To find other material of interest, search VOCEDplus (the UNESCO/NCVER international database <>) using the following keywords: aspirations; youth; decision making; family; participation; university; career choice; outcomes. About the research The factors affecting the educational and occupational aspirations of young Australians Sinan Gemici, Alice Bednarz, Tom Karmel and Patrick Lim, NCVER Given the strong link between young people’s goals and their longer-term education and labour market outcomes, this report sets out to determine which factors drive the educational and occupational aspirations of young people. The authors shed light on important influences that drive young people’s aspirations to complete Year 12, their plans to commence university study in the first year after leaving school, and their occupational aspirations at age 15 years in relation to the kind of job they expect to have at age 30 years. Identifying the factors with the potential to be influenced by policy is among the study’s key objectives. Key messages The most influential factors for students’ aspirations for completing Year 12 include their academic performance and immigration background and whether their parents expect them to go to university. Students whose parents want them to attend university are four times more likely to complete Year 12 and 11 times more likely to plan to attend university compared with those whose parents expect them to choose a non-university pathway. The higher education plans of peers also have a strong influence: students whose friends plan to attend university are nearly four times more likely to plan to attend university. Two of the strongest predictors of occupational aspirations are parental influences and academic performance. Students whose parents want them to attend university have expected occupational status scores that are approximately 12 points higher, on a 0 to 100 scale, than those students whose parents have no university expectations for them. The job aspirations of 15-year-olds are somewhat unrealistic. By age 25 years, the age until which data are available for analysis, a significant portion of young people fall short of what they set out to achieve in terms of occupation. However, this does not mean that they cannot achieve their desired occupations at a later stage in life. Overall, this report illustrates just how important parents and peers are to young people’s aspirations. Developing policies and interventions that successfully leverage the influence of parents may yield a substantial pay-off with respect to raising aspirations.
To find other material of interest, search VOCEDplus (the UNESCO/NCVER international database <>) using the following keywords: aspirations; youth; decision making; family; participation; university; career choice; outcomes. About the research The factors affecting the educational and occupational aspirations of young Australians Sinan Gemici, Alice Bednarz, Tom Karmel and Patrick Lim, NCVER Given the strong link between young people’s goals and their longer-term education and labour market outcomes, this report sets out to determine which factors drive the educational and occupational aspirations of young people. The authors shed light on important influences that drive young people’s aspirations to complete Year 12, their plans to commence university study in the first year after leaving school, and their occupational aspirations at age 15 years in relation to the kind of job they expect to have at age 30 years. Identifying the factors with the potential to be influenced by policy is among the study’s key objectives. Key messages The most influential factors for students’ aspirations for completing Year 12 include their academic performance and immigration background and whether their parents expect them to go to university. Students whose parents want them to attend university are four times more likely to complete Year 12 and 11 times more likely to plan to attend university compared with those whose parents expect them to choose a non-university pathway. The higher education plans of peers also have a strong influence: students whose friends plan to attend university are nearly four times more likely to plan to attend university. Two of the strongest predictors of occupational aspirations are parental influences and academic performance. Students whose parents want them to attend university have expected occupational status scores that are approximately 12 points higher, on a 0 to 100 scale, than those students whose parents have no university expectations for them. The job aspirations of 15-year-olds are somewhat unrealistic. By age 25 years, the age until which data are available for analysis, a significant portion of young people fall short of what they set out to achieve in terms of occupation. However, this does not mean that they cannot achieve their desired occupations at a later stage in life. Overall, this report illustrates just how important parents and peers are to young people’s aspirations. Developing policies and interventions that successfully leverage the influence of parents may yield a substantial pay-off with respect to raising aspirations.
factors-affecting-aspirations-2711.docx