Review of University-Industry Collaboration in Teaching and Learning

Adjunct Professor Peter Dawkins of Victoria University's Mitchell Institute, together with Professor Martin Bean has delivered the Review of University-Industry Collaboration in Teaching and Learning, commissioned by the Federal Department for Education, Skills and Training (now the Department of Education).

Since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008, young people have experienced deteriorating labour market outcomes relative to other age groups. They have been making poorer transitions into the workforce compared to previous generations, finding jobs in lower-income occupations, working fewer hours, and struggling to move upwards over time. The post-GFC deterioration in employment outcomes for young people has been attributed to the increase in labour supply and the subsequent increase in competition for jobs sought by young people, resulting in them being ‘crowded out’ of employment.

The Review recommends seven short-term actions government, higher education providers and industry can take to promote greater collaboration across the sector. These recommended actions are:

1. Accelerate the development and use of the Australian Skills Classification as an open access national skills taxonomy.
2. Expedite the reform of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) to facilitate better collaboration between higher education providers, vocational education providers and industry.
3. Build a unified credentials platform to surface current and emerging skill shortages, provider guidance to individuals to make informed learning decisions, link to quality micro-credentials and act as a bridge to labour market opportunities.
4. Providers and industry to build a stronger culture of partnership in the delivery of industry-focused micro-credentials – accelerated through targeted investment fund.
5. Roll out a flexible higher education cadetship program combining an employment contract and a learning program.
6. Enhance higher education’s engagement with industry through the National Priorities and Industry Linkage Fund (NPILF) and the National Strategy on Work-Integrated Learning.
7. Build stronger partnerships between higher education, vocational education, and schools, including the introduction of a cross-sectoral teaching and learning innovation fund.

Professors Bean and Dawkins are the former Vice-Chancellors of RMIT University (2015-2021) and Victoria University (2011-2020), respectively. Bean is an Emeritus Professor at RMIT and CEO of the Bean Centre, and Dawkins is an Emeritus Professor of Economics at the Mitchell Institute for Education and Health Policy at Victoria University