Future of universities heads online
Up to 40 per cent of existing degrees will become obsolete in Australia, an Ernst & Young report says.
Universities need to move towards ‘‘lifelong learning’’, delivered largely online, in the next five years to survive, according to the company’s latest research paper.
However, the executive director of Universities New Zealand, Chris Whelan, said that was not what the market was indicating in New Zealand.
‘‘If the assumption that universities and polytechs were simply providing knowledge, they would be right, but that’s not what we provide,’’ said Whelan.
Universities and polytechs provide supported education producing graduates with a range of skills, he said.
‘‘That could include work experience, working in groups, a doctor that’s worked with patients, a science graduate that’s actually worked in laboratories, basically a whole range of things that online learning isn’t very well designed to support.’’
Whelan did agree that when it came to upgrading skills the report was ‘‘probably right’’.
‘‘For broad education and the higher skilled market place, we aren’t seeing any disruption by new channels; in fact, it’s going in the opposite direction. But we are seeing more demand for adult learning – where adults are in a workplace need to add a little bit of something else like stats or marketing – and that’s where online is a good fit.’’
It’s still a market that needs a record of producing graduates with proven capabilities and competencies, he said.
Education deregulation in countries such as the United Kingdom and United States, has spawned a raft of ‘‘subprime’’ qualifications causing problems for both students and employers.
New Zealand tertiary education institutes work with industries to provide what the market needs and it seems to be working.
Statistics New Zealand figures show jobs grew by 1.45 per cent between 2006 and 2013 – about 27,200 new jobs.
Whelan said in that time 80,0000 jobs for skilled and educated workers were created over those disestablished, and about 60,000 unskilled worker jobs have disappeared.
There’s an increasing trend for skilled jobs that require a long-term apprenticeship or a degree, he said.
New Zealand also has one of the lowest levels of graduate underemployment in the world – people with a degree or trade working in jobs where that education is not needed. This week it was announced unemployment had fallen for the fifth quarter a row, as the economy continues to add almost 1000 jobs a week.
Stats NZ reported unemployment fell to 4.4 per cent in the three months to March 31 – unemployment has not been that low since the end of 2008.
To continue that trend, government funding for universities and polytechnics is based on creating good employment outcomes.
‘‘‘At the end of the day, students and employers want the same thing, qualifications that signal a graduate is smart and hard working with a range of skills and knowledge developed in a structured way over a period of time.’’