Mind the gap: school leaver aspirations and delayed pathways to further and higher education

Abstract

The ‘gap year’ is defined as a time between the end of school and the beginning of further studies in which young people engage in a variety of activities, including paid or voluntary work. ‘Gapping’ is a significant trend globally for young people deferring formal study after completing school, before commencing further or higher education. A sizeable industry has grown up around the gap‐year concept with many volunteer placement agencies, websites, guide books and ‘time‐off consultants’ available to help young people plan their gap year, often at significant cost. It is claimed that a gap‐year experience will help participants acquire ‘soft skills’ needed in the modern world of work, develop social values allowing them to better adapt to university life and ultimately become more attractive to employers. Reference to the literature and data from surveys of Australian school and university students addresses the gap‐year phenomenon and how can it be defined and theorised. The paper explores reasons why school leavers delay transition into further education and what they do instead, queries whether gapping provides significant development of ‘soft skills’, and concludes that the gap‐year trend has implications for recognising work experience and informal learning in the workplace.