Key points
School leavers with no formal qualifications are a concern to the Government which is aiming to develop a knowledge economy. Those who leave school early with few qualifications are at a much greater risk of unemployment or vulnerability in the labour force and of having low incomes (MSD Social Report).
- The proportion of school leavers with little or no qualifications has apparently fallen dramatically over the past few years at both the regional and national level. Only 6.7% of school leavers in the Waikato Region in 2008 had no formal qualification, compared to 20% in 1998.
- In Waikato District, the percentage of school leavers with no formal qualifications dropped from 20.7% in 2003 to 7.8% in 2008.
Percentage of school leavers in the Waikato Region and territorial authorities with no formal qualification
| Area |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
| New Zealand |
18.1 |
17.2 |
16.5 |
17.0 |
18.3 |
15.3 |
12.8 |
12.9 |
11.1 |
4.9 |
5.3 |
| Waikato Region |
20.4 |
17.5 |
17.9 |
18.3 |
22.2 |
19.0 |
13.1 |
14.2 |
13.1 |
5.0 |
6.7 |
| Franklin District |
|
|
|
|
|
18.4 |
15.5 |
11.3 |
11.9 |
3.6 |
6.0 |
| Thames-Coromandel District |
|
|
|
|
|
22.0 |
19.0 |
15.1 |
20.2 |
5.2 |
8.9 |
| Hauraki District |
|
|
|
|
|
17.6 |
11.4 |
15.9 |
14.3 |
3.3 |
5.4 |
| Waikato District |
|
|
|
|
|
20.7 |
22.2 |
23.3 |
17.4 |
7.8 |
7.8 |
| Matamata-Piako District |
|
|
|
|
|
19.3 |
20.6 |
14.7 |
14.8 |
6.3 |
8.5 |
| Hamilton City |
|
|
|
|
|
21.1 |
10.4 |
14.1 |
12.2 |
5.0 |
6.2 |
| Waipa District |
|
|
|
|
|
8.4 |
9.5 |
7.8 |
7.3 |
3.3 |
2.7 |
| Otorohanga District |
|
|
|
|
|
29.1 |
27.3 |
20.0 |
12.5 |
c |
12.0 |
| South Waikato District |
|
|
|
|
|
16.4 |
17.7 |
18.8 |
19.1 |
6.1 |
8.0 |
| Waitomo District |
|
|
|
|
|
15.6 |
9.4 |
14.3 |
19.8 |
3.0 |
12.1 |
| Taupo District |
|
|
|
|
|
23.3 |
12.0 |
11.5 |
13.8 |
3.5 |
9.4 |
| Rotorua District |
|
|
|
|
|
19.3 |
16.0 |
17.8 |
13.3 |
6.9 |
7.8 |
Source: Ministry of Education "Education Counts" website
Notes: (a) No formal qualification equates to less than 12 credits at Level 1 NCEA 1998 to 2002 and fewer than 14 credits at NCEA Level 1 from 2003 onwards. (b) Some districts have only one secondary school. Commencing 2007, when the number of leavers from these schools is small, the Ministry of Education has suppressed public availability of this data to prevent attainment levels of individual students being identified. This affects only Otorohanga District within the Waikato Region.
What agencies are doing
Information currently being collated.
What you can do to help
Information currently being collated.
More information
More detail on this indicator, including how and where this information is collected, is available here.
What we want to achieve
The community outcomes we are seeking to achieve by reducing the number of school leavers with no formal qualifications are:
- Education provides opportunities so we can reach our full potential as individuals and contribute to the well-being of the whole region.
- Maori enjoy the same quality of health, education, housing, employment and economic outcomes as non-Maori.