Brendan O’Connor: stronger leadership and collaboration critical to elevate the tertiary education sector

After nearly 25 years in parliament, I recently took up a new position at RMIT University.  

A surprise to some perhaps, but for me it’s consistent with my journey: from living with my family in a migrant hostel Nissen hut as a child - where Holmesglen TAFE now stands - to my final cabinet post as minister overseeing skills and training in Australia. 

Throughout my parliamentary career, I increasingly understood that the labour market requires skilled and knowledgeable workers from both tertiary pathways equally, and that there has always been a need for greater collaboration between the two. 

It explains why I accepted the role at RMIT, the nation’s largest dual sector university, rather than equally generous offers from other universities.  

While perceptions are changing, vocational education is still not seen as an equal partner to higher education, even though it too is critical to our economy, to our labour market, and to our nation.  

Governments of all stripes have sometimes failed to grasp that fact, which is in turn reflected in policies at a state and federal level historically. I consider the current Australian government is now working to redress that failure, as it understands that social mobility and a more productive and inclusive society is greatly enabled by education and training. But politicians can’t do this alone.  

True collaboration and trusted co-design between both tertiary sectors, government and industry is becoming more urgent to better harmonise pathways and, in turn, address national skills gaps. There is exponential growth in labour market demand for a future job to be a composite of technical skills and conceptual knowledge. 

The tertiary sector should start with low hanging fruit and identify where it’s already happening organically. For example, delivering innovative new learning models for a competency or qualification that has some technical dimensions and some conceptual ones.  

This approach is more advanced in other parts of the world, like Switzerland, where many more electricians choose to become engineers. A young Swiss student may decide to start a trade but may later be given the opportunity to upskill while they work, so by the time they’re sick of the tools, they have the skills and experience for a new meaningful vocation. 

In Australia, there has been a tendency to consign people to one set of skills. Instead, we need to harness and uplift the skills of a broader cross section of the workforce if we are to have more exciting and fulfilling career paths and transform our economy for the needs of the future. 

In fact, it is critical that the tertiary sector accommodates more harmonised (and multi-directional) pathways if we are to provide greater opportunities for a more ambitious future for us all. 

And where better to continue overcoming this delineation than in a dual sector university, like RMIT.  

RMIT has been spearheading learning models that exemplify harmonised solutions. These are built on meaningful partnerships and collaborations that have stood the test of time, and we need to embrace and accelerate this approach. 

Our many Earn and Learn models include Victoria's first industry-based degree apprenticeship qualification which provides students with employment while they train. Our innovative models offer a composite of different skills and knowledge across priority areas like social care, clean energy, cyber, health and advanced manufacturing. And there are so many parts of the economy, where good jobs exist, where these types of models could be applied to. 

I’m also an advocate for international education, which has many benefits for Australia, such as lifting our skills base, and contributing to our export market. It also helps diplomatically by improving our relationship with countries in our region and beyond. RMIT is a key partner in the Asia Pacific, contributing to economic growth, and helping to tackle shared challenges.   

And skilled immigration has been, and will always be, an important part of our labour market mix, which is required for our economy.  

Success requires a cultural shift. Leaders in government, industry and education sectors have a shared responsibility to work with schools, TAFEs, and universities to make education and training fit-for-purpose. The system needs to be collaborative, innovative, and responsive to the demands of our fast-changing labour market. 

If we continue to improve, we will see improvements in our workforce, our businesses and our economy.  

Knowledge and skills clearly help people to secure a great career while also helping a nation to boost its productivity and economy. But there is something else it achieves. In a knowledge-based global economy, it is our best chance to improve the quality of life of our people.

Brendan O’Connor is Professor of Practice, Workforce Skills and Innovation at RMIT University. He was a federal cabinet minister under the Gillard, Rudd and Albanese governments.