My submission to the Senate Committee on the Future of Work and Workers has been published. Among the other 144 submissions so far, there is also one from the
Australian National University (Submission 12).
These are some thoughts on the subject of how well the education system suits the need for a more flexible workforce.
Australia needs an education system which is
short sharp and mobile2.
The Australian education system already allows for work-ready learning across
schools, VET and university. Some minor adjustments are needed to make the system
more flexible:
- Strengthen the VET system and have it blended with secondary schooling at the lower end and
university at the upper end. Students should be able to complete a VET qualification
at secondary school, go on to further study in the VET system (while working
part-time) and then to university.
- Make the university system more flexible: Encourage universities to offer nested, standardized
programs which offer sub-degree entry and exit points. Students should be able to
start with a sub-degree program and then continue their studies for a degree. Most
university courses are already blended, but government policy and university practice
needs to recognize that most university students now, in effect, studying on-line so
they can work at the same time.
Teacher's computing skills should be developed as part of their
normal formal education, not some ad-hoc bolt-on program. Teachers teaching computing
should be fully, formally, dual qualified in computing and teaching. Australia
already has better systems for doing this than the UK.
Students should be encouraged to
undertake STEM subjects at school, through
subjects which address real world issues of concern to students and having computer
professional role models who students can identify with. This requires, for example,
project based work addressing issues such as
climate
change3.
Innovation
and hacking competitions4 can help make make STEM look
exciting for students.
Rather than focusing on traditional campus based three years university degrees, I
suggest policy should
prioritize on-line, nested, programs which offer
sub-degree entry and exit points, with the flexibility to study off-campus.
Soft skills can be addressed in specific university courses and in project
work. Soft skills figure prominently in the
ANU's "TechLauncher5
program of group project work for STEM students.
Techlauncher students undertake team building exercises and have mentors, tutors and
clients with industry experience. Some of this looks like fun, where
students play with Lego6, but there is also a lot of hard
work on team and client relationship skills.
In addition, we need teachers in schools, VET and university, who have training and
formal qualifications in how to teach these skills. This is particularly a problem in
universities where academic staff have higher research degrees, but minimal teacher
training. Academics need
formal teaching qualifications7.
Diversity can be improved by offering STEM subjects which address real world
issues of concern to students and having computer professional role models who
students can identify with. This requires, for example, female computing
teachers.
As well as students fresh out of school, the same techniques can be used for
re-skilling adults. On-line and blended learning, incorporating recognition of
prior learning (RPL) and recognition of concurrent learning (RCL) are particularly
useful. E-portfolios can be used for ensuring skills standards are met. Australia's
VET system was set up with this need in mind.
Tom Worthington, MEd FHEA FACS CP
Biography: Tom Worthington is a computer professional,
who advises on using technology for teaching and also does some part time teaching of
computing at tertiary institutions. A Certified
Professional8 member
of the Australian Computer Society, in 2015 Tom received a national gold Digital
Disruptors Award for "ICT Education" and in 2010 was Canberra ICT Educator of the
Year. He previously worked on IT policy for the Australian Government and in 1999 was
elected a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society for his contribution to the
development of public Internet policy. He is a Past President, Honorary Life Member,
Certified Professional and a Certified Computer Professional of the society as well
as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a voting member of the Association for
Computing Machinery and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers.
Tom has a
Masters of Education (specializing in Distance Education) from Athabasca University,
a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education from the Australian National University
and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from the Canberra Institute of
Technology. He blogs as the
Higher Education Whisperer
and is the author of Digital Teaching In
Higher Education. While an Honorary Senior Lecturer in
Computer Science at the Australian National University and a member of the
Professional Education Governance Committee of the Australian Computer Society, his
views here do not necessarily reflect those of either organization.
1 Inquiry Into the impact of technological and
other change on the future of work and workersSelect Committee on the Future of Work
and Workers, Australian Senate
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Future_of_Work_and_Workers/FutureofWork
2 Higher Education in Australia: Short Sharp
and Mobile, Higher Education Whisperer, March 19, 2018
http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2018/02/higher-education-in-australia-short.html
3 ICT Sustainability: Assessment and
Strategies for a Low Carbon Future, Tom Worthington, 2018
http://www.tomw.net.au/ict_sustainability/introduction.shtml
4 Canberra Start-up Business Boomerang, Tom
Worthington, 2017
http://www.tomw.net.au/digital_teaching/instructional_design.shtml#cbb
5 TechLauncher, ANU College of Engineering
& Computer Science https://cs.anu.edu.au/TechLauncher/
6 ANU Project Bootcamp with Lego and User
Centered Process, Higher Education Whisperer, February 25, 2018
http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2018/02/anu-project-bootcamp-with-lego-and-user.html
7 Introduce Teaching as a Specialization for
Computer Professionals, Higher Education Whisperer, January 10, 2017
http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2017/01/introduce-teaching-as-specialization.html
8 Liability limited by a scheme approved under
Prof. Standards Legislation
Reference as
Worthington, Tom. (2018, March).
Educating the Future Workforce, Submission 145,
Inquiry into the impact of technological and other change on the future of work and workers in Australia, Senate Select Committee on the Future of Work and Workers, Australian Parliament. URL
https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=83499a3a-5de3-4ed2-9a7e-84a96b02f4a2&subId=564671
I will be giving evidence to the to the Senate Committee on the Future of Work and Workers, on Monday, 4 June, Parliament House, Canberra. http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2018/04/educating-future-workforce-submission.html
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