To measure performance in the VET sector, the Western Australian Department of Training and Employment has identified a number of key performance measures relating to efficiency, effectiveness and quality. In relation to the effectiveness of the training system, the key indicator is the rate of successful completion of modules—the components from which courses are constructed. Table 5.7 compares the rates of successful module completion for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal males and females enrolled in East Kimberley training courses in 2002. Clearly, outcomes for Aboriginal males are the least favourable compared to both non-Aboriginal males and to Aboriginal females. Barely half of the enrolled Aboriginal males successfully completed their module, with one fifth failing and almost one quarter withdrawing before completion. Aboriginal females performed much better in 2002, although their rate of withdrawal from training modules was twice that of their non-Aboriginal counterparts.
Table 5.7. VET module outcomes for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal studentsa in the East Kimberley, 2001
|
Aboriginal |
Non-Aboriginal |
|||
 |
||||
|
Males |
Females |
Males |
Females |
|
|
Successfully completedb |
54.1 |
71.4 |
86.3 |
80.8 |
|
Failed |
21.1 |
12.0 |
7.2 |
10.6 |
|
Withdrawn |
24.8 |
16.6 |
6.4 |
8.6 |
|
Total no. |
1,041 |
441 |
799 |
601 |
|
Total % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Notes: a. Excludes those enrolled in modules and who are continuing studies into the next collection period b. Successfully completed modules include those assessed as ‘passed’, or ‘no assessment satisfactory completion of class hours’, and ‘status (or credit) gained through recognition of prior learning’ Source: Western Australia Department of Training |
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The module load completion rate (MLCR) provides another measure of performance and with this indicator it is possible to compare data for the East Kimberley with data for all of Western Australia (Table 5.8). The MLCR represents the sum of student curriculum hours for successfully completed modules expressed as a proportion of the total student curriculum hours across all module enrolments. In 2002, this rate was only 52% for Aboriginal module enrolments in the East Kimberley—two thirds of the level reported for non-Aboriginal students both in the East Kimberley and in Western Australia as a whole.
Table 5.8. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal average module load completion rates: East Kimberley and Western Australia, 2001
|
East Kimberley Aboriginal |
East Kimberley Non-Aboriginal |
Western Australia total |
|
52.4% |
77.3% |
72.7% |
|
Source: Western Australia Department of Training |
||
Table 5.9. Field of study of post-secondary qualifications: Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal adults in the Northern East Kimberley, 2001
|
Aboriginal |
Non-Aboriginal |
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
Males |
Females |
Persons Total |
Persons % |
Males |
Females |
Persons Total |
Persons % |
|
||||||||
|
Natural & Physical Sciences |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
45 |
24 |
69 |
2.7 |
|
||||||||
|
Information Technology |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
11 |
10 |
21 |
0.8 |
|
||||||||
|
Engineering & Related Technologies |
31 |
3 |
34 |
20.4 |
741 |
26 |
767 |
30.0 |
|
||||||||
|
Architecture & Building |
12 |
0 |
12 |
7.2 |
172 |
5 |
177 |
6.9 |
|
||||||||
|
Agriculture, Environmental & Related Studies |
3 |
3 |
6 |
3.6 |
144 |
33 |
177 |
6.9 |
|
||||||||
|
Health |
9 |
22 |
31 |
18.6 |
57 |
237 |
294 |
11.5 |
|
||||||||
|
Education |
0 |
13 |
13 |
7.8 |
83 |
221 |
304 |
11.9 |
|
||||||||
|
Management & Commerce |
4 |
32 |
36 |
21.6 |
134 |
174 |
308 |
12.1 |
|
||||||||
|
Society & Culture |
3 |
14 |
17 |
10.2 |
79 |
131 |
210 |
8.2 |
|
||||||||
|
Creative Arts |
0 |
3 |
3 |
1.8 |
24 |
32 |
56 |
2.2 |
|
||||||||
|
Food, Hospitality & Personal Services |
6 |
3 |
9 |
5.4 |
61 |
83 |
144 |
5.6 |
|
||||||||
|
Mixed Field Programs |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
0.1 |
|
||||||||
|
Field of Study inadequately described |
6 |
0 |
6 |
3.6 |
17 |
7 |
24 |
0.9 |
|
||||||||
|
Not stated |
111 |
111 |
222 |
N/Aa |
164 |
83 |
247 |
N/Aa |
|
||||||||
|
Total (ex n/s) |
74 |
93 |
167 |
100.0 |
1,568 |
986 |
2,554 |
100.0 |
|
Note: a. N/A = not applicable Source: ABS 2001 Census of Population and Housing |
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At the end of the day, a key element of human capital in the regional labour market, and a primary product of the education and training system, is an individual’s acquisition of formal qualifications. While program data can reveal numbers passing through courses, it remains the case that the five-yearly census provides the most comprehensive source of data on the number of individuals within the Northern East Kimberley who currently hold post-secondary qualifications.
At the 2001 Census, a total of 179 Aboriginal adults in the East Kimberley as a whole reported having some form of post-school qualification. This represented just 5% of all adults. Translating these data to estimates of the resident Aboriginal population in the Northern East Kimberley produces an estimate of 132 Aboriginal adults in the region who held some form of post-secondary qualification in 2001, and some 2,500 who did not. By comparison, 50% of non-Aboriginal adults enumerated in the East Kimberley reported having a post-secondary qualification. This relative lack of post-secondary certification among the adult Aboriginal population is typical of the situation found generally in Western Australia, although in 2001 the Wunan ATSIC region reported the second lowest rate of qualification of all ATSIC Regions in the state (5% compared to 4% in Warburton).
For those Aboriginal census respondents who indicated their level of qualification, only 2% reported a Graduate Diploma; 13% had a Bachelor degree; 11% had an Advanced Diploma; and 74% had a certificate. By contrast, almost one-third of qualified non-Aboriginal respondents (32%) indicated a Bachelor degree or higher, 18% reported an Advanced Diploma, and 50% held a Certificate. Differences are also evident in the field of qualification reported, both by sex and by Aboriginality (Table 5.9), although high non-response to the census question on field of qualification undermines the quality of the data. It appears that most qualifications held by Aboriginal males are in engineering and building, not unlike their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Among both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal females, on the other hand, qualifications in health, education and management predominate. These differences in field of qualification are broadly in line with occupational variations observed in the region between males and females, regardless of Aboriginality.