Page 2043 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 15 May 2013
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While the outcomes for students with a language background other than English were very similar to those with an English language background, these young men and women were much more likely to be studying. Graduates achieving a higher ATAR had a greater tendency to undertake further study, as one would expect, and 76 per cent of the graduates with an ATAR between 96 and 100 were undertaking study in 2012. The survey showed that, of those students who were not studying in 2012, nearly 40 per cent stated that it was because they were taking a gap year.
A greater proportion of females were studying at a bachelor degree level or higher than males. In contrast, the proportion of males studying at certificate III level was more than the proportion of females, although the difference was less than in previous years.
Overall, seven per cent of the year 12 students who graduated in 2011 were undertaking an apprenticeship and 10 per cent were doing a traineeship. Male graduates were much more likely to be undertaking an apprenticeship than females. Seventy-eight per cent of students who graduated in 2011 were employed—29 per cent full time and 48 per cent part time.
It is pleasing to see that ACT year 12 graduates are continuing to engage in productive career paths following their graduation. A summary of the survey results is provided in the 2011 ACT year 12 graduates: Where are they now? publication which is now available on the Education and Training Directorate’s website.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Berry.
MS BERRY: Minister, did this survey ask students to rate their education experience and, if so, what did they say?
MS BURCH: The survey included a number of questions about satisfaction with the school. An impressive 97 per cent of year 12 graduates thought that year 11 and 12 were worthwhile, and 95 per cent thought their school offered a good range of subjects and thought years 11 and 12 were satisfying and rewarding. Ninety per cent thought year 11 and 12 prepared them for future choices, while 79 per cent gave a positive response to the statement that their year 11 and 12 experience “provided them with relevant skills in the workplace”. This compared favourably with the 2011 school satisfaction survey results which showed that 86 per cent of public school college students were satisfied with the education their school provided.
These patterns were also consistent with survey results from 2008, 2009 and 2010, which showed that graduates continue to be very satisfied with the quality of senior secondary education in the ACT.
These results tell us that ACT students are preparing well for life after school and their feedback is valuable for us to plan for the future. The ACT school system has a great reputation in offering a wide range of courses which are applicable to further learning, training and employment, and it is great to see this acknowledged in the
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