June 19, 2020
UOW welcomes higher education reforms
More places to be available for domestic students
The University of Wollongong (UOW) welcomes today’s announcement (19 June 2020) by the Minister for Education, the Hon Dan Tehan MP, of reforms to higher education which will assist young Australians to gain skills in growth areas that will power up Australia’s economy in the aftermath of COVID-19.
The Government’s package provides opportunities across the three objectives of increasing the number of graduates in areas of expected employment growth and demand, such as teaching, nursing, agriculture, STEM and IT; lifting the education attainment for students in regional Australia; and strengthening partnerships between universities and businesses to drive workforce participation and productivity.
UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Wellings CBE welcomed the reforms, which will provide more university places for domestic students in areas of expected employment growth.
“These reforms will support us to strengthen our focus on domestic students, and enhance the mutually beneficial relationships we have with business and government,” Professor Wellings said.
“We are particularly pleased that there will be support for programs that assist Indigenous, regional and low SES students to have access to a university education.”
Global institution serving local communities
Ranked in the top 200 universities in the world (QS World University Rankings), UOW has a proud history of working closely with its communities to drive increased participation and attainment among underrepresented groups.
“While we are a global university, UOW was founded to serve our communities and we remain place-based in our approach to education,” Professor Wellings said.
“We are focused on domestic students and offering greater alignment with industry needs.”
UOW is rated 62nd in the world for graduate employment rates (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020), and Professor Wellings said the University looks forward to forging stronger relationships with industry to drive innovation and produce highly-skilled graduates.
“We look forward to maximising our contribution in sustaining and rebuilding regional communities during the COVID-19 aftermath,” Professor Wellings said.
“UOW helps drive economic transformation through the creation of new jobs and industries and the pursuit of breakthroughs that improve the productivity of existing industries.”
Professor Wellings said he was also pleased to hear that the Government will assist regional universities to partner with industry and other universities to boost their research capacity.
“In providing students with a personalised learning experience, UOW is also focused on aligning with the needs of industry to meet the skill demands for the new economy that will emerge from the pandemic,” Professor Wellings said.
“Regions such as the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, South Coast, Southern Highlands and South Western Sydney are part of the foundations of a prosperous Australia and UOW is producing the job-ready graduates from these regions that Australia will need to drive its post COVID-19 recovery,” he added.