HIGHER LEVEL QUALIFICATIONS IN REGIONS, 2001 to 2011

The rate of attainment of higher level qualifications among 20-64 year olds increased in all regions in Australia between 2001 and 2011, with increases ranging from 7.7 to 15.0 percentage points. The biggest increases were mostly in capital city regions, particularly in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Attainment of higher level qualifications is related to age, as highlighted in a previous article - Perspectives on Regional Australia: Non-school Qualifications in Regions, 2011 (cat. no. 1380.0.55.011). Rural and remote areas typically have older age structures than inner city areas.

Of the five regions with the largest increases in higher level qualifications, three were in capital cities (Brisbane - North, Melbourne - West and Sydney - City and Inner South), one was in a major city (Sunshine Coast in Queensland) and one was in a largely rural area (South East Tasmania). This article focuses on three regions which all experienced high growth in the rate of attainment higher level qualifications, despite their different population characteristics: Brisbane - North, Sydney - City and Inner South, and South East Tasmania.

Brisbane - North had the largest increase of all regions in Australia between 2001 and 2011. It has experienced population growth among all age groups in the 20-64 year age range.

Sydney - City and Inner South had the largest rate of attainment of higher level qualifications in 2011 among the top five regions. It has a young working-age population profile. With a median age of 33 years, it had a younger population compared with Australia as a whole (37 years). The median age of this region has stayed the same between 2001 and 2011.

South East Tasmania had the third largest increase. It has an ageing population profile, typical of many non-metropolitan regions in Australia.

SA4 Name	State	2001	2011	Change
		%	%	percentage points
Brisbane - North	Qld	37.9	52.9	15.0
Melbourne - West	Vic.	31.2	45.4	14.2
South East Tasmania	Tas.	27.1	41.2	14.1
Sunshine Coast	Qld	36.7	50.5	13.8
Sydney - City and Inner South	NSW	44.7	58.4	13.7
Australia	-	38.3	49.9	11.6
Source: ABS Censuses of Population and Housing, 2001 and 2011

Further information on the rates of attainment for all SA4s in Australia can be found via the Downloads tab.