In the NSROC Region, the workforce has a higher proportion with University qualifications compared to New South Wales.
Qualification levels help to evaluate the economic opportunities and socio-economic status of local workers in a particular industry.
The level of qualifications in a workforce relate to a number of factors including:
- The age of the workforce;
- The skill and qualification level required to enter an industry;
- The professional or working ambitions of people (to seek education as youth or retraining as adults);
- The opportunities afforded to people to continue studying beyond compulsory schooling.
Educational Qualification statistics should be looked at in conjunction with Field of qualification and Occupations data for a full education analysis for the NSROC Region.
Data source
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Census 2011 (experimental imputed) & 2016 – by place of work
Local workers qualifications | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NSROC Region - All industries | 2016 | 2011 | Change | ||||||
Qualification level | Number | % | New South Wales | Number | % | New South Wales | 2011 - 2016 | ||
Bachelor or Higher degree | 157,581 | 49.6 | 32.6 | 130,800 | 44.3 | 27.9 | +26,781 | ||
Advanced Diploma or Diploma | 37,235 | 11.7 | 11.1 | 36,916 | 12.5 | 10.5 | +319 | ||
Certificate I and II Level | 2,350 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2,969 | 1.0 | 1.4 | -619 | ||
Certificate III & IV Level | 33,037 | 10.4 | 18.7 | 33,064 | 11.2 | 18.8 | -27 | ||
Certificate Level, nfd | 6,309 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 5,365 | 1.8 | 1.9 | +944 | ||
No qualification | 72,986 | 23.0 | 31.1 | 75,101 | 25.4 | 34.9 | -2,115 | ||
Inadequately described or not stated | 8,233 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 11,268 | 3.8 | 4.5 | -3,035 | ||
Total Persons | 317,731 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 295,483 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +22,248 | ||
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 and 2016. Compiled and presented by .id informed decisions Please refer to specific data notes for more information |


Dominant groups
Analysis of the qualifications of the in the NSROC Region in 2016 compared to New South Wales shows that there was a higher proportion holding formal qualifications (Bachelor or higher degree; Advanced Diploma or Diploma; or Vocational qualifications), and a lower proportion with no formal qualifications.
Overall, 74.4% of the workers who held educational qualifications, and 23.0% had no qualifications, compared with 65.9% and 31.1% respectively for New South Wales.
The major differences between the qualifications held by the workforce of the NSROC Region and New South Wales were:
- A larger percentage of local workers with Bachelor or Higher degree (49.6% compared to 32.6%)
- A smaller percentage of local workers with Certificate III & IV Level (10.4% compared to 18.7%)
- A smaller percentage of local workers with No qualification (23.0% compared to 31.1%)
- A larger percentage of local workers with Advanced Diploma or Diploma (11.7% compared to 11.1%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in the qualifications held by the workforce in the NSROC Region between 2011 and 2016 were:
- Bachelor or Higher degree (+26,781 local workers)
- No qualification (-2,115 local workers)
- Certificate Level, nfd (+944 local workers)
- Certificate I and II Level (-619 local workers)