Post secondary employability: What counts for VET and TER students? Developing a survey instrument

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Post secondary employability What counts for VET
and TER students?Developing a survey
instrument

• Masters of Education
• University of Western Australia
• Russell Trowbridge

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Overview

• Background of Research Question
• Employability
• Research Strategy and Design
• Sample and Sampling
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis
• The Challenges

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Background of research question

• Evaluation of alternative education programs
• Defining success in a partnership
• Youth unemployment in the Peel region
• VET v TEE

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Youth unemployment theories

• Human capital theory
• Segmentation theory
• Signalling theory
• Networking theory
• Rosenbaum, Kariya, Settersten and Maier (1990)

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Employability traits

• Academic achievement
• Job search skills
• Personality characteristics
• Work ethic

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The Research Strategy

• Question
• The perceived importance of employability traits
  of school leavers in the Peel Region by their
  prospective employers.
• Instrument survey questionnaire

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The Research Strategy

• Independent variable status of respondent
• Dependant variable employability traits
  perceptions
• Sample Peel region

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The Survey Questionnaire
I would not employ a school leaver if they have not Highly disagree Disagree Agree Highly agree
Completed year 9 Yes
Completed year 10  Yes
Completed year 11 Yes
Completed year 12 Yes
Completed a relevant tertiary qualification Yes
Respondents score 7 on a scale of 0-15
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Data Collection

• Procedures
• On line questionnaire
• Peel Chamber of Commerce
• Peel Careers Expo
• Webs search
• Shopping centre stall

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Data Analysis

• Questionnaire Validity and Reliability
• Rasch Modeling
• How do perceptions vary?
• Analysis of Variance

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The Challenge

• Starting with big ideas and expectations
• Forming a research question
• Focusing on what is achievable

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Questions and Discussion