Aspirations and Decision-Making Competence in the Achievement of Employment and Education Outcomes

A Study of BoysTown’s Social Enterprises for Australian Youth

Salote Mafi

BoysTown Social Enterprises

● BoysTown delivers social enterprises for marginalised young people aged 15-25 years to improve their quality of life

● The overarching objective: Prepare young people aged 15-25 years for the open

labour market by providing paid employment in a supported environment

● The key components are: Experiential learning of vocational skills Training to reinforce the learning of vocational skills Case management to address barriers to employment

Research Project

● Australian Research Council linkage project between BoysTown and Griffith University

Reconnecting Disaffected Youth through Successful Transition to Work

Assess

Identify

Disseminate

Method

• Mixed method Quantitative surveys Qualitative semi-structured interviews

• Young people in BoysTown’s programs 542 young people surveyed at entry, mid and/or exit 60 young people interviewed

• BoysTown staff 15 executive, management and frontline staff interviewed 36 frontline staff surveyed

• Employers 4 employers surveyed and interviewed

Participants in the Study

• 542 participants

75% male and 25% female

25% Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

17% from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse background

Average age of 19 years

Age range from 14 to 26 years

Client Profile

•Limited work history 83% had never worked full-time 45% grew up in homes where parents did not work

• Long-term unemployment 10 months average time spent in unemployment 30% in long-term or very long-term unemployment

• Low levels of formal education 85% dropped out of school before completing Year 12 39% dropped out of school before completing Year 10

• Lack of stable or secure accommodation 18% in supported or unstable accommodation 42% in public housing

Decision-Making

Aspirations

Agency

Employment and Education Outcomes

• 73% obtained positive employment or education outcomes

41% gained full-time employment 20% engaged with education 12% gained part-time employment

• Of the participants who obtained an outcome:

89% remained in their outcome for at least 13 weeks 80% remained in their outcome for at least 26 weeks

Predicting Outcomes

• Factors used in predictive analysis Personal agency Interpersonal and collective agency Relational agency Valuing job, life and financial aspirations Believing that aspirations can be achieved Decision-making competence Help-seeking when making decisions

• Participants more likely to achieve full-time outcomes Young people with decision-making competence and who believe they will achieve their aspirations

“It’s good, they change lives, they turned me around… Because before I came here I was starting to fall down the wrong path but when I came here I changed. I’m a better person now.”

What the young people say…