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More Australians undertaking further studies than ever before: statistics

Xinhua, November 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

More Australians are choosing to undertake further studies than ever before, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Tuesday.

ABS' Program Manager of Education, Crime and Culture Michelle Marquardt said one in five Australians aged between 15 and 64 years was enrolled in a further studies course in 2016.

"In May of this year, it is estimated that more than 3 million people in that age range were engaged in some form of study, from school education through to university degrees," Marquardt said.

She said that men and women in both younger and older age groups were choosing to undertake studies later in life, thanks in part to the rise in popularity of further studies outside of university courses.

"Among young women aged 15 to 24 years, the proportion studying rose from 56 percent in 2006 to 64 percent in 2016, while for young men the proportion increased from 55 percent to 61 percent," Marquardt said.

"For people aged 25 to 64 years the proportion of women studying grew from 7.9 percent to 10.5 percent in the last decade, with a moderate increase for men from 5.7 percent to 7.2 percent over the same period."

According to the ABS, 42 percent of men and 41 percent of women were undertaking bachelor degrees in Australia, while more men than women (22 percent to 16 percent) were studying a technical and further education (TAFE) course.

The ABS also found there was a greater discrepancy in male and female representation within university courses, depending on the subject undertaken.

"Women were more likely than men to study health (19 percent and 8.2 percent respectively) and society and culture (26 percent and 15 percent respectively) subjects, while men were over 12 times as likely as women to study engineering (18 percent compared to 1.4 percent)," Marquardt said. Endit