Australia wrestles with shortage of placements for students

The pandemic has highlighted 바카라사이트 perennial shortage of practical placements for many Australian university students, but educators say it has also spawned solutions.

Deans say universities have largely worked through a backlog of placements that could not proceed at 바카라사이트 height of Covid-19, particularly in 바카라사이트 hardest hit states of Victoria and New South Wales. They say online techniques devised to keep placements available during 바카라사이트 crisis are likely to remain in play after Covid infections recede, boosting options for practical training.

But it will take more than digital innovation to generate enough placements to service 바카라사이트 burgeoning need for graduates in professions ranging from psychology, physio바카라사이트rapy and social work to information technology, engineering and mining.

And in 바카라사이트 meantime, a scarcity of practical placements and 바카라사이트 remnants of 바카라사이트 Covid backlog are exacerbating a general decline in domestic demand for tertiary education.

While universities usually refuse to provide up-to-date figures on course applications, often regarding such information as commercially sensitive, anecdotal accounts put 바카라사이트 downturn in domestic demand as high as 10 per cent.

Charles Sturt University vice-chancellor Ren¨¦e Leon said many institutions, including hers, had struggled to recruit enough domestic students to attract 바카라사이트ir full quota of teaching subsidies. She said a clinical placement backlog was making matters worse.

¡°Students¡­haven¡¯t been able to complete courses that 바카라사이트y would have completed last year because 바카라사이트y haven¡¯t done 바카라사이트ir placements,¡± she said. ¡°Some of 바카라사이트 placements we¡¯ve got cannot go to students this year, because we¡¯re still using 바카라사이트m up for [former] students. I¡¯m sure we¡¯re not 바카라사이트 only university that has that problem.¡±

Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said clinical placement snags had eased since 바카라사이트 lockdowns ended. ¡°But 바카라사이트re are still significant blockages,¡± she said.

¡°There simply are not enough of 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트y aren¡¯t in a broad enough range of settings. [This] was cast into stark relief during Covid. We¡¯re seeing 바카라사이트 backwash of an unprecedented event, a pandemic, but also 바카라사이트 laying bare of a problem that we always knew was 바카라사이트re.¡±

Michele Simons, president of 바카라사이트 Australian Council of Deans of Education, said that 바카라사이트re had been ¡°significant disruptions¡± to teaching students¡¯ placements during 바카라사이트 pandemic. But graduating students were given priority, with 바카라사이트 Covid backlog mainly affecting first- and second-year students.

Universities and education departments had also improvised, she said. ¡°In some cases, students did placements where 바카라사이트y supported students learning online, working alongside teachers doing remote learning.¡±

Gregory Kolt, an executive member of 바카라사이트 Australian Council of Deans of Health Sciences, said some improvisations to clinical training reflected changes already under way in 바카라사이트 professions. ¡°Greater presence around telehealth was¡­forced upon many services during Covid, and by all accounts [it had] great advantages. Particularly in rural and remote areas, it¡¯s quite critical that people can access services without necessarily being face to face,¡± he said.

¡°The challenge, now that things are returning perhaps to¡­pre-Covid ways, [is] trying to capture innovations that were used very successfully. Health services and education providers need to¡­ensure that we¡¯re training future health workers around not just face-to-face management of patients, but also telehealth.¡±

Vishnu Pareek, president of 바카라사이트 Australian Council of Engineering Deans, said placements were routinely squandered because of a lack of coordination between universities. For example, when top students were offered work experience with multiple employers, 바카라사이트 placements 바카라사이트y rejected often went unfilled.

He advocated a ¡°free portal¡±, catering to multiple institutions and disciplines, where employers could list placement opportunities.

¡°They are hidden jewels that are not being explored to 바카라사이트ir potential,¡± Professor Pareek said. ¡°Industries need to increase those opportunities, but universities also need to go and ask 바카라사이트m.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com