The 2002 NATSISS, for the first time, provides information on how long CDEP participants have been participating in the CDEP scheme. Information of this type is important in assessing whether CDEP employment is a destination or a stepping stone to mainstream employment. While there are some ambiguities in the NATSISS question, ‘How long have you been on CDEP’, it does provide valuable data. One difficulty with the question is that it is unclear whether participants who had multiple spells of CDEP would give the duration of CDEP participation as from when they first participated in the scheme or whether it would be from when they most recently started on the scheme.

The length of time that participants spend on the CDEP scheme varies across regions. In very remote areas, 40.6 per cent of participants had been on the CDEP scheme for five years or more and 21.8 per cent had been on the CDEP scheme for less than one year (see Table 10.3). Similarly, in remote areas, many participants had been on the scheme for a number of years, although the average duration was shorter. In non-remote areas, only a minority of participants (15.2%) had been on the scheme for five years or more and 38.0 per cent had been on the scheme for less than one year.

When interpreting these figures it should be kept in mind that the length of time that a person can be on the CDEP scheme is constrained by the length of time a CDEP scheme place has been available to them. On average, places have been available for longer in remote and very remote areas. It will also depend on the age of the participant, although this could be taken into account in a more sophisticated analysis of the data.

a. Table population is CDEP participants.

Source: The 2002 NATSISS, derived from Altman, Gray and Levitus (2005: Table 5)

Another important topic on which the 2002 NATSISS provides new information is participation in vocational education and training (VET). Participation in VET is an important way in which those with low education can increase their skill level and improve their labour market outcomes. Of particular interest is the extent to which CDEP scheme participants receive VET, and hence are improving skill levels and chances of finding mainstream employment. This is an important policy objective of the scheme.

Table 10.4 presents information on participation in the VET sector by labour force status and region in the previous 12 months. There are relatively high rates of participation in VET in the last 12 months in all areas, although rates in very remote areas are half those in major cities. The CDEP employed overall have lower rates of undertaking VET than the mainstream employed. The only exception is in major cities where 54.8 per cent of the CDEP employed undertook VET, compared to 46.9 per cent of the mainstream employed.

a. Table population is Indigenous persons aged 15–64 years.

Source: The 2002 NATSISS, derived from Altman, Gray and Levitus (2005: Table 10)