Gannawarra Shire Council Submission to the Parliament of Victoria – Education and Training Committee Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate at which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education Address all correspondence to the: Chief Executive Officer, PO Box 287, Kerang Vic 3579 Telephone: (03) 5450 9333 Fax: (03) 5450 3023 Email: [email protected] Terms of reference The Committee is conducting an inquiry into geographical differences in the rate at which Victorian students participate in higher education. The Committee will be exploring the: • reasons for such differences • impact of such differences. The Committee is interested in receiving comment on the following. 1. Differences – across metropolitan, rural and regional areas – in the number and type of university applications, offers, acceptances and completions. 2. The influences of school retention rates on participation in higher education. Note: ‘School retention rates’ includes enrolments and completions for VCE, VCAL and Vet in Schools. 3. The influences of participation in other post-school pathways on participation in higher education. Note: ‘Other post-school pathways’ includes TAFE enrolments, and take up of apprenticeships or other employment opportunities. 4. Potential geographic, economic, social, cultural and other influences on university applications, offers, acceptances and completions. 5. Advantages and disadvantages of participation and non-participation in higher education for school leavers and their families and communities. 6. The potential effects of geographic differences in participation in higher education on skills shortages and the Victorian economy. 7. Strategies to address any barriers contributing to geographic differences in participating in higher education. The closing date for written submissions to the Committee is Tuesday 18 March 2008. Gannawarra Shire Council Submission to the Parliament of Victoria Education and Training Committee 2 Gannawarra Shire background information Gannawarra Shire is located beside the Murray River, in the Loddon Murray region of Victoria. It is three hours’ drive from Melbourne. The major regional centres of Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill are 45 minutes to 75 minutes away by road. Gannawarra Shire Council has an area of 3,732 square kilometres and a population of 10,898 (2006 ABS data). Only 159 are indigenous and only 524 were born outside Australia. Twenty per cent of the population is under 15 years of age and 20% of the population is over 65 years of age. Agriculture is by far the largest employer in the Shire. Retail; manufacturing; and health and community services are the next largest employers. Agricultural activities include cropping, dairying, grazing, horticulture and viticulture. The main industries include agriculture and dairy product manufacturing. The average household income, at $36,500, is much lower than the State average of $53,100. The median individual household income, at $19,600 is also lower than the State average of $23,700. Gannawarra Shire falls within the Commonwealth Electoral Division of Mallee. Gannawarra Shire also falls within the area bounded by the Murray Mallee Local Learning and Employment Network (Murray Mallee LLEN or MMLLEN). The Murray Mallee LLEN is based in Swan Hill, Victoria, and covers all or parts of the Local Government areas of the Shire of Gannawarra (excluding Cohuna), Swan Hill Rural City Council (excluding Robinvale) and the Shire of Buloke (Sea Lake only). The MMLLEN has a primary focus on education, training and employment pathways for young people aged between 15 to 24 years of age. Map showing area covered by the Murray Mallee LLEN Other than the Kerang Learning Centre, which offers short courses and a small range of accredited Certificate I, II and III courses (Business, Aged Care, Information Technology), there are no providers of further education in the municipality. Sunraysia Institute of TAFE (SIOT), based in Swan Hill, 45 minutes and 80 kilometres away is the closest. Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE (BRIT), in Bendigo, 75 minutes away by road, is the next closest. Rail networks connect both locations to towns in Gannawarra Shire. According to ABS data, Gannawarra Shire has half the number of people with tertiary qualifications than the rest of Victoria. Gannawarra Shire Council Submission to the Parliament of Victoria Education and Training Committee 3 1. Differences – across metropolitan, rural and regional areas – in the number and type of university applications, offers, acceptances and completions. Fewer young people from Gannawarra Shire apply for, are accepted into and complete university studies than do young people from many other areas of Victoria. And indications are that numbers are falling