
To prepare for the future, young Australians need an education that is holistic, flexible and encompasses a commitment to both work and life, a 2009 review of research has concluded.
Drawing on contemporary research, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) review paper – Touching the Future: Building skills for life and work – explored the goals of the Australian education system and the ways in which it should prepare young people for work and life in the 21st century.
According to the review, one of the most significant changes impacting the labour market in the last 30 years is the loss of traditional ‘job security’ and the growth of flexible and precarious forms of employment.
For young people, the review suggests this loss of security has resulted in:
- the need to be skilled in navigating a ‘sea of uncertainty’
- longer transitions to employment and more movement between jobs
- the need for skills to be updated more frequently and a greater need to return to education and training throughout employment to learn new skills
- an increased likelihood to combine education with work.
In this context, the review suggests a move away from an education system characterised by age requirements, minimum attendance levels and set start times of the year, to a flexible approach that fits with the complexity of young people’s lives.
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