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RDA Darling Downs and South West RegionCommunity profile

Southern Downs Regional Council area

Qualifications

23.9% of people in Southern Downs Regional Council area had a Vocational qualification in 2021, higher than the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region. This represents an increase of 924 people since 2016.

Educational Qualifications relate to education outside of primary and secondary school and are one of the most important indicators of socio-economic status. With other data sources, such as Employment Status, Income and Occupation, Southern Downs Regional Council area's Educational Qualifications help to evaluate the economic opportunities and socio-economic status of the area and identify skill gaps in the labour market.

Learn more about planning education provision here.

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

'What is the level of the highest qualification the person has completed?'

Highest qualification achieved
Southern Downs Regional Council area - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)20212016Change
Qualification levelNumber%RDA Darling Downs and South West Region %Number%RDA Darling Downs and South West Region %2016 to 2021
Bachelor or Higher degree3,58111.916.22,90310.213.7+678
Advanced Diploma or Diploma2,1747.28.11,9656.97.5+209
Vocational7,17423.923.46,25021.921.7+924
No qualification13,64045.442.414,12149.545.2-481
Not stated3,48311.69.93,27011.511.8+213
Total persons aged 15+30,052100.0100.028,509100.0100.0+1,543
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Dominant groups

Analysis of the qualifications of the population in Southern Downs Regional Council area in 2021 compared to the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region shows that there was a lower proportion of people holding formal qualifications (Bachelor or higher degree; Advanced Diploma or Diploma; or Vocational qualifications), and a higher proportion of people with no formal qualifications.

Overall, 43.0% of the population aged 15 and over held educational qualifications, and 45.4% had no qualifications, compared with 47.7% and 42.4% respectively for the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region.

The major differences between qualifications held by the population of Southern Downs Regional Council area and the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region were:

  • A larger percentage of persons with No qualifications (45.4% compared to 42.4%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons with Bachelor or Higher degrees (11.9% compared to 16.2%)

Emerging groups

The largest changes in the qualifications of the population in Southern Downs Regional Council area between 2016 and 2021 were in those with:

  • Vocational qualifications (+924 persons)
  • Bachelor or Higher degrees (+678 persons)
  • No qualifications (-481 persons)
  • Advanced Diploma or Diplomas (+209 persons)

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