rapidly. The Murray Mallee LLEN – LCP 2006 Environmental Scan highlights a 50% drop in university enrolments from 2002–2004 by students in the MMLLEN – LCP region. Table 1. University participation rates by 18 year olds by region (2006) Region 18 year olds (%) Melbourne 51% Loddon 36% Central Highlands 33% Wimmera 29% Western District 27% Goulburn 26% Mallee 23% Region 29% Source: Ballarat University presentation by Vice Chancellor, David Battersby Table 2. MMLLEN – LCP region enrolments in Victorian Universities (2002–2006) University 2002 2003 2004 2006* Australian Catholic University 4 7 5 No current data Deakin University 14 16 15 La Trobe University 105 88 47 Monash University 9 7 6 RMIT University 14 7 5 Swinburne University of Technology 9 9 6 University of Ballarat 31 23 11 University of Melbourne 27 20 14 Victoria University 6 8 1 Total 218 185 110 No current data Financial and geographical disadvantage is an obstacle to the participation of many young people in higher education. Taking into account the additional costs imposed by distance and the fact that the average household income is just $36,500, Gannawarra Shire families have to spend a much greater proportion of their income in order to fund their children’s tertiary studies. Webb (2005) states that 30% of families in the federal electorate of Mallee (which includes Gannawarra Shire) would need to use 50% of their disposable income in order to send just one student to a tertiary institute in Melbourne. The drought, rising interest rates, increased rental costs and rising petrol costs will only compound this situation. Gannawarra Shire Council Submission to the Parliament of Victoria Education and Training Committee 4 2. The influences of school retention rates on participation in higher education. Enrolments in Year 12 have reduced by 6% over the past 4 years while overall enrolments in years 10, 11 and 12 combined have reduced by 3% (Stewart, 2007). Graph 1. School enrolments in Years 10–12 (2002–2006) 450 400 350 300 250 2002 2006 200 150 Source: Presentation to 100 MMLLEN Board by Executive Students enrolled in years 10 - 12 Students enrolled in years 10 - Officer Mr Glenn Stewart, 2007 50 0 Kerang Tech. MacKillop Managatang P-Swan Hill SC Tyrrell P-12 Robinvale SC HS College 12 Participation in Vocational Education Training (VET) courses has increased from 33% in 2003 to 38% in 2006. In 2006, there were 661 students enrolled in Years 11 and 12 in the region, with 84% studying for their Victorian Certificate in Education (VCE), and 16% studying for their Victorian Certificate in Applied Learning (VCAL). Student percentages: Graph 2. Percentage of students enrolled in VCE, VCAL and VET VCE (2006) / VCAL / VET 38% VCE VCAL 84% VET 16% Source: Presentation to MMLLEN Board by Executive Officer Mr Glenn Stewart, 2007 Local participation in VET is above the regional, metropolitan and statewide average. Gannawarra Shire Council Submission to the Parliament of Victoria Education and Training Committee 5 Graph 3. Participation in VET in the Murray Mallee LLEN compared with other regional and metropolitan areas. 50 45 40 35 30 Murray Mallee Rural and Regional To 25 Metropolitan Total 20 Victoria Total 15 % Participation in VET 10 5 Source: Presentation to MMLLEN Board by Executive Officer Mr Glenn 0 Stewart, 2007 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 On-Track data for MMLLEN region students completing school in 2005 shows (Table 3, below) that more students who left school on 2005 (completed Year 12 or left school early) are either underemployed or unemployed compared to school leavers in the rest of the State, although the uptake of apprenticeships and traineeships is above the State average. VET participation is comparable to the rest of Victoria, but university participation is 4% lower than the State average. Table 3. On-Track data for MMLLEN region students (and Cohuna Secondary College) completing schooling in 2005 University (%) VET course (%) Apprentice or Full time work Un (or under) Trainee (%) (%) employed (%) Year 12 Completers Average Victoria 43 23 10 8 15 Murray Mallee 39 22 14 8 18 Cohuna Sec. College 30 22 22 9 17 Kerang Technical HS 38 24 7 21 10 Early School Leavers Average Victoria N/A 20 38 13 29 Murray Mallee N/A 16 33 16 35 Source: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, On Track Survey Data www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/voced/ontrack/default.html On-Track data for MMLLEN region students completing school in 2006 shows (Table 4, overleaf) a decrease in the number of students participating in university, a decrease in the number undertaking VET courses and a 6% increase in the number of apprenticeships and traineeships. Gannawarra Shire Council Submission to the Parliament of Victoria Education and Training Committee 6 Table