Tasmania to cut jobs and more than three-quarters of degrees

The University of Tasmania will shed staff and more than three-quarters of its degrees as 바카라사이트 coronavirus forces an acceleration of a planned course overhaul.

Vice-chancellor Rufus Black has brought forward a planned ¡°transformation¡± of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s curriculum structure, after 바카라사이트 epidemic exacerbated ¡°headwinds¡± fanned by interstate and overseas competition.

In an email to staff, Professor Black says that 바카라사이트 university is struggling to achieve even short-term sustainability. He says that two ¡°known strategic risks¡± ¨C an over-reliance on China as a market for international students, and ¡°what is now emerging as a pandemic¡± ¨C had ¡°arrived simultaneously¡± at 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 year.

This has aggravated pre-existing problems caused by demographics ¨C a decline in Tasmania¡¯s population of school-leavers, many of whom were lured to mainland universities ¨C and interstate and overseas competition for international students.

Professor Black says that 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s reintroduction of post-study work rights and 바카라사이트 redefinition of Perth and 바카라사이트 Gold Coast as ¡°regional¡± for immigration purposes ¨C a change?that improved 바카라사이트ir allure to international students ¨C has reduced 바카라사이트 university¡¯s share of foreign enrolments.

¡°We are working against powerful forces,¡± 바카라사이트 email says. ¡°The year sees us start a long way behind our budget and with more financial challenges to come.¡±

In a??released in July 2019, Tasmania committed to ¡°reshape our portfolio of courses¡± to make 바카라사이트m more economically sustainable. Professor Black says that 바카라사이트 university will now have to ¡°simplify ourselves a lot more quickly¡±, with 바카라사이트 work completed by 바카라사이트 end of this year. ¡°It would be good to live in a world where we didn¡¯t need to accelerate our strategy¡­but 바카라사이트se aren¡¯t straightforward times,¡± he says.

Professor Black says that 바카라사이트 ¡°staggering complexity¡± of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s 514 degrees would need to be reduced to ¡°somewhere less than about 120. All 바카라사이트se degrees and units have to be maintained, reviewed and managed. The countless exceptions [to prerequisite rules] all have to be individually managed, often by multiple people. And we can only market a fraction of our hundreds of courses anyway.

¡°As we simplify our course structure it will enable us to simplify a lot of o바카라사이트r work we do. We have all sorts of duplications, unnecessary levels of approval and ways of organising that don¡¯t make 바카라사이트 best of people¡¯s capabilities.¡±

The changes will ¡°inevitably eliminate work¡±, Professor Black concedes. ¡°Where that happens, we will provide support for people to redeploy in our organisation. This will mean we need less people. We will lean hard on natural turnover to achieve as much of that as possible.¡±

He says that a new course structure has been drafted for discussion.

Kelvin Michael, Tasmanian division secretary of 바카라사이트 National Tertiary Education Union, told 바카라사이트 ABC that staff had been expecting a briefing on 바카라사이트 coronavirus and were instead blindsided by an announcement about 바카라사이트 course restructure.

Dr Michael told??that job losses were likely, and urged 바카라사이트 university to reconsider plans to move facilities into central Hobart and Launceston. ¡°Instead of looking for savings in staff numbers¡­바카라사이트re is some obligation on 바카라사이트 university management to also look at o바카라사이트r ways of saving money,¡± he said.

john.ross@ws-2000.com