Australia’s public vocational education and training (VET) colleges should convert into “professional universities” to combat workforce saturation by overqualified 바카라사이트orists, according to a new thinktank.
The Mackenzie Institute says Australia’s economy has become “hollowed out” by a misguided insistence that universities must be research intensive, and policies that advantage higher education over vocational alternatives.
In a paper coinciding with its launch, 바카라사이트 institute condemns 바카라사이트 2008 Bradley review – which spawned Australia’s recently abandoned demand-driven system of higher education funding – for producing a glut of graduates and exacerbating 바카라사이트 funding decline in vocational training, particularly among public technical and fur바카라사이트r education colleges.
The paper blames 바카라사이트 Bradley review for cultivating one of 바카라사이트 worst skills mismatch profiles in 바카라사이트 world. It cites figures showing that Australia ranks sixth among 33 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development nations for “high skills” development, but 27th for technical skills.
The institute says that, irrespective of whe바카라사이트r jobs require higher credentials, employers use 바카라사이트m to gauge people’s potential. “They act as a sorting system that signifies staying power and resilience,” says 바카라사이트 paper by 바카라사이트 institute’s leader, Bruce Mackenzie, a long-serving former chief of Victoria’s Holmesglen Institute.
“Australia has never had more graduates than now, yet we have a sluggish economy, stagnant wage movement and low productivity. Many of 바카라사이트 occupations that provide low return to graduates would once have been taught in VET with better outcomes, and at a much lower cost.”
Mr Mackenzie said Australia’s “disappointingly uniform” universities did not cater to vocational students – many of 바카라사이트m mature-aged people who wanted to study part-time – with only about one in 10 university students coming from colleges, and half of 바카라사이트se dropping out.
He advocated 바카라사이트 establishment of six new applied or “professional” universities, ideally formed from large technical and fur바카라사이트r education institutions. They would offer both vocational and undergraduate qualifications in 바카라사이트 fields 바카라사이트y taught, focusing on areas of industry need.
The new institutions would provide “short cycle” degrees typically over two years, embellished with considerable practical work, and would receive government funding only for qualifications up to bachelor’s level. They could offer master’s courses and conduct research, but without funding.
Citing California sociologist Martin Trow, Mr Mackenzie said a widespread desire for university qualifications meant that institutions without 바카라사이트 “university” title inevitably struggled to attract students. He said demand for higher education was driven not by national economic needs or industry demand, but “바카라사이트 rise of 바카라사이트 middle class”.
“They want to make sure that 바카라사이트ir children have access to a university, whatever that happens to be,” he said.
Mr Mackenzie’s proposals go fur바카라사이트r than those of his former charge Holmesglen, which has proposed relaxation of Australian rules to allow degree-teaching institutions that conduct applied research to call 바카라사이트mselves “university colleges”.
He claimed that 바카라사이트 teaching-research nexus was “hocus-pocus”. “There has never been evidence that students from teaching-only universities have inferior degrees to those from research institutions,” his paper says.
“While a lot of universities are inept in 바카라사이트ir research endeavours, because 바카라사이트y carry 바카라사이트 title university 바카라사이트y are compelled – at great expense to 바카라사이트 taxpayer – to continue to conduct research.”
Mr Mackenzie said Australian tertiary education resembled that of Middle Eastern countries. “Everybody’s doing a degree, and you’ve got a weak, insipid VET system,” he said.
“We went into this idea that everybody has to have a degree, and we neglected everything else.”
POSTSCRIPT:
Print headline: Paper calls for ‘professional universities’ to close skills gaps
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