Australian Universities Accord

 

Jason Clare MP, Australia’s Minister for Education has recently released the Australian Universities Accord Final Report. The report, touted as the “blueprint” for higher education in the country, aims to create a long-term reform plan for the higher education sector to meet Australia’s future skills needs. The final report includes 47 recommendations and proposes big changes that Australia should meet head on.

 

What does it mean for International Students?

 

According to the report, education makes an enormous contribution to Australian tertiary education by enabling Australian learning and teaching to have wider impact, helping universities to invest in important research, adding to diversity, and being an important avenue for soft diplomacy and international linkages. 

 

In 2022, Australian higher education providers enrolled almost 450,000 international fee-paying students (more than a quarter of total enrolments), with around 120,000 of these studying Australian higher education courses from outside Australia. International student fees contributed more thana fifth of overall university funding. Now Australia’s fourth largest export, international education is a fixture of the economy.

 

A strong and sustainable footing is important. On the demand side, fluctuations in enrolments risk the stability
and viability of institutions. On the supply side, there have been failures in quality and integrity in some parts of the market, and these must be addressed. 

 

The report recommends managing volatility in demand where possible, including by diversifying markets to avoid overreliance on a small number of countries. 

 

Some international students seek a migration pathway. In line with the Australian Government’s Migration Strategy goal for a better targeted system, the report recommends that the tertiary education sector should encourage these students to study courses linked to Australian skill shortages and to study in regional locations. 

 

The sector should protect its reputation and ranking as a study destination by lifting course quality and improving the overall student experience. TEQSA should take an evidence-based approach to ensure that providers have appropriate risk management strategies for international education to issues including managing demand volatility, course concentrations and the quality of the student experience, and access and availability of affordable housing. The financial stability and integrity of Australia’s international education system should be addressed. 

 

This is the first broad review of the sector since 2008. “The Australian Universities Accord has recommended how to reform higher education over the next decade and beyond,” notes Jason Clare MP, Australia’s Minister for Education.

 

You can access the report here: Australian Universities Accord.

Wharton’s programme for Indian leaders

“Learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.” (Peter F Drucker)

As Indian companies scale for global aspirations in a rapidly changing economic environment, good business strategy demands that senior executives and managers are trained in specific skills to keep pace with the organisation’s growth plan.

In recent years, India’s executive education sector has been growing by leaps and bounds. With economic growth creating a need for skilled human capital, leading business schools such as the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and Indian School of Business at Hyderabad are focusing on executive education programmes. International schools such as Harvard Business School, Oxford University and the University of Western Ontario are also making a beeline for the market.

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania has announced the launch of a new non-degree business certificate programme in India beginning January 2012. Called the Accelerated Development Program (ADP), this new certificate is designed to meet the current needs of global business leaders with high potential in India.

"The Accelerated Development Program exemplifies Wharton's commitment to global business education as it will bring Wharton's world-class faculty and thought leadership to business executives in India," explained Wharton Vice Dean Jason Wingard who made the announcement of the programme yesterday at the School's Global Engagement Series event held in Mumbai, India.

Harbir Singh, Wharton's Vice Dean of Global Initiatives and the Mack Professor of Management, says the present is an ideal time to launch such a programme in India. "There is a growing emphasis on internationalisation for organisations in India," Singh says. "Business leaders must be well aware of the need to build globally competitive enterprises, and how today's highly interconnected world affects everything from innovation to finance to leadership. You can't create and maintain a competitive advantage without a global perspective."

The Accelerated Development Program is designed to bring that perspective to India's global business leaders with high potential. The certificate programme will offer courses in Mumbai and Gurgaon, India in topics such as Strategic Thinking, Finance, Marketing, and Leadership.

What distinguishes Wharton's Accelerated Development Program from other business school programmes currently offered in India is that it will go beyond the classroom sessions to help participants become more reflective and proactive in managing their careers. All participants who choose to complete the certificate will receive coaching and professional assessments. Also, they will be eligible to attend an executive education programme at the Wharton School's Philadelphia campus in the United States. No other business school in India currently offers these types of additional benefits.

"Business leaders today need a higher level of proactivity and self-reflection during their careers," says Singh, who will teach in the Accelerated Development Program. "The pace of change demands a take-charge approach, and coaching is an important component."

To be awarded the certificate, participants must complete three of the courses within two years.