The COVID pandemic has highlighted rapid shifts in where, when and how Australians work, and universities have an important role in ensuring graduates are ready for a future of continuing change.
This is the message that will be delivered at The University of Queensland’s Teaching and Learning Week, by keynote speaker Professor Marie Wilson from the University of South Australia.
Professor Wilson said trends toward fewer permanent jobs, a more diverse workforce and work that varies in terms of time and place were underway before lockdowns forced millions to work at home.
“COVID was a pressure-cooker, it was a sudden and shared experience that raised the visibility of remote working and digital changes that have been accelerating for over 20 years,” Professor Wilson said.
“The reality is that fewer graduates now go to jobs with large employers, structured career development and regular pay.
“Across all professions there are casuals, freelancers and contractors in every project and business, interacting in non-traditional settings and teams.
“As educators we need to prepare graduates to craft a successful career in a variable environment, amongst a much more diverse and distributed workforce.”
Professor Wilson commended the university courses which contained projects and assessments that fostered good self-management and project skills, along with a small business-type entrepreneurial mindset.
“We need to make sure that our students are developing more than just skills for a standard workplace, where they’ll be in the same room at the same time with a group of similar people,” she said.
Professor Wilson is also encouraging students to look for opportunities to widen their networking and teamwork skills through professional associations, clubs, volunteering and extra-curricular projects.
“Education remains divided on age group cohorts, even in most university programs, but the workforce is now 5G, five generations working together,” Professor Wilson said.
“The ability to work with diversity, to form networks and respectful relationships with people of all ages and recognise differences as strengths is increasingly important.”
Professor Wilson said educators needed to consider how they could embed vital working-life skills into their curriculum and assessment structures.
“As academics we've been challenged to think about the impact of our research, through funding programs, awards and even international rating agencies, but I think we need to increasingly think about our teaching and learning the same way,” she said.
“We need to ask ourselves ‘How do we create impactful learning experiences that enable our graduates to excel in an uncertain and volatile future?’”
Professor Wilson is a former Pro Vice Chancellor (Business and Law), and former DVC: Academic Services, of the University of South Australia.
She is currently leading the Future Workforce project, investigating the impact of new ways of working, including work-from-home, hybrid offices and flextime on employee and organisational performance.
The topic of the keynote address is ‘Preparing students (and ourselves) for the work/place of their future’. It will be delivered on 31 October and be followed by a panel discussion asking, ‘How can we effectively develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to prepare tomorrow’s students for the challenges they will face to thrive and shape their world?’.
Registrations are open now for this and other forums, discussions and presentations during UQ Teaching and Learning Week.
Media: UQ Communications, communications@uq.edu.au, +61 (0)429 056 139.
