A report on school leavers published by the Productivity Commission has found that 93 per cent of the ACT’s Year 12 graduates in 2017 went on to employment, further study, or a combination of the two.
It also found that 97.9 per cent of the Territory’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates from vocational education and training went on to jobs or studies.
Part of the Commission’s Report on Government Services, the findings also show that the ACT had the highest percentage of children aged up to five years attending an Australian Government-approved child care service.
Welcoming the report, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Yvette Berry said she was working to achieve the very best future for all the ACT’s children.
“The education services the ACT Government provides from early childhood through school and vocational education and training benefit not only Canberrans but many people in the broader region,” Ms Berry said.
“The early years of a child’s life set the foundation for social, physical, emotional and cognitive development and the Government takes the importance of high quality education in this period very seriously.”
She said a growing proportion of ACT early childhood education and care services were exceeding the National Quality Standard, at 45 per cent in 2018, up three per cent on the year before, and higher than the national result of 33 per cent.
“The ACT consistently has the strongest participation of 15-to-19-year-olds in full time education, leading the nation every year since the measure was first reported in 2008,” Ms Berry said.
“The ACT’s public schools are growing, with enrolments up 3.9 per cent between 2016 and 2017, as more parents choose for their children the great education these schools provide.”
Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, Meegan Fitzharris said the report confirmed that for five years running the ACT had the highest proportion of Government-funded vocational education and training students in courses at diploma level or above.
“It is also encouraging that the ACT has the highest proportion of vocational education and training students who report having a disability, at 11.2 per cent,” Ms Fitzharris said.
The Productivity Commission’s full report on childcare, education and training can be accessed at this PS News link.
