Would you like a job with that?
What a relief. The Australian government has finally decided to reduce funding for higher education qualifications that have poor job connections.
Recently, Federal Minister for Education, Dan Tehan, announced an overhaul of university fees that saw arts degrees increase by 113 percent, while teaching and nursing courses fell by almost half. It’s plain to see – the Federal Government wants people studying for jobs with definite career paths.
It’s a common-sense decision and very welcome by the trades industries.
For some time VACC has raised with government that qualifications without jobs at the end are costly and, in many cases, waste valuable learning time for school leavers.
The Chamber also argued that any qualifications offered by universities or technical training providers should come with an ‘expectation of employment’ ranking. This information is available to governments, so why not let young learners know this before investing years – and lots of money – into obscure courses that may lead nowhere?
We should ask young career aspirants if they actually want or need a degree. Many don’t but opt for higher education anyway ‘just because’.
For many young people apprenticeships are a fantastic career choice.
Trade apprentices get paid while they learn and graduate with transferable skills that are at little risk of becoming obsolete. That’s a great thing to rely upon, especially in times like these.
And for the record, all apprenticeships have a job entry point and a job destination. It’s the best training model in the world. Let’s embrace it.
Words: VACC CEO, Geoff Gwilym. As featured in the Herald Sun 17 July 2020.
Share your thoughts! E: ceo@vacc.com.au