Has Australia passed peak degree?

Andrew Norton

Could Australia have reached, or passed, peak degree? Andrew Norton has asked why demand for mature age undergraduate education is shrinking. Perhaps we have passed the point where everyone who needs a degree has one.

If employers instead demand specific skills, which can be evidenced by industry or VET certifications, or by a direct AI administered test, will university qualifications be as important?

This week I ran a mentoring circle for computing interns as part of their degree program. One student could not attend as they had a job interview. So I asked them to write a paragraph about their experience. Last time I had a job interview this involved a panel of three people asking me questions for about 30 minutes: one HR expert, one technical specialist and one from the client area. But the student recounted a multi hour battery of tests, where they had to write computer code and solve problems. This was just one phase of a multi-step process. They reflected there were several areas they needed to study up on. That they were also about to get a degree from a world leading university would also count, but it was those tests which would decide if they got the job.

Andrew suggested that more bachelor-degree graduates increases the market for postgraduate study. However, universities don't require a first degree to enroll for a second. A few months ago I was in a meeting of the board which sets education standards for my profession in Australia. During a break we were discussing our own educational paths. We each though we were unusual because we had gone straight to postgraduate study without a bachelor's degree. However, we all had done this.