OECD Report Calls for Changes to Australian Education Funding

The Advertiser, 21 April 2009; The Age, 21 April 2009; The Australian, 21 April 2009; Australian Financial Review, 21 April 2009; Canberra Times, 21 April 2009

A report prepared by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has warned that young Australians will be particularly vulnerable to long-term unemployment during the current economic climate, and has called on Australian governments to do more to encourage students to stay in school.

The Jobs for Youth: Australia Report argued that an economic slowdown and the associated contraction of the labour market disproportionately affected young people and indicated that Australia has a lower proportion of students remaining in school beyond 16 years of age than other OECD nations.

It stated that ‘experience shows that in an economic slowdown, young people are more likely to stay in education or undertake advanced studies rather than look for work. Policy initiatives should seek to capitalise on this trend. The government should encourage more teenagers to stay in school…to boost their skills and improve their long-term career prospects.’

The report argued that more students needed to be encouraged to obtain a Year 12 certificate or equivalent trade qualification, stating that ‘the focus should be on retention until a...[senior secondary] qualification is obtained rather than simply on staying in education until a given age.’

The OECD report also argued that the significant differences in the basic structure of schooling in each state and territory created difficulties for students who moved interstate.

While the report welcomed the introduction of a national curriculum for years Prep to 10, it also argued that a national senior secondary certificate would be ‘likely to be more effective at standardising the content and the outcomes of Australian secondary schools than the national curriculum alone’. Finally, the report called for additional vocational education and training courses and apprenticeships programs to be provided through secondary schools. Go to the OECD Website to access a copy of the report.

 

 

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