Ivan Neville, of the Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch of Australian Government’s Department of Jobs and Small Business, recently presented a vital statistical snapshot of Bendigo’s labour market and trends in further education, and how these two areas appear to interact.

Presently in Bendigo…

• jobs growth is strong; the past 12 months has seen Bendigo top the rest of the country with a whopping +14.9% (Dept. of Jobs and Small Business, 2019)!
• the Healthcare and Social Assistance field accounts for 19% of all employment in Bendigo, with Manufacturing coming in second at 12%¹.
• unemployment is headed down and is close to parity with the state average of 5.1%¹.
• young people (17-24 year olds) are underrepresented in the workforce; Bendigo has a youth unemployment rate of 18.3%, whilst Ballarat, for comparison, is at just 10.1%¹.
• 15% of 18-24 year olds are neither employed nor looking for work, compared to Inner Melbourne’s figure of 6%2. Additionally, 30% of 22-23 year olds have not pursued any further study³!

It will come as no surprise to many of you reading this that, according to the statistics, ‘jobs requiring social interaction, creativity, complex thinking or managerial experience are [increasingly] in demand’⁴. One of the key points Ivan made was that the statistics tell us that once students leave school, unless they engage in further study, their chances of employment drop significantly. How can we prepare Bendigo’s young people for the opportunities and challenges of their future work landscapes? Aware of the situation, the Bendigo Tech School is working with local industry partners and educators to be part of the solution.

What does this mean for you?

• Bendigo is doing pretty well...unless you are young and inexperienced
• Year 12 is the minimum, but the evolving labour market requires post-school qualifications and lifelong learning
• University is not the only pathway to success! VET has good outcomes
• Work experience and employability skills are vital. Students need exposure to jobs and real work situations
• Students need hope and support to choose pathways that suit them. Parents are important stakeholders

Sources: all data presented in this blog post were obtained, with permission, from Ivan Neville’s February 2019 presentation;