SO WHATIS LSAY?

So what do you want to be when you grow up? This was a question you may have been asked when you were four or five years old. Your answer probably ranged from astronaut to dancer or even a train driver. Back then, the answer wasn’t so important.

But the crunch time will come soon and the decisions you make can have an impact on your chosen career path.

So what things do you need to consider when making these important decisions?

Coming up with your career choiceFor some people, this is easy. They’ve known for some time what they want to do. But for others, it’s not. So where do you start?

According to the JobJuice website (www.jobjuice.gov.au) the best place to start is to develop a personal profile. What do you love doing and what interests you? They suggest working out what you want from a career – satisfaction, money or perhaps seniority or running a business. It’s also good at this stage to work out what you DON’T want to do. This will give you a clear picture of the area or discipline you’d like to work in.

The myfuture website (www.myfuture.edu.au) is also a great place to start. It can help you identify some potential career options based on your interests and strengths. And then you can browse the Occupations Database which contains descriptions of hundreds of jobs.

Or you could take the career quiz on the Australian Job Search website to help find the answer (http://jobsearch.

gov.au/careerquiz/careerquiz.aspx). And almost all university websites have pages on choosing careers.

Fifty years ago, you had a job for life but according to research by recruitment firm Drake, Generation Y is expected to move on from a job after two years.

So you may be changing jobs, roles or even careers a number of times over the next 50 years.And if you do, you can always change tack with bridging studies or university or TAFE courses to help you upskill quickly.

Your study optionsYour best study options will depend on what career you want to pursue.

University may be your best option, particularly if you aim to work in one of the professions. But there are many other satisfying work opportunities and career paths that do not require a university degree. So, vocational education and training may meet your needs.

The changing workforceAs the workplace empties of Baby Boomers heading off into retirement and they’re replaced with Generation X and Y in their 20s and 30s, the workplace of the future will be very different from the one of the last 25 years.

A report recently released by Hays Recruitment stated ‘Generation Y expects flexibility and views work/life balance as a given, not a benefit’. This should bring changes of better work/life balance and more use of technology as the tech-savvy Generation Y starts to manage the workplace.

Promotional opportunities are also tipped to change as the traditional promotional path – stay at a job until you’ve been there ‘long enough’ – changes as well.

So what do you want to be? Even if you do know, it may be a very different answer in 10 years time.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE?

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) is a very important research program. It gives a clear picture of what young Australians are doing in their final years of schooling, during their transition from school to work, what they do with their leisure time and their plans for the future.

A longitudinal survey follows the same participants over an extended period of time, usually several years.

So what good does it do? The information gathered by this research project goes to government agencies and other organisations to make important decisions that will help young people as they move out of school and into the next important phase of their life – which may be university, TAFE, a trade or straight into the workplace.

GET INCONTACT

Y06NEWSLETTER FOR PARTICIPANTS IN THE

LONGITUDINAL SURVEYS OF AUSTRALIAN YOUTH L

YOUTH SURVEYS

AROUND THE WORLDThe LSAY project which you’re participating in is one of several longitudinal research projects running around the world. Here are a few of the others:

• In Canada, the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth has been running for 13 years and follows young people’s changing thoughts on health, physical development, learning, behaviour and social issues. They survey around 26,000 young Canadians.

• In the US, the National Longitudinal Study has surveyed nearly 9,000 young people and their parents about education, family, community and career issues.

• The Next Steps project in the UK has looked at the key factors impacting young people as they leave school and move into the workforce (a bit like LSAY).

The whole LSAY process is really a team effort involving a lot of people. They’re listed below ... along with the roles they play in the project.

THEINTERVIEWERS

What would motivate you to call 1,000 people? That’s the job of the interviewers with Wallis Consulting Group who do all the phone interviews for LSAY. So what motivates them?

‘I like hearing about the different things people are passionate about – a uni degree, a trade, a job. They’re all different, but it’s the passion and drive I enjoy. I also like talking to someone about their plans and ambitions in life. It makes me think about my own goals and what I have to do to get there.’

‘I’ve been working on it for six years and I still find it very rewarding. I look forward to the LSAY interviews each year and hope I’ll get to catch up with the same respondents as last year. It’s nice when they recognise my voice and say “wow, you’re still interested in what I’m doing – even if my life is boring!”. But the thing is, they’re not leading boring lives. It’s exciting for me to see them progressing in their careers and life – I love it!’

(From left to right, starting at back): Lisa, Kambaja, Jac, Lorenzo, Grant, Rodney, Hazel, Danielle

WHO’S WHO IN LSAY

DEST (Department of Education, Science and Training)The Commonwealth department that provides the funding for the project. They oversee the project and have a lot of input into the topics we interview you about. They also use the information collected to develop government programs to help young people and to improve policies.

NCVER (National Centre for Vocational Education Research) We are responsible for managing and reporting on research using the LSAY information. We make sense of the information you provide.

YOUThe most important part of the project.Without you, we couldn’t collect the information that goes into making the big decisions that impact on young people.

SPEAR (Social Policy Evaluation, Analysisand Research Centre)Our research partner. They’re based at the Australian National University and they take the data from the LSAY project to develop policy which affects young Australians.

