The Youth Affairs Council of Victoria in partnership with 11 Local Learning Employment Networks (LLENs) today announced an important study that seeks to understand why young people in rural and regional Victoria are deferring their university study.

YACVic and the LLENs have long suspected that there are significant access and equity issues related to the high number of young people from the country not taking up their tertiary offers.

“This study will seek to understand and provide hard evidence of the reasons for young people from outside of Melbourne not taking up their university offers” YACVic CEO Georgie Ferrari said today.

The study, over two years will track approximately 500 young people from rural and regional Victoria who have deferred their tertiary offers.

“We know the high cost of University fees, city rents and associated living costs are all factors that contribute to young people from outside of Melbourne not taking up their offers” Central Grampians LLEN CEO, David Wheaton said.

“Added to this is the impact of the drought on families and young people, which makes it even harder to afford living away from home” Mr Wheaton said.

While the LLENs have been alarmed at the comparatively high deferment rates of rural and regional young people (compared with their metro counterparts) for some time, this study will provide a deeper insight into the reasons why young people are making the hard decision to defer their study.
It would be fair to say that those closely involved with the issue believe strongly that young people living outside of the metropolitan areas do not have equal access to post compulsory education and that the greatest indicator or barriers to equity are economic.

“We also hope to understand just how many actually never take up those offers and why” said Ms Ferrari

The study, will be commissioned through the Centre for Post Compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning at Melbourne University, and is the first partnership of this type between the LLENs and the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria.

“YACVic is extremely pleased to be partnering with the Local Learning and Employment Networks on this very important study, the first of its kind in Victoria” Georgie Ferrari said.

Preliminary findings will be available in 2008 followed by final finding in 2009.

For further media comment, please contact:

Georgie Ferrari
YACVic CEO
0411 484 428

David Wheaton
CGLLEN CEO
0417 885 920

The Local Learning and employment Networks involved are:

Baw Baw Latrobe LLEN
Campaspe Cohuna LLEN
Central Ranges LLEN
Central Grampians LLEN
Gippsland East LLEN
NE Tracks LLEN
North Central LLEN
Northern Mallee
South Gippsland Bass Coast LLEN
South West LLEN
Wimmera Southern Mallee LLEN