School-to-work pathways

This study explores the school-to-work transitions of youth aged 16 to 25 based on the 2006 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY Y06). Five pathways were identified using sequence analysis combined with cluster analysis. While the majority of the young people in the study sample followed a mostly simple higher-education-to-work pathway or early entry to full-time work, the remaining quarter of the sample experienced varied and complex transitions including frequent switching between higher education and VET activities, episodes of part-time work and repeatedly disengaging from the labour market. In pathway 2, VET gave an early route to full-time work that resulted in full-time work for 97.4% at age 25