Education and Work, Australia methodology

Two types of error are possible in estimates based on a sample survey: 

• non-sampling error    
• sampling error

Non-sampling error is caused by factors other than those related to sample selection. It is any factor that results in the data values not accurately reflecting the true value of the population.

It can occur at any stage throughout the survey process. Examples include:

• selected people that do not respond (e.g. refusals, non-contact)
• questions being misunderstood 
• responses being incorrectly recorded 
• errors in coding or processing the survey data

Sampling error is the expected difference that can occur between the published estimates and the value that would have been produced if the whole population had been surveyed. Sampling error is the result of random variation and can be estimated using measures of variance in the data.

One measure of sampling error is the standard error (SE). There are about two chances in three that an estimate will differ by less than one SE from the figure that would have been obtained if the whole population had been included. There are about 19 chances in 20 that an estimate will differ by less than two SEs.

The datacubes report the relative standard error (RSE) for estimates of counts ('000) and the margin of error (MOE) for estimates of proportions (%)(available in the Data downloads section of the main release).

Time series tables include both RSE of proportion and MOE of proportion. For years prior to 2018, MOE of proportion has been calculated using rounded figures and the result may have slightly less precision than the MOE of proportion calculated for years after 2017.

Estimates of proportions with a MOE greater than 10% are annotated to indicate they are subject to high sample variability and particular consideration should be given to the MOE when using these estimates. In addition, estimates with a corresponding standard 95% confidence interval that includes 0% or 100% are annotated to indicate they are usually considered unreliable for most purposes.

An apprentice is a person undertaking an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is a structured vocational training arrangement of usually 3.5 or four years duration. The training combines practical experience at work with complementary off-the-job training through a training provider. Apprenticeships are mainly available for trade-based occupations (for example, construction, cookery, manufacturing). At the completion of the apprenticeship, a nationally recognised qualification is obtained, as well as on-the-job skills and experience. In this survey, persons who are apprentices are identified by their answer to a question specifically pertaining to a contract under the Australian Apprenticeships scheme. Students undertaking school based apprenticeships are not included. See school-based apprenticeship or traineeship definition.

The AQF is the national policy for regulated qualifications in Australian education and training. It incorporates the qualifications from each education and training sector into a single comprehensive national qualifications framework. The AQF was first introduced in 1995 to underpin the national system of qualifications in Australia encompassing higher education, vocational education and training and schools.
 

Education data are coded to the Australian Standard Classification of Education, 2001. The ASCED 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. It includes 'Level of education' and 'Field of education'. 

Refers to Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA) as defined by the ASGS. The GCCSAs represent the socio-economic extent of each of the eight State and Territory capital cities. The whole of the Australian Capital Territory is included in the GCCSA. See Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 - Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, July 2016. 

A person having 'completed' a qualification means they have successfully passed all of the requirements for the qualification and excludes people who have stopped studying without gaining the qualification.

Country of birth has been classified according to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2016. 'Born in Australia' refers to all persons born in Australia or any of its external territories. 'Born overseas' refers to all persons not 'born in Australia', including those born at sea and persons whose country of birth is unknown.  

Enrolled in a course of formal study for a certificate, diploma, degree or any other educational qualification, in May of the survey year.

Persons aged less than 15 years who have a parent/guardian in the household.

Any institution whose primary role is education. Included are schools, higher education establishments, colleges of technical and further education, public and private colleges, and registered training organisations. 

People who, during the reference week:

• worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind in a job or business, or on a farm (comprising employees, employers and own account workers); or 
• worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers); or 
• were employees who had a job but were not at work and were: 
  • away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the reference week; or    
  • away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the reference week and received pay for some or all of the four week period to the end of the reference week; or 
  • away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement; or 
  • on strike or locked out; or 
  • on workers' compensation and expected to return to their job; or
• were employers or own account workers who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.
   

Employed people who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and those who, although usually working less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference week.

Employed people who usually worked less than 35 hours a week (in all jobs) and either did so during the reference week, or were not at work in the reference week.

The term engagement is used when assessing a persons level of participation in employment and education. People can be 'Fully engaged', 'Partially engaged', or 'Not engaged'.  

Refers to people registered for a course of formal study in the particular reference period (e.g. survey month, or previous calendar year). This includes online or distance education and excludes any course of study that doesn't result in a formal educational qualification.

Includes people enrolled in a course of study that is considered full-time by their institution.

Includes people enrolled in a course of study that is not considered full-time by their institution. All apprentices and trainees are considered to be enrolled in part-time study.

