What It's Worth: Establishing the Value of Vocational Qualifications to Employers. A National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation Program Report

This study focuses on the general question of the value of vocational qualifications to employers by considering three areas in which the economic value of vocational qualifications to employers is evident: in prerequisites specified in job hiring, in employment levels of people with different qualifications, and in the wage levels of people with different qualifications. The findings indicate that employers want people with qualifications when recruiting for some jobs, but experience is more valuable. Employers are more likely to employ people with qualifications but this depends on the level of qualification, age and sex. Employers pay more for people with qualifications but again, this depends on the type of qualification--schooling matters more than low-level vocational qualifications. Revised 20 October 2005. Appended are: (1) Interview prompt sheet; and (2) Wage equations. (Contains 15 tables and 19 figures.) [This report was produced with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. The author/project team were funded to undertake this research via a grant under the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation (NVETRE) Program.]