65

‘People can come up with statistics to prove anything – 14% of people know that’: Homer Simpson.

Even if that great 21st century Springfield philosopher thought so, that’s not the case. Statistics play a key role in our everyday lives.

They’re particularly useful for planning the future – which is why your contribution to the LSAY project is so important. Four examples of how LSAY has helped young people:

• Reports and analyses from LSAY about the outcomes from different education pathways feed into the government-funded myfuture website, www.myfuture.edu.au, which provides career information and assistance.

• The ‘It’s Crunch Time’ research project run by the Australian Industry Group took information

gathered from youth surveys and delivered a report emphasising the importance of education and its connection to the labour market. For more info: www.dsf.org.au/papers/198.html.

• The ‘Restoring our Edge in Education’ report highlighted the links between poor success in the workforce and poor school achievement. For more info: www.bca.com.au.

• And organisations like The Smith Family are using LSAY research to help Australian young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds to attend university. For more info: www.thesmithfamily.com.au/index.cfm.

So your time – and the information you provide – is valuable to all of us.

HOW YOUR

INFORMATION

SOME FACTS AND FIGURES

FROM LSAY ON

YOUNG AUSTRALIANS More than 50,000 young Australians have participated in LSAY since it started. We have asked them questions about their study, their expectations for their career, the workforce and what they do with their leisure time. So what have we learned from their answers and from other sources?

What do young Australians study? The LSAY summary report by Penman tells us that:

• between 1993 and 2001, students’ school subject choices have changed. For example, there have been increases in enrolments in business studies and participation in vocational education and training

• the most popular subject choices for Year 12 students are English, mathematics and sciences.

The LSAY information from students still at school in 2006 shows that:

• The top three subject areas for young people at school were English, mathematics and science.

• And completing post-school qualifications does matter. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Education and Training Experience, in 2005 someone who had completed a post-school qualification at apprenticeship level or higher would be earning at least 30% more while in full-time employment than someone who had completed Year 12 but had no post-school qualifications.

The workforceThe Department of Employment and Workplace Relations report on Australian jobs in 2007 shows:

• Almost 20% of the Australian workforce is classified as ‘professional’ – it’s the fastest growing occupational group over the past five years.

• The skills currently in high demand in Australia include engineering, automotive, food, electrical and electronics trades, nurses and health care.

• Most new jobs created in Australia in the past five years have been skilled jobs in the trades as well as professional and associate professional. Because of these facts, studying to gain skills is very important – the more skills you have, the greater chance you have of being employed.

MAKES A DIFFERENCE

• Maths, physical education and technology-based subjects were more popular with males than females. Performing arts, home economics and science were more popular with females than males.

So which jobs pay the best? • The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations report on Australian jobs in 2007 shows some of the highest earning occupations in Australia are accounting and finance managers, building and construction professionals, computing and IT professionals, engineers and medical professionals.

SO WHAT’S ORIGINAL?

QUIZ

If you have any questions about the survey, you can contact the LSAY staff on our Freecall telephone number 1800 825 233 or by email to lsay@ncver.edu.au. Or if you’d like more information, go to www.ncver.edu.au/lsay/.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?We would welcome your feedback on this newsletter and the calendar via email to lsay@ncver.edu.au.

ANSWERS:1. This one’s a cover. First done by John Lennon in 1971.

2. This is an original song.

3. This one’s also an original ... although it sounds suspiciously like a Tom Petty song. But that’s another story.

4. Another original.

5. Cover. The original was recorded by Gloria Jones and a cover of that version was done by Soft Cell in the 1980s. So this is third-hand.

6. Another cover – done by one-hit wonder Sir Mix-A-Lot in the early 1990s.

7. This one is an original.

8. So is this one.

9. This version done by Good Charlotte is a cover of The Strangelove’s version done in 1965. Also covered by Bow Wow Wow in 1982, Mel C and Veruca Salt.

10. This one’s a cover too – it was first done by Gerry Rafferty in 1978.

Sources: New York Post, Wikipedia

Sure, your iPod might be full of good music, but is what you’re hearing an original? Which of the following tracks are original songs and which are covers of songs done previously?

1. Power to the people – The Black Eyed Peas2. I don’t feel like dancing – Scissor Sisters 3. Dani California – Red Hot Chili Peppers4. You don’t know what love is – The White Stripes5. Tainted love – Marilyn Manson6. Baby got back – Jonathan Coulton 7. Love train – Wolfmother 8. If you keep losing sleep – Silverchair9. I want candy – Good Charlotte10. Baker Street – Foo Fighters

The success of the study depends on your continuing participation. So it’s important for us to have your latest contact details. If you’ve moved, are planning to move, or will be away overseas for a long period of time, please let us know by completing the enclosed update form. If you lose the form, or have further changes, you can use the postcard on the back of the enclosed calendar. Alternatively, you can call 1800 241 271 and speak with one of the people from Wallis Consulting Group.

GET INCONTACT

WE NEEDYOUR LATESTCONTACTDETAILS!

Issued 2007