The rate increased more for girls than for boys over this period. This increase in the proportion of students completing Year 12 is due partly to government initiatives to improve the relevance of schooling. The higher level of secondary education completed by many school students has also caused changes in the paths chosen by those leaving school. Those who complete Year 12 are more likely than those who do not to go on to further education. The patterns of employment and unemployment also changed considerably over the period.
Many school leavers choose to combine work with further education.
These two groups combined work and study in quite different ways. In 1995, there were 20,200 school leavers undertaking apprenticeships, a decrease of 13,900 since 1985. Includes business colleges, industry skills centres and other educational institutions. In 1995, the most common occupations among employed school leavers were salespersons and personal service workers followed by labourers and related workers. However, the occupations of school leavers varied by employment status and between men and women.