Rocky start for leavers
One in four young West Australians are not working or studying full-time, fuelling fresh fears they face a poverty trap.
Two reports also show disturbing illiteracy and innumeracy among adults, with one in five struggling with basic maths.
Despite a push to increase the numbers with higher qualifications, the Council of Australian Governments Reform Council warns it is not always translating to improved job prospects.
Council chairman, former Victorian premier John Brumby, will release the reports on education and skills today in Perth at a function hosted by think tank the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia.
It reports gains in Years 3 and 7 reading and Years 5 and 9 numeracy in WA in the past five years.
WA, Queensland and NT students made the biggest gains in test scores, albeit coming off a lower base than other States.
While West Australians finishing Year 12 had increased since 2006, just over a quarter aged 17 to 24 were not "fully engaged" in work or study.
Between 2006 and 2011, the number in this group rose from 24 per cent to 25.9 per cent.
