Understanding student decision-making about VET as a pathway: an Australian study

ABSTRACT Although vocational education and training (VET) can lead to lucrative and fulfilling careers and plays a vital role in skilling workers for contemporary workplaces, it continues to have a low status in schools, among parents and in the wider community. Many countries are now seeking to enhance the status of VET to increase its uptake by school-leavers. The study reported here investigated factors that shape students’ decisions about post-school options and their views about promoting VET as a viable post-school option. Interview and survey data from 176 students from 11 schools and three VET institutions located in metropolitan and regional communities are analysed and discussed. Their decision-making is influenced mainly by the information they received from familiars (parents, teachers and friends). They suggest more detailed information about the utility and status of VET and the occupations it serves may assist young people to consider it as a viable option.