Federation University marketing and communications manager Phil Crone said more and more year 12 students didn’t know what they wanted to do when they finished school.

“We've had the biggest intake of non-year 12 students because they're either not ready to go to university and they find paid work or they start a course and drop out,” he said.

“People are starting to study at university five to six years after they finish year 12.

“This has changed from earlier years, because they don’t know what they want to do with their careers.”

Skillinvest recruitment consultant Daniel Brandon said there was also a growing demand for welders, truck drivers and engineers, along with farmers during the growing season.

Representatives from universities and training organisations attended the Western Victorian Careers Expo on Tuesday to talk to students about their options. New data from 2015 school leavers shows 62.5 per cent of Horsham students went straight into education of training after finishing year 12 – below the Victorian average of 76.8 per cent.

The data is from the state government’s survey, On Track, which looks at whether students are in tertiary study, training or employment six months after graduating from year 12 or equivalent. 

For those students who didn’t go into education or training, 90 per cent said they wanted to start earning their own money, while 80 per cent said they needed a break from studying and 35 per cent said the course they were interested in wasn’t available in the region.

In Northern Grampians Shire 24.5 per cent of students who finished year 12 in 2015 went on to do a bachelor degree in 2016. 

This is down from 40.5 per cent the year before and 42.9 per cent in 2014. 

In West Wimmera Shire, 45.8 per cent of students went straight into full-time work, which was up from 33.3 per cent the year before.  

Mr Crone said nursing and education were the most popular courses in the region.

“They are career paths where people have a direction,” he said.

“People know they want to be a nurse because they have a caring personality.

“They know they want to teach because they want to share their knowledge.”

Mr Brandon said there was a demand for workers for a range of industries in the region.

“Labour hire tends to be seasonal,” he said.

“Now that we're in growing months, the demand for farmers is higher. 

“There's also a demand for welders, truck drivers and engineers.”

Mr Brandon said automotive, building and construction apprenticeships were the most popular among Wimmera school leavers.

He said business and administration were the most popular traineeships. 

“Apprenticeships and traineeships generally reflect the demand of the area,” he said.

“There is a noticeable difference between metropolitan and regional areas – in the Wimmera, agricultural-based apprenticeships are more in demand.”

In Hindmarsh Shire, 34.3 per cent of students studied a bachelor degree in 2016, while 12.8 per cent did a certificate or diploma, 30.8 per cent went into full time work and 20.5 per cent were unemployed.