Project Description
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Survey of Education and Work, of the 15-20 year-olds who finished school in 2022, 53% were engaged in post-school study in 2023 (including higher education and TAFE courses), while 46% were not.
There is evidence from the provided datasets that indicate continuing with non-school education increases the likelihood of stable, satisfying employment with a higher income.
Our team also analysed the data to reveal the data-supported factors influencing young people's decisions as they complete secondary schooling, about their intentions to enter non-school education.
Data Story
INTRO - Imagine you are in Year 10, facing choices about what subjects to choose and looking ahead to a bright future, ‘exciting’ yet there are so many unknowns!
We have devised an online game, informed by the data to help young people understand the impact of these factors to help them to make informed choices about their further education and training.
THE GAME - it starts with the player being randomly given 3 'BACKGROUND' factors with point values that contribute to their 'Employment Opportunity Score.' Each year for 10 years, they make 1 'CHOICE' and receive 1 'LUCK' card, which either adds or deducts points, updating their score. Watch our prototype demo to find out more.
“Career is a journey, not a destination”. We wanted to convey the message to young people that we can take certain actions, such as engaging in further education and training, to improve our opportunities of getting a job and getting paid a higher salary.
We believe in supporting young people to make informed choices and value their input into what and how we can help them. So there are two additional features we would recommend at the end of the game.
Firstly, the government has developed an excellent resource called the ‘SLIK’ (include screenshot) https://www.yourcareer.gov.au/school-leavers-support/school-leavers-information-kit that we can point the player to. Other resources can also be listed to help young people get in touch with career counselling services if their schools do not provide them or if they have already left school.
Secondly, we value the opinions of our younger generations. To do that, we propose including a survey at the end of the game to collect data for analysis. The best design of what questions to ask will require collaboration with other professionals such as school teachers, educational psychologists and career practitioners.
The goal is to gather information to provide insights into what are the CURRENT FACTORS that impact the decisions of young people to commence and complete post-school studies. With the rapid advancement of technology and changes in our society, we need the most up-to-date, in fact, ‘REAL TIME’ data if possible. AI is here to help us achieve this!
Photos used in video from pixabay.com and Canva