Refers to the subject matter of an educational activity. Fields of education are related to each other through the similarity of subject matter, through the broad purpose for which the education is undertaken, and through the theoretical content which underpins the subject matter. There are 12 broad fields, 71 narrow fields and 356 detailed fields of education. Where a qualification covered multiple fields (e.g. a double degree) the 'Main Field of Education ' is the field considered the most important for the survey respondent. 

The subject matter of the educational activity for the highest achievement a person has attained in any area of formal study. Where a qualification covered multiple fields (e.g. a double degree) the 'main field of highest educational attainment' is the field considered the most important for the survey respondent. 

Refers to the occupation of an apprentice or trainee and is classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), 2013, Version 1.2.

Formal study activities lead to a qualification recognised by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) such as a Degree, Diploma or Certificate and also includes study at school. Formal study is provided in the systems of schools, colleges, universities and other institutions or organisations and is usually associated with a providing body responsible for determining the teaching method and/or curriculum, admission requirements. In this survey, if the respondent was still attending school their level of study was recorded as their current year of schooling. 

Refers to Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA) as defined by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The GCCSAs represent the socio-economic extent of each of the eight State and Territory capital cities. The whole of the Australian Capital Territory is included in the GCCSA. See Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 - Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, July 2016.

An Australian institution providing higher education courses, e.g. universities; colleges of advanced education; institutes of advanced education; institutes of higher education; institutes of tertiary education; agricultural colleges; and some institutes of technology, registered training organisations, and the equivalent institutions overseas. 

Industry data is classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006.

The 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. In 2011, the second major revision of this classification was officially adopted by the UNESCO General Conference and takes into account significant changes in education systems worldwide since the previous ISCED revision in 1997. Education data were categorised from ASCED 2001 to ISCED 2011 using a concordance method. For more information, see 'International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED) 2011 to Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED) Concordance (tcisupport.gov.au)', Tertiary Collection of Student Information.  

People currently attending school and also studying for a non-school qualification (outside of school studies) will have their current year of schooling and not their non-school qualification level recorded as their current level of study at the data item 26A. Level of education of study in current year. The non-school qualification level will be captured at a separate data item 26B. Level of education of non-school qualification in current year.

Similarly, for people who are attending school and studying VET as part of school studies, the level of VET will not be recorded as their current level of study (26A. Level of education of study in current year). However, the level of VET is recorded separately in the data item 53A. Level of education of VET as part of current school studies.

A function of the quality and quantity of learning involved in an educational activity. There are nine broad levels, 15 narrow levels and 64 detailed levels of education.

Level of highest educational attainment identifies the highest achievement a person has attained in any area of formal study. It is not a measurement of the relative importance of different fields of study, but a ranking of qualifications and other educational attainments regardless of the particular area of study or the type of institution in which the study was undertaken. The derivation process determines which of the 'school' or 'non-school' attainments will be regarded as the highest. Usually the higher ranking attainment is self-evident, but in some cases some secondary education is regarded, for the purposes of obtaining a single measure, as higher than some certificate level attainments. 

There are two types of measures used to determine level of highest educational attainment: 'Non-School Priority' and 'Standard Education Priority'. 

• 'Non-School Priority' is where all non-school qualifications are considered of higher ranking than secondary education. For example, a person whose highest year of school completed was Year 12, and whose level of highest non-school qualification was a Certificate I, would have their level of highest education attainment output as Certificate I. The following decision table shows which  responses to 'highest year of school completed' and 'level of highest non-school qualification' are regarded as the highest. For example, a person's level of highest educational attainment if they completed Year 12 and a Certificate III would be 'Certificate III'. However, if the same person answered 'certificate' to the highest non-school qualification question, their level of highest educational attainment would be output as 'Level not determined'.
• 'Standard Education Priority' is where some school qualifications are ranked higher than some non-school qualifications. For example, years 10, 11 and 12 are ranked higher than Certificates I, II and n.f.d. The Standard Education Priority was designed for the purpose of obtaining a single value for level of highest educational attainment and is not intended to convey any other hierarchy.

The following decision table shows which responses to 'highest year of school completed' and 'level of highest non-school qualification' are regarded as the highest. For example, a person's level of highest educational attainment if they completed Year 12 and a Certificate III would be 'Certificate III'. However, if the same person answered 'certificate' to the highest non-school qualification question, their level of highest educational attainment would be output as 'Level not determined'. In addition, for persons who never attended school and do not have a non-school qualification the output is 'No educational attainment'.    

Cert = Certificate
L.n.d = Level not determined
n.f.d = not further defined
N.S. = Not Stated
Sec. = Secondary

For ease of interpretability, the layout of this table has been modified from Education Variables, June 2014, however the ranking of different levels of attainment has not changed.

A person's level of highest non-school qualification is the highest qualification a person has attained in any area of formal study other than school study. It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 Level of education classification.

