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Pathways engagement and transitions: Young people's insights on navigating post-school pathways

22 November 2024

young girl with blonde hair looking directly at camera

This fourth Pathways, Engagement and Transitions (PET) report shares the stories of six young people who were in Year 12 in 2020 and on The Smith Family’s long-term educational scholarship program, Learning for Life.

As participants of the research project, they took part in three interviews conducted over 2021, 2022 and 2023. These interviews capture their experiences during secondary school and explore how their transitions into post-secondary education, employment, and training evolved over time.

I wanted to finish Year 12 because I felt like if I didn’t do that then I didn’t really know what was going to happen, because if you don’t finish…then you might not be able to get a good job…I wanted to complete Year 12 to get a really good job and to have a good career.

Samantha

Each young person featured in this report experienced socioeconomic disadvantage through their schooling. They all left school during a period when COVID-19 was disrupting many facets of society, including work, study, and training opportunities and experiences.

I was putting in like 20 resumes a month. No one answered me. I don’t know, I guess I just wasn’t the person they wanted. They found someone better or something…

Peter

While the six young people share some similarities, their experiences and pathways are diverse, reflecting a wide range of supports and barriers that were encountered while pursuing their goals.

One thing that really might have helped is…doing some work experience…because a lot of jobs on paper, it’s different than actually…what happens… Seeing what happened in the workplace might have helped me…find some sort of like connection with a career.

Evan

Together, the experiences these young people have shared not only highlight their resilience and determination, but also the complex and varied nature of their journeys, which reflect broader challenges and opportunities faced by young people experiencing disadvantage across Australia.

The best thing that happened last year was definitely The Smith Family’s internship…It’s given me a lot of insight into the industry, and I met a lot of interesting people…We’re in different stages of our lives so it’s really interesting to hear their perspectives…their experiences…and compare it to what I’m doing and see what I want to do.

Eliza

Note: The names and photographs used are fictional and do not represent the actual individuals. Some details have been changed to ensure anonymity.

Download PDF report