SUMMARY OF FINDINGS


PARTICIPATION IN LEARNING

Education and training are major contributing factors to personal and economic well-being. In the main, schooling and/or higher education prepares young adults for the workforce, while further training such as work-related training, is vital in maximising people's capabilities and increasing productivity and workforce participation. Other training that is not work-related, i.e. personal interest learning such as recreational and personal enrichment courses, also play an important part in society as it improves both community and personal well-being.

Structured or organised learning can be classified into two distinct categories:

• Formal learning is structured learning that leads to a qualification recognised by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), for example a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education, a Certificate III, or a Bachelor Degree. Note that formal learning also includes school study.
• Non-formal learning also refers to structured learning, however it does not lead to a recognised qualification, for example a construction site induction.

Non-formal learning can be further categorised into:

• work-related training which is undertaken to obtain, maintain or improve employment skills or to improve employment opportunities
• personal interest learning which is undertaken for reasons not related to work.

The following diagram shows the distinction between the three different learning activities included in this publication.

In the 12 months to April 2013, it was estimated that of the 17.1 million people aged 15-74 years:

• 3.7 million (22%) participated in formal learning
• 4.6 million (27%) participated in work-related training
• 1.4 million (8.4%) participated in personal interest learning.

Overall, 8.0 million (46%) participated in at least one of these types of learning in the previous 12 months.

Participation in formal learning decreased with age from 87% of people aged 15-19 years participating to 1.1% of those aged 65-74 years. Participation in work-related training was highest for those aged between 25 and 54 years, with around a third (33%) of this group having undertaken work-related training in the last year. The proportion of people undertaking personal interest learning in the last 12 months was relatively consistent across the age groups, with the 15-19 year age group the most likely to undertake personal interest learning (11%). (Table 1)


Graph 1.1: Participation in formal learning, work-related training and personal interest learning by age - April 2013 (a)