Habitus in the Hallways, Skill Shortages in the Streets: Linking Student Aspirations with Vocational Outcomes in Regional Communities

The presentation explores the narratives in schools in regional areas lacking traditional higher educational institutions. A case study methodology focused on the MidCoast Local Government Area of NSW. It establishes a correlation between qualitative survey data from 349 local high school students and quantitative workforce data, highlighting a skill deficit in professions requiring an undergraduate degree. The presentation suggests a direct link between habitus in secondary educational settings and skill shortages affecting regional, remote, and rural communities. The distinction between a "reproductive" habitus, which aligns with accepting one's social conditions as limiting future possibilities, and a "transformative" habitus, which sees beyond these constraints (Mills, 2008), is particularly relevant within this presentation. The research demonstrates that students with a reproductive habitus may see their path as predetermined, leading to lower aspirations towards higher education and limiting their perceived workforce opportunities. In this presentation, I argue that a transformative habitus can be established by providing access to higher education within regional communities. The first step in establishing a transformative habitus is to provide viable access to higher education (Ostini et al., 2020; Stone et al., 2022). This can be supported by a whole community approach to enhancing employment opportunities within local businesses for young people undertaking university degrees (Suleman et al., 2021). This case study provides the starting point for a conversation connecting habitus within school contexts and the workforce planning of communities in regional, remote and rural communities.

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NCRRRE 2024: National Conference of Regional, Remote and Rural Education

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