Reporting research for teachers: former student opinion on the relevance of schooling to work

The relevance of schooling to the world of work has long been the subject of increasing debate between educators and employers over the last decade. The debate has intensified as the diversity of the student population in the postcompulsory years of schooling has increased. Significantly, both educators and employers have questioned the relevance of postcompulsory curriculum offerings for the world of work, and the effectiveness of postcompulsory schooling in preparing students to enter the workforce. In this study the author reports on the views of a sample of Year 12 school leavers on how well their postcompulsory schooling experiences prepared them for the workforce. Interestingly, this sample of school leavers had not enrolled in higher education, but had entered the workforce or enrolled in TAFE colleges. The opinions of the school leavers were gathered in early 1990.