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LEARN MORE ABOUT .id13.8% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns Regional Council have a tertiary qualification.
Highest qualification achieved shows the level of qualification, school or non-school, which is the highest that a person has achieved. This topic is useful for looking at the education and work prospects of the First Nations community, how many have completed schooling, and how many have gone on to University or TAFE qualifications.
This is an important indicator of the socio-economic status of the First Nations community in the area, and should be viewed in conjunction with the more detailed Highest Level of Schooling and Education Institute Attending variables, as well as Employment Status.
Q:
Derived from the Census questions:
'What is the level of the highest qualification the person has completed?' and 'What is the highest year of primary or secondary school the person has completed?'
| Highest qualification achieved | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - Cairns Regional Council | 2021 | 2016 | Change | ||||
| Qualification level | Number | % | Far North Queensland % | Number | % | Far North Queensland % | 2016 to 2021 |
| Bachelor degree level or higher | 710 | 6.6 | 4.0 | 507 | 5.6 | 3.3 | +203 |
| Advanced diploma or diploma | 770 | 7.2 | 5.3 | 602 | 6.7 | 4.7 | +168 |
| Certificate III & IV Level | 2,315 | 21.7 | 19.2 | 1,591 | 17.6 | 15.3 | +724 |
| Year 10 and above | 4,718 | 44.1 | 47.4 | 4,031 | 44.7 | 44.4 | +687 |
| Certificate I & II Level | 34 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 19 | 0.2 | 0.3 | +15 |
| Year 9 and below | 1,116 | 10.4 | 12.2 | 992 | 11.0 | 13.5 | +124 |
| No educational attainment | 112 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 88 | 1.0 | 0.8 | +24 |
| Not stated | 916 | 8.6 | 10.6 | 1,186 | 13.2 | 17.7 | -270 |
| Total people age 15+ | 10,691 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 9,016 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +1,675 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the qualifications of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns Regional Council in 2021 compared to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Far North Queensland shows that there was a higher proportion of people holding formal qualifications (Bachelor or higher degree; Advanced Diploma or Diploma; or Vocational qualifications), and a similar proportion of people with no formal qualifications.
Overall, 35.5% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 and over held educational qualifications, and 1.0% had no qualifications, compared with 28.5% and 1.0% respectively for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Far North Queensland.
The major differences between highest educational attainment held by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Cairns and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Far North Queensland were:
- A larger percentage of people who completed a bachelor degree level or higher (6.6% compared to 4.0%)
- A larger percentage of people who completed vocational qualification (21.7% compared to 19.2%)
- A smaller percentage of people Year 10 and above (44.1% compared to 47.4%)
- A smaller percentage of people Not stated (8.6% compared to 10.6%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in highest educational attainment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Cairns between 2016 and 2021 were in those with:
- who completed vocational qualification (+724 people)
- Year 10 and above (+687 people)
- Not stated (-270 people)
- who completed a bachelor degree level or higher (+203 people)
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