RMIT has welcomed the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report but says more work is needed now to address skills gaps and future demand
RMIT has welcomed the five priority measures recommended in the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report and looks forward to continuing to contribute to longer-term structural reforms that address Australia's skills gaps and future workforce demands.
Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Alec Cameron said the measures announced by Minister Jason Clare recognise that every individual and each industry can play an important role in building a prosperous, sustainable and equitable workforce for Australia.
"The national education and skills agenda is critical to mitigate against equity gaps and social disadvantage, and RMIT supports reforms that provide more opportunities for indigenous, regional, rural and remote students," he said.
"Addressing these gaps and disadvantage is a crucial first step in ensuring we have a fair and equitable higher education system in place that is accessible to all, with no one left behind."
With equity measures in place, Cameron said the focus should now move to quality and partnership, as Australia looks to build a higher education system that is fit for purpose for a modern and prosperous economy.
"The challenge ahead of us is to develop new policies and funding arrangements, including simplified student fee contributions, that enable all post-school education providers to meet the needs of Australia's rapidly changing workforce through a combination of Vocational Education and Higher Education qualifications and training," he said.
"The future of work in Australia requires a blend of skills and education that are acquired and renewed throughout an individual's working life, and we need to think about the whole workforce, incoming and current, in addressing shifting skills and demand.
"Instead of being seen as either a 'school-leaver' or 'mature-aged', students are those who are skilling, re-skilling, up-skilling, and navigating educational pathways between work, skills development, and aspirations across their lives."
Cameron said a set of nationally recognised work-based-learning qualifications that combine vocational and higher education, co-designed and delivered with industry, was needed to address Australia's skills demand and rapidly changing workforce.
"These kinds of work-based-learning qualifications, including Associate Degrees, Advanced Diplomas, Higher Apprenticeships and innovative 'Earn and Learn' models, combine the practical skills taught in vocational education with the analytical knowledge acquired in higher education," Cameron said.
"Importantly, that structure would offer Australia's large cohort of workers in mid-tier occupations access to skills without forcing a choice between re-training and income, and would also increase the speed at which Australia addresses workforce shortages.
"As a dual sector university, RMIT is already offering models like this and we look forward to contributing further to the work being done by the Panel and the sector in shaping, developing and modelling other key policies.
"We thank Minister Clare, Professor Mary O'Kane AC and the panel for all their work to date."
