NON-SCHOOL EDUCATION

Attendance

Non-school education is linked to employment outcomes. In the 2006 Census, 7% of Indigenous people aged 15 years and over were reported to be attending university or a technical or further educational institution (including TAFE), compared with 8% of the non-Indigenous population. Across all age groups, Indigenous people were more likely to be attending a technical or further educational institution than university.

Comparing attendance rates for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people by age group shows that:

• In the 18-24 years age group, Indigenous people were less likely to be attending university or a technical or further educational institution than non-Indigenous people - significantly so for university attendance (6% of Indigenous people compared with 25% of non-Indigenous people in this age group).
• In the 25-34 years age group, the difference in university attendance rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people was less (3% of Indigenous people compared with 7% of non-Indigenous people). There was almost no difference in technical or further educational institution attendance rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in this age group (both approximately 4%).
• In the age groups over 35 years, university and technical or further educational institution attendance rates were similar for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, with Indigenous people slightly more likely to be attending a technical or further educational institution or university.

Non-school qualifications

In the 2006 Census, 25% of Indigenous people aged 15 years and over reported having a non-school qualification, an increase from 20% in 2001. Over the same period the proportion of non-Indigenous people with a non-school qualification also increased, from 42% to 47%. In both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population, people aged 25-54 years were more likely to have a non-school qualification than those in the 18-24 years age group and the older age groups. However, Indigenous people were less likely to have a non-school qualification across all age groups, compared with non-Indigenous people.

Indigenous people in non-remote areas were more likely to have a non-school qualification than Indigenous people in remote areas. In Major Cities, 31% of Indigenous people had a non-school qualification compared with 12% in Very Remote areas. The pattern for non-Indigenous people was quite different, with 49% and 45% of non-Indigenous people in Major Cities and Very Remote areas, respectively, having a non-school qualification.

The level of non-school qualification reported in the Census was coded using the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED) (see Glossary). Indigenous people were most likely to hold a Certificate level qualification across all age groups. The proportion of Indigenous people with a Bachelor degree or higher was similar across the age groups between 25 and 64 years, with Indigenous people in the 45-54 years age group and the 35-44 years age group most likely to have a Bachelor degree or higher (7% and 6% respectively).

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