This project involved a literature review for the Youth Network of Tasmania (YNOT) which identified research and evidence, including Tasmanian information where available, which builds greater understanding and increased clarity about the challenges and experiences of young people aged 18-25 years. The literature review formed YNOT’s evidence-base to the Tasmanian Government for a Tasmanian Youth Action Plan.
The Australian Government Department of Education Emerging Priorities Program (EPP) supports initiatives to improve education outcomes of young Australians, particularly disadvantaged students and those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to contribute to social cohesion.
The Peter Underwood Centre and Schools Engagement teams are collaborating on this project. The project will provide outreach activities with Colleges and high schools in north-west, north and north-east Tasmania; evaluate the program of activity; and provide proof of concept of such a program.
This project investigated the generic skills and attributes that contribute to first year undergraduate student success at university. The findings were developed into the Schools Recommendation Program (SRP) which is aimed at helping Year 12 leavers gain admission into undergraduate courses they are likely to be successful in. Since 2021, the SRP has been used in the University Admissions process and researchers from the Peter Underwood Centre are working with researchers from the University Data Analytics Team to evaluate the SRP.
The Brave Foundation commissioned the Peter Underwood Centre to examine its SEPT trial, focused on providing qualitative analysis of the core features and processes of the SEPT program specifically. The research examined processes to determine how the SEPT approach had worked. A secondary focus was on outcomes in relation to the program’s broad aims.
The Tasmanian Department of Education and the University of Tasmania (UTAS) collaborated on the Teacher Development Initiative to enable staff in the Department to gain additional qualifications. One of these qualifications is the Graduate Certificate of Inclusive Education (GCIE). The GCIE was adapted by UTAS to suit this cohort. The Department commissioned the Peter Underwood Centre to undertake an independent evaluation. The aim of the project was to gain insight into the impact of the Graduate Certificate on Department staff who have completed the course through the Teacher Development Initiative.
The Teacher Internship Placement Program (TIPP) allows final year pre-service teacher education students at the University of Tasmania to spend a whole calendar year in a Tasmanian government school where they will gain a permanent position the following year, after graduation.
The Tasmanian Department of Education commissioned the Peter Underwood Centre to evaluate the impact of the Teacher Internship Placement Program (TIPP) in preparing pre-service teachers for the profession.
Education and career pathway decision making in rural, regional and remote (RRR) areas is crucial for building strong societies and economies across Australia, a point made by recent reviews of RRR education (Napthine et al., 2019; Halsey, 2018). Rather than targeting school students in their education and career pathway decision making, this project developed and piloted a model focussed on working alongside communities to build community capacity to support education and career pathway decisions of school students and adults. This project aimed to establish a model to fill gaps in community knowledge and give confidence to the community members who are key influencers of young people’s and others’ career and education pathway decisions. The project adopted a placed-based, whole of RRR community approach to targeting and building the capacity of these key influencers.
This study used a comprehensive literature review and a two-round Delphi process to engage over 50 key thought leaders from the Tasmanian community in this topic of increasing importance for young Tasmanians' futures. The question addressed one of 50 action items highlighted in the Tasmanian Government's State Population Growth Strategy, which aims to increase Tasmania's population to 650,000 people by the year 2050.