1351.0.55.044 - Research Paper: Assessing the Feasibility of Linking 2011 Vocational Education and Training in Schools Data to 2011 Census Data, Dec 2013  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 09/12/2013  First Issue
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All
  • About this Release

This study was conducted to assess the feasibility of linking 2011 Vocational Education and Training in Schools data to ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing data, without the use of name and address or a statistical linkage key as linking variables. This initial paper details the methodology used in the linkage process, the outcomes of the project, the quality of the resultant linked dataset, and recommendations for future linkage projects.

The results from this quality study indicate that linking Vocational Education and Training in Schools data to the Census using a deterministic linkage method did not produce a dataset of acceptable quality for analysis using the available data. Improved data, particularly the availability of quality small area geographic codes, would likely result in a linked dataset that could be used for analysis and reporting. Further work could also be undertaken to improve linkage using the existing data. However, without improvements to the data, a change in quality sufficient to enable analysis and reporting is less likely to be achieved.

A link to the Census would add significant value to the information available for Vocational Education and Training. With this in mind, access to improved data and new linkage methodologies should be explored to link the data in the future.

Download the Research Paper