Young people thinking about post school study can be pointed towards higher education when there are other options

In the common absence of qualified career advisors in schools “students are mystified by the multiple, state-based pathways they see on-line or in generic fliers. The result is that many Australian students base essential career and study decisions on information from parents, peers, and social media.”

“Australia’s postsecondary pathways are difficult to understand and navigate for people who are familiar with the system, let alone those who are not,” Dawn Bennett and colleagues warn in a new report for the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education.

It’s particularly a problem in low SES schools where, “career practitioners and influencers are … less valued, less experienced, more likely to be unqualified and more likely to report inadequate resources.”

Information is also skewed, “discussions about alternative university pathways and non-university study were largely limited to students at risk of not ‘making the grade’. This deficit approach to study and career pathway decision-making fails to give students a true picture of the myriad opportunities open to them.”

To address this they propose, national policies and resource, including “student-centric information” and career development information in pre-service teacher programmes and career and study guidance “across the student lifecycle.”

It is necessary for low SES students because, “once equipped, these students will be in a better position to engage in a broad range of further studies and to enter the workforce as skilled workers able to sustain meaningful careers across the career lifespan. The result will be greater student retention, enhanced graduate success, more equitable workforce participation, lower work displacement, and improved employee satisfaction and wellbeing.”