On Track survey

The On Track survey monitors the destination outcomes of Year 12 completers and Early Leavers six months after leaving school to find out if they are on track to a bright future.

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On Track is a large-scale survey designed to monitor the destination outcomes of Year 12 completers and Early Leavers six months after leaving school to find out if they are on track to a bright future.

This information provides insights into post-school destinations and pathways and highlights the diversity of pathways young people successfully pursue after leaving secondary school.

Young people can also seek advice and assistance via a referral service if they need to get back on track.

Three collections are conducted as a part of the annual On Track survey program:

  • Year 12 completers survey
  • Early School Leavers survey (left school before completing Year 12)
  • Special schools parents survey (children with a disability/special needs).

Why the survey is conducted

A Ministerial commitment in 2002, intended to provide the Victorian public with annual information on the education, training and employment destinations of all students completing Year 12 or its educational equivalent on a school-by-school basis.

This intention was reiterated in the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, which states that ‘a school community has a right to information concerning the performance of its school’ and that ‘information concerning the performance of education and training providers should be publicly available’.

The On Track survey seeks to:

  • offer a consistent and comprehensive approach to monitoring the transitions of school leavers
  • report the information to schools, TAFE institutions and other education providers, organisations concerned with assisting young people, policymakers, parents and students
  • provide detailed analysis of transition experienced by different groups of leavers
  • enable education providers to use the findings to monitor and improve their programs
  • provide a referral service for school leavers who appear to be experiencing difficulties in the transition process.

How it works

In 2023, the survey is open from early July to early September and is conducted by Wallis Social Research, on our behalf.

Students are invited to complete the On Track survey online with follow-ups conducted via a Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) service.

Consent to participate is required and this is obtained as part of the senior secondary enrolment process. Students who consent to participate receive a letter providing a username and password to access the online survey. The survey takes 5 to 10 minutes. All school leavers who complete the survey online are entered into a draw to win a prize.

For more information on On Track, contact school.surveys@education.vic.gov.au.

How the data is used

On Track destination data helps provide a comprehensive picture of what happens to young people after they leave school. This assists the Victorian Government improve school, career, local job and training services.

It also helps us develop the support available to young people, to ensure they have access to the guidance and skills they need to achieve their education and employment goals.

This information has been published annually since June 2003. This data adds significantly to the information available to parents and the Victorian public, by highlighting the diversity of options young people pursue after leaving secondary school.

Options available include TAFE or other Vocational Education and Training (VET), apprenticeships or traineeships, university or employment.

Strengths of the data

The data provides an accurate snapshot of what young people are doing in the months after the end of the school year. It recognises that not all young people attend university, or wish to do so and that there is a range of other possible successful outcomes available.

In addition to collecting destination data, the On Track survey identifies young people who may need further help in reaching their career goals. Young people who at the time of the survey, are not in full-time employment, or education and training, are offered a referral for additional assistance.

Note: The data only reflects the destination of young people at the date of the survey. This may differ from their expectations at the time of finishing school or their circumstances since the survey.

Data and reports

Destination data of school leavers for each Victorian school are available for download in VASS.

VASS administrators can download their school report by using the menu SYSTEM ADMIN >Downloads.

To see all available reports, enter On Track In the key words box and click the Find button.

Destination of school leavers reports

These reports include analysis of the destinations of Victorian students shortly after they leave school from years 10, 11 and 12. They include:

  • destinations by gender, year level, socio-economic status and regional areas
  • reasons for not continuing in education and training
  • the occupations and hours worked of employed school leavers.

2022 snapshot

2021 snapshot

2020 snapshot

2019 snapshot

2018 snapshot

2017 snapshot

2016 snapshot

2015 summary report

2014 summary report

2013 summary report

2012 summary report

Year 12 completers summary

These files contain On Track destination results and Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre tertiary applications and enrolments data for year 12 completers in each Victorian school.

The information categorises the major destinations reported by young people who participated in the survey.

Local government area reports

Reports for each LGA within Victoria will no longer be provided due to privacy and suppression rules resulting in many LGAs having no reportable data against many sections of the report. Please refer to the statewide snapshots and school level results above. If you require information specific to a larger LGA, please contact insights.and.evidence@education.vic.gov.au to discuss your data needs.

Historical On Track survey data

Each zip file contains all summary sheets of the nominated year for Victorian Local Government Areas. Download to your local machine and unzip to access the files.

Education

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