Education is the foundation for success in life, and schools are important in developing young people’s capacities to live as independent, fulfilled members of the community. The Australian Government wants schools to cater to the broad range of aspirations their students have, not just to the students who want to go from school to higher education.

While school provides a crucial basis for education, it is not the only place where young people learn—they also learn at home, in employment, in sport, through life experiences and in the wider community. It’s not necessary to go to university to keep on learning and growing after school finishes. People can be successful personally, socially and economically by moving on to further training and employment once school has given them the skills they need for lifelong learning.

In the past, most people stayed in the same occupation, sometimes with the same company, for all their working lives. These days, most people can expect to change jobs throughout their life, and gain knowledge and experience from a variety of positions.

To prepare themselves to face this more varied future, young people need to have good partnerships with their families, schools, business, tertiary education providers, community service providers, governments at all levels and the broader community. Young people need to learn the basics, by completing their 12 years of schooling successfully. They need to learn how to learn, so that they can motivate themselves to use the tools they have to go on learning once school finishes. Learning environments both within and beyond school need to be flexible and relevant.

Career and transition support results in more young people choosing education, training and employment pathways that match their talents, aspirations and needs. It means that more people understand the value of vocational and technical education, and pathways other than university, which can also lead to fulfilling, well paid careers.