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The
Risks of Leaving School Early: created or reality?
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Angela Marsh
Recent changes within the education and welfare systems, implemented to encourage
young people to continue with education for two years past the compulsory leaving
age, have created a behavioural shift. Completing year 12 is now established
as the norm, with undesirable effects for young people who decide to leave school
at the earliest opportunity. Poor literacy and numeracy skills are now considered
to be commensurate with early school leaving, therefore categorising all early
school leavers as at risk or disadvantaged. Not all young people who decide
to leave school early fall into this category. A study of the transition from
school to work in Devonport Tasmania; analysis of interviews with young early
school leavers and employers, provides a broad range of reasons to leave school
before the completion of year 12. Categorisation of leaver types (Dwyer 1996),
using a six-leaver-type typology, locates 45 per cent of the early leavers interviewed
as 'positive leavers' not disadvantaged by leaving school early. Furthermore,
analysis of employer interviews suggests that in some industries early school
leavers are preferred.
References
Dwyer, P., (1996) Opting Out: Early School Leavers and the degeneration of
youth policy, Melbourne, National Clearing House for Youth Studies and Youth
Research Centre.
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