Page 1962 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 May 2009
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school, in training or at work until age 17. Because we began consulting on this issue last year, we are well placed to work with COAG to ensure more students earn or learn after year 10.
The community response to the ACT government’s Pathways to the future consultation paper was clear. Submissions showed strong support for the introduction of a compulsory participation age of 17, where young people will be required and supported to stay in education, training or work. In response to strong community support, the ACT government intends to make it compulsory for young people to be either at school, in training or at work until age 17. Again I say that they are to be earning or learning, so that they have better life choices as they go through their life cycle.
This government acknowledges that going on to year 12 or to university is not the best choice for all students. The ACT government wants to ensure that every young Canberran is studying, training or working after year 10 in a way that suits their needs, their abilities and their plans for the future. There will be a requirement for all young people to participate in schooling or an approved equivalent until they complete year 10. In addition, there will be a requirement for young people who have completed year 10 to participate in education, training, employment, or a combination of these activities, until age 17. Legislative changes required to implement a compulsory participation age for 2010 will be brought to the Assembly later this year.
The third measure agreed to at COAG is to achieve a 90 per cent year 12 or equivalent attainment rate target by 2015. I should make it clear here that the ACT has already met this target. Already the ACT has a 90 per cent retention rate. But we are not content with this; 90 per cent is not good enough. The ACT government recognises that, during the recent period of strong economic growth, young people without a year 12 or equivalent qualification have been able to enter employment and have good employment outcomes. But this is far less likely in a period of economic downturn. In our current economic climate, young people who do not have a year 12 or an equivalent qualification are particularly vulnerable. These are the students who leave school early, either before completing year 10 or between years 10 and 12.
ACT Labor is committed to reducing the number of these students, to raising our year 12 retention rate to 95 per cent by 2013. How are we going to do this? How are we going to make it attractive for our young people to remain at school? Already the ACT provides alternative settings for young people who are at risk of dropping out of education and training. There are many successful alternative programs that support students to learn and develop in ways that respond to their diverse backgrounds, learning styles and individual needs and that help them to complete school or vocational qualifications.
Some of these programs operate through partnerships between schools and government and non-government agencies. The commonwealth agreed at COAG to provide $100 million in competitive performance-based funding which recognises increases in year 12 school retention rates and—importantly for the ACT, which is already at the head of the pack in this regard—these payments will recognise current achievements and increase our current baselines.
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