Study or starve? Financial challenges of students studying in Australian and New Zealand Universities.

Greetings from "Study or starve? Financial challenges of students studying in Australian and New Zealand Universities" online from the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES). Professor Karen Charlton from the University of Wollongong, discussed a salutogenic approach, looking at what helped students, rather than just what the problems were. Research shows that disabled, international and indigenous students were at higher risk of financial insecuirty, which interfered with their study. This is of interest, as I was one of those students from a low SES background, who struggled at university.

A difficult issue is unpaid placements. Some professions, such as nursing, have a tradition of long placements being required. These placements are typically unpaid. In effect, universities are complicit in forcing students to work for free. Should universities ban free placements, in the expectation that employers would then be forced to pay the students.

I am on the Australian Computer Society board which sets accreditation requirements for computing degrees. The students can do project work, as an alternative to placements. This helps with international students in Canberra, who have difficulty getting a placement, paid or unpaid, due to security constraints. Perhaps other professions should be doing this.

One option which could help students would be to encourage them to commence their studies at TAFE. They could undertake a short qualification to get an entry level job, before considering university. Also making part time online the default option for university study. Students should not be made to feel bad if it happens they can't get to campus.