New data gathered through the Pathways for the Future Program will be used by the NSW Department of Education to identify barriers and drivers of effective education and employment outcomes and help shape policy development.

The Pathways pilot program was launched in 2017 and used de-identified data to map how young people in NSW, aged 15 to 24, moved through education into work between 1996 and 2016.

Findings from the pilot, including key pathways from study to successful employment, have been published in a summary report, fact sheets and two interactive data tools.

The Pathways Outcomes for Learners dashboard has been extended to include outcomes at ages 21 and 27, providing new insights.

Whilst early school leavers on average earn a similar income to Year 12 completers at age 24, students with higher levels of education generally earned a higher income by the age of 27.

Vocational Education and Training in Secondary School (VETSS) is a strong pathway to post-school VET and apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities, with 73 per cent of VETSS students enrolling in tertiary VET by the age of 21, and 35 per cent in apprenticeships and traineeships.

The suite of publications provides insights into the most common pathways from education to work and the circumstances that influence employment and earning outcomes. The resources also allow users to explore the pathways previous students have taken through education and training into the workforce.

A refresh of the de-identified data occurs annually to ensure insights remain relevant. The upcoming 2025 refresh will include de-identified data from early childhood education students, primary and secondary school students, and students who have undertaken a vocational education and training qualification in NSW from 1996 to 2024.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics and Centre for Health Records Linkage are the approved authorities that link and de-identify the data. The department and its partners are committed to meeting all legal, privacy, ethics and data security requirements while maintaining the confidentiality and security of the data.

Students and learners can ask for their data to be withdrawn from the 2025 refresh of datasets through the Pathways for the Future webpage by 28 August 2025. People who have previously asked to have their data withdrawn from the Pathways dataset do not need to complete this form again.