School students making education and career decisions: aspirations, attitudes and influences - final report

The study investigated the ways that Year 10 and Year 12 students make education and career decisions, the processes that they draw on in arriving at these decisions, and critical factors that influence their thinking about a range of study and career issues.  It was commissioned by the Department of Education, Science and Training and conducted in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.  In examining decision-making processes, the study paid particular attention to the influence of Career Advisers, the uptake and reception of Vocational Education and Training in schools, attitudes to traditional trades and school-based New Apprenticeships, and current thinking about teaching as a career.  Each of these themes was considered from the perspective of students, parents, Career Advisers and Principals.  Importantly, the study examined whether decision-making of this kind was associated with students’ gender, and with the socio-economic and geographical demographics of the schools that students attended.  Some of the main findings determined that:

• parents are the most significant influence on the formation of students’ career aspirations;
• career advisers are less influential but very important in helping students to clarify their options and pathways to achieve them;
• 60% of students aimed to go to university and 20% to VET courses (including apprenticeships), reflecting students’ hope of a career in professional occupations;
• VET opportunities are not well understood by many students; and
• teaching is not a first choice profession for a variety of reasons, especially among males.

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