Non-school qualifications are awarded for educational attainments other than those of pre-primary, primary or secondary education. They include qualifications at the Postgraduate Degree level, Master Degree level, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate level, Bachelor Degree level, Advanced Diploma and Diploma level, and Certificates I, II, III and IV levels. School level qualifications obtained through institutions other than primary and secondary schools (such as TAFE) are not included. Non-school qualifications may be attained concurrently with school study.

People who were not in the categories ‘employed’ or ‘unemployed’.

An occupation is a collection of jobs that are sufficiently similar in their title and tasks, skill level and skill specialisation. Occupation data is classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), 2013, Version 1.2. 

Formal certification, issued by a relevant approved body, in recognition that a person has achieved an appropriate level of learning outcomes or competencies relevant to identified individual, professional, industry or community needs. Statements of attainment awarded for partial completion of a course of study at a particular level are excluded.

In this survey 'recent study' and study in 'previous/last year' are used interchangeably. They refer to the enrolment  in study for a qualification in the calendar year prior to the year the survey was enumerated.

The week preceding the week in which the interview was conducted.

The Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) was used to define remoteness. The Remoteness Structure is described in detail in the publication Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 5 - Remoteness Structure, July 2016.

Comprises the remainder of each state/territory not included in a Capital City. See Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 - Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, July 2016. 

School-based apprenticeships or traineeships are undertaken part-time while at school and combine paid employment as an apprentice or trainee, vocational training and senior secondary school studies. This is a different population to those people who are undertaking apprenticeships or traineeships through the Australian Apprenticeships scheme which are considered separately.

People aged 15-24 years who attended school in the previous year, but were not attending school in May of the survey year. Note that these people may have been studying a school year level at a non-school institution (e.g. studying Year 12 at TAFE). In this survey, school leavers are grouped by the highest level of school completed: year 12 or equivalent, and year 11 or below.

School study is participation in primary or secondary level education, regardless of the institution or location where the study is or was undertaken. It therefore includes such study undertaken in a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) or other institution.

A function of the range and complexity of the set of tasks involved in an occupation. The greater the range and complexity of the set of tasks, the greater the skill level of the occupation. For more information, see the Occupation Standard, 2018.

Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) is an ABS product that ranks areas in Australia according to relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage. The indexes are based on information from the five-yearly Census of Population and Housing.  The SEIFA indexes used in this publication were created from Census 2016 data. Each index is a summary of a different subset of Census variables and focuses on a different aspect of socio-economic advantage and disadvantage. Each index ranks geographic areas across Australia in terms of their relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage. It is therefore likely that the same area will have different ranking on each index. 
The four indexes in SEIFA 2016 are: 

• Index of Education and Occupation (IEO)
• Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD)
• Index of Economic Resources (IER)
• Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD)

For more information, refer to Census of Population and Housing: Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia, 2016. 

Refers to a Technical and Further Education institution; a registered training organisation owned and operated by a state government, or public provider of training. 

A trainee is a person undertaking a traineeship. A traineeship is similar to an apprenticeship in that it involves a training agreement between the trainee and their respective employer whereby the employer agrees to train the trainee in a specific industry, and the trainee agrees to work and learn. Traineeships usually last between nine to 48 months and cover a broader range of industries than apprenticeships (including business, trades and other industries such as retail and hospitality). At the completion of the traineeship, a nationally recognised qualification is obtained, as well as on-the-job skills and experience. In this survey, persons who are trainees are identified by their answer to a question specifically pertaining to a contract under the Australian Apprenticeships scheme.

Employed people aged 15 years and over who want, and are available for, more hours of work than they currently have. They comprise:

• people employed part-time who want to work more hours and are available to start work with more hours, either in the reference week or in the four weeks subsequent to the survey; or
• people employed full-time who worked part-time hours in the reference week for economic reasons (such as being stood down or insufficient work being available). It is assumed that these people wanted to work full-time in the reference week and would have been available to do so.

People aged 15 years and over who were not employed during the reference week, and:

• had actively looked for full-time or part-time work at any time in the four weeks up to the end of the reference week and were available for work in the reference week; or 
• were waiting to start a new job within four weeks from the end of the reference week and could have started in the reference week if the job had been available then.

'Year 12 or equivalent' includes overseas qualifications comparable to the Australian Year 12 level of schooling as well as other terms used to describe the final year of schooling in Australia, for example, 'Year 13', '6th Form', 'high school certificate' and 'matriculation'.

VET relates to education and training that aims to equip people with knowledge, skills and/or competences required in particular occupations or, more broadly, on the labour market. VET is a component of apprenticeships or traineeships, including those that are school-based. However, VET can be undertaken without also undertaking an apprenticeship or traineeship.