1377.0 - Measures of a knowledge-based economy and society, Australia, 2003  
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Contents >> Human Capital Indicators >> Proportion of population aged 15-64 enrolled in a course of study, by field of education and age

CHARACTERISTIC: LIFELONG LEARNING AND ACCESS TO EDUCATION

INDICATOR: Proportion of population aged 15-64 enrolled in a course of study, by field of education and by age

Aside from Mixed field programmes which are mainly comprised of school level study, the most commonly reported main field of education in May 2004 was Management and commerce (19% of all people studying), followed by Society and culture (13%). The least common field of education was Agriculture, environmental and related studies, which accounted for only 2% of all people studying.


PERSONS ENROLLED IN A COURSE OF STUDY IN MAY 2004, MAIN FIELD OF EDUCATION
Main field of education
15-19
20-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
Total
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
Natural and physical sciences
1.7
5.5
4.5
*1.0
*1.8
**1.5
2.9
Information technology
2.2
8.3
5.4
4.2
6.9
*8.7
4.7
Engineering and related technologies
4.6
10.6
7.3
7.1
5.2
*4.2
6.6
Architecture and building
2.3
4.5
3.3
2.4
**0.8
**0.2
2.8
Agriculture, environmental and related studies
0.8
2.1
2.2
3.2
*3.0
**0.6
1.7
Health
2.7
8.0
8.1
9.6
11.3
*5.2
6.0
Education
1.1
6.4
5.2
7.3
9.1
*7.0
4.2
Management and commerce
6.4
24.8
29.7
32.8
25.7
24.7
18.6
Society and culture
4.2
16.2
21.3
20.9
25.1
23.8
13.1
Creative arts
3.0
7.0
5.8
3.8
4.1
*4.5
4.5
Food, hospitality and personal services
2.0
2.5
*1.3
*1.6
*1.3
0.0
1.9
Mixed field programmes (a)
68.0
1.6
*1.9
*1.2
*0.8
**2.1
30.2
Total (b)
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
* Estimate has a relative standard error of between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution
** Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use
(a) Includes persons studying towards Year 12 or below.
(b) Includes persons whose field of study was not determined.
Source: ABS Survey of Education and Work, May 2004.


ALL PERSONS WHO STUDIED IN MAY 2004(a)(b)
graph: All persons who studied in May 2004
(a) Persons in a particular age group enrolled in a course of study as a percentage of the total population in that age group.
(b) Includes persons studying towards Year 12 or below.
Source: ABS Survey of Education and Work, May 2004.
STATISTICAL NOTES

Australian Standard Classification of Education
The Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED) (cat. no. 1272.0) is a national standard classification which can be applied to all sectors of the Australian education system including schools, vocational education and training and higher education.

Field of education
Field of education is defined as the subject matter of an educational activity. It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED) Field of Education classification.

Enrolled in a course of study
Refers to persons enrolled for a course of study in the survey month at an educational institution. An educational institution is any institution whose primary role is education. Included are schools, higher education establishments, colleges of technical and further education, public and private colleges, etc. Excluded are institutions whose primary role is not education, for example, hospitals.


INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS


PARTICIPATION RATE IN CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TRAINING DURING ONE YEAR FOR 25 TO 64 YEAR OLDS, BY LEVEL OF EDUCATION
Selected OECD Countries
Lower secondary
education
Upper secondary and post secondary non-tertiary education
Tertiary
education
All levels
of education
AustraliaM+F
23
39
60
36
IALS 1995-96Males
25
38
41
37
Females
22
41
61
34

CanadaM+F
12
25
43
29
1997Males
13
25
40
28
Females
12
26
45
30
DenmarkM+F
36
59
75
56
IALS 1998-99Males
38
55
64
54
Females
35
64
81
59

FinlandM+F
36
52
76
55
2000Males
32
46
76
50
Females
41
58
76
59
GermanyM+F
16
39
60
42
2000Males
20
40
60
45
Females
14
39
58
39

IrelandM+F
13
30
50
22
IALS 1995-96Males
12
28
32
20
Females
13
32
55
24
NetherlandsM+F
24
42
52
36
IALS 1994-95Males
24
44
39
38
Females
24
39
52
34

New ZealandM+F
36
55
69
46
IALS 1995-96Males
38
54
55
48
Females
35
55
67
45
Sweden M+F
36
58
70
54
IALS 1994-95Males
39
56
61
53
Females
34
61
74
56

United KingdomM+F
33
58
75
45
IALS 1995-96Males
33
54
64
46
Females
33
64
80
44
United States of AmericaM+F
24
46
69
51
2001Males
23
41
65
47
Females
25
51
73
55

IALS International Adult Literacy Survey 1994-1998
Source: OECD, Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators, 2002, Original source: International Literacy Survey 1994-1998 and national household surveys on adult education and training.

STATISTICAL NOTES

Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2002, Annex 3: Sources, Methods and Technical Notes has detailed information on specific countries and relevant methodology (http://www.oecd.org/els/education/eag2002).

International Standard Classification of Education
The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) was developed by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to facilitate comparisons of education statistics and indicators within and between countries. It was originally endorsed at the General Conference of UNESCO in 1978. The current version (ISCED 1997) was officially adopted in November 1997.
The 1997 International Standard Classification of Education ( ISCED-97) introduced a mult-dimensional classification framework, allowing for the alignment of the educational content of programmes from different countries using multiple classification criteria. These dimensions include the type of subsequent education or destination to which the programme leads, the programme orientation (whether it be general or pre-vocational education, or vocational education) and the programme duration. For detailed notes see the OECD publication Classifying Educational Programmes, Manual for ISCED 97 Implementation in OECD countries, Edition 1999.

The ABS has designed ASCED to be as consistent with ISCED as possible. However, the needs of users and producers of statistics on education in Australia, and other factors unique to the Australian education system, have meant that total consistency has not been possible. Like ASCED, ISCED has separate dimensions of Level of Education and Field of Education. Correspondence tables providing comprehensive information on the relationship between ASCED and ISCED 1997 are available on the ABS web site; ABS Australian Standard Classification of Education (cat. no. 1272.0)



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