Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemSkilling the Australian community: futures for public education: the higher education perspective( 1988)This study examined the expectations which the Higher Education community has of Australian society in the next five to ten years, and the skills it therefore requires of students entering this sector. The policy and program implications of these recommendations for schools, tertiary and other educational institutions, government, the public and private sectors and the community at large were then considered. Finally, a scenario is presented, showing what post-compulsory schooling could look like ten years from now. The Higher Education sector comprises Universities and Colleges of Advanced Education. These institutions are centres of undergraduate and post-graduate teaching, scholarship and research, and represent a vital community resource. They play a crucial role in educating and training members of the community in those skills required to develop both quality of life and prosperity, for the individual and for the nation. In order to understand the skills which Higher Education requires of school leavers, consideration must first be given to its plans for its own development in the next decade. It must respond to pressures from both sides; from the workforce on the one hand, and secondary schools on the other. The state of the economy and the balance of payments problem have led the government and the private sector to place certain demands on secondary and on higher education. The wider community and the public sector place others. Secondary schools, faced with assessment, certification and selection requirements for entry into higher education also bring their own pressures to bear on the sector. The expectations which Higher Education institutions have of compulsory and post-compulsory schooling include appropriate training in two areas. One of these is generalist/ developmental in traits and attitudes, and the other specifically educational/ vocational in nature. The first fosters confidence, creativity, curiosity, flexibility, initiative, independence, perseverance, the development of problem solving skills and the pursuit of excellence. The second comprises clear thinking, oral and written comprehension and communication, numerical skills and concepts, technological literacy, information gathering ability from libraries and computers, and group skills. The challenge facing Australian education is to devise ways in which an increasing proportion of the population can become competent and confident in both areas (generalist and vocational), particularly as they relate to the community's long-term needs.