comprises the deliberate, organised sharing of knowledge and/or skills. Education and training plays a vital role driving the competitiveness, efficiency and innovation that characterise modern economic activity.
Educational activity in Australia is measured by participation (current or recent study), attainment (completion of formal and non-formal courses, or results of school-based national testing) and educational resources (finance, infrastructure and human resources).
Data for maintaining these measures are gathered from diverse sources, including reporting requirements from education providers, results of surveys such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) annual Survey of Education and Work, and performance and budget statements from Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies.
Statistics contained in the Year Book are the most recent available at the time of preparation. In many cases, the ABS website and the websites of other organisations provide access to more recent data. Each Year Book table or graph and the bibliography at the end of each chapter provides hyperlinks to the most up to date data release where available.
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This page first published 24 May 2012, last updated 11 November 2015
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INTRODUCTION
Education and training makes an essential and diverse contribution to the prosperity and wellbeing of Australian society. By providing individuals with the information and skills they need to obtain rewarding work and contribute to the knowledge economy, the education sector helps all Australians to participate fully in modern society.
Education and training can be distinguished from a more general concept of ‘learning’ in that it comprises the deliberate, organised sharing of knowledge and/or skills. Education and training plays a vital role driving the competitiveness, efficiency and innovation that characterise modern economic activity.
Educational activity in Australia is measured by participation (current or recent study), attainment (completion of formal and non-formal courses, or results of school-based national testing) and educational resources (finance, infrastructure and human resources).
Data for maintaining these measures are gathered from diverse sources, including reporting requirements from education providers, results of surveys such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) annual Survey of Education and Work, and performance and budget statements from Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies.
Information on the Education and training industry can be found in chapters 8 LABOUR, 15 INDUSTRY STRUCTURE AND PERFORMANCE, 22 SERVICE INDUSTRIES, 25 INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY and 26 RESEARCH AND INNOVATION.