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Danielle Buckley, Albert & Logan News – January 16, 2019: 7:00am

Trades are a less popular career path for Logan students than they were 10 years ago, as more students break the glass wall and head to university.

state wide survey of school leavers by the Department of Education has revealed that 32 per cent of Logan students were enrolled to start a bachelor degree in 2019 — 3 per cent more than in 2008.

Just 6.5 per cent will pursue an apprenticeship and there has been a 4.2 per cent drop in students embarking on trades over the past 10 years.

Traineeships and VET training also proved popular with 17 per cent of graduates going on to pursue a qualification of some sort.

Founder of social service organisation YFS Cath Bartolo said she believed the shift towards university was because institutions had “broken down” some of the generational and economic barriers that had prevented students from enrolling.

“People who don’t have a lot of money or whose parents never went to university didn’t think it was an option,” she said.

“But people are now seeing those options. Griffith University has done a lot of work in that space.”

While 81 per cent of Logan’s Year 12 graduates were in further education, training or paid employment, the number of graduates seeking work has risen by 7.8 per cent since 2008.

Over 15 per cent of Logan graduates were hunting for jobs — well above the state average of 11 per cent.

Ms Bartolo said she believed it was a lot harder for young people to get work today because of the “casualisation” of the work force.

“The prospects of getting a full time job make it really difficult,” she said.

“There’s been a big change in entry level jobs over time. Just look at the big supermarkets and self serve cash registers …(and) there are less jobs in manufacturing.”

Over 70 per cent of graduates employed were part-time and the full-time employment rate for Logan school leavers has dropped by 9 per cent since 2008.

TOP 5 FIELDS OF STUDY FOR LOGAN GRADUATES

1. Nursing (8 per cent)

2. Business and management (7 per cent)

3. Natural and physical sciences (5.1 per cent)

4. Engineering and technologies (4.2 per cent)

5. Teacher education (3.6 per cent)

TOP 5 POST-SCHOOL INSTITUTIONS FOR LOGAN GRADUATES

1. Griffith University (26.1 per cent)

2. Queensland University of Technology (14.3)

3. TAFE Queensland Brisbane (12.1)

4. The University of Queensland (10.8)

5. Other private training colleges (6.7)

*All statistics are from the Department of Education’s Year 12 Completers survey.

See press article