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There ’ s no perfect job going forward . It ’ s a cluster of jobs .
and essentially be able to find a reward for the work that they ’ ve done – whether that ’ s through on the job training , their experience or qualifications , microcredentials – and bundle that up so they can show that value , that learning to employers . Employers can then recognise it , and that can then be built into the employment structure that those employees and employers enter into .
Lifelong journey
The role universities can play in a shift to lifelong learning .
Tony Maguire interviewed by Wade Zaglas
Amid a precarious world where old jobs are disappearing and new ones are emerging , the idea of lifelong learning has morphed into something more of a must rather than an intellectual hobby or pursuit .
But how will lifelong learning advantage Australians and which industries will most benefit from it ? To discuss these issues , Campus Review spoke to Australia and NZ regional director of D2L , Tony Maguire .
According to Maguire , young Australians will embark on five to six careers throughout their lives , making lifelong learning critical . Linked to that is the rise of micro-credentials , which have taken off in recent times , especially with government support .
Maguire also explained the block model Victoria University rolled out , and the successes that resulted from that decision . The concept of teachingonly universities was also explored , with Maguire stating that “ the elephant in the room ” is the fact that research impact still heavily drives institutional reputation .
CR : Why do you think lifelong learning will be even more important in the future ? TM : The impact of lifelong learning , is probably three-fold . First of all , lifelong learning speaks to the way in which we recognise the changing nature of work . Particularly for young Australians who are going to be inheriting the economy that we leave behind for them , it will be a different world : the gig economy , the casualisation of the labour force and the changes in the fabric of the economic mix across regions , across industries .
The second thing is the way in which we consider the normal sorts of scaffolds that we ’ ve seen for education for the last two or three hundred years . We think about primary , secondary school education . That pathway then typically when I was growing up led to vocational training to get a trade , or the ability to go to university .
All of those traditional kinds of pathways are now morphing and realigning . And quite often , redesigning their value proposition to different customers , consumers , students . That approach to education is changing rapidly . The providers are changing rapidly .
The third thing is we have to have a way in which we can reflect on learning that happens across that lifelong journey that enables learners to show the value of what they ’ ve learned to employers ,
What are the advantages of lifelong learning to individuals and the economy ? I think the ability to look at lifelong learning longitudinally gives us a chance to consider the way in which employment opportunities are changing . We recognise that machine learning , artificial intelligence , robotics , all of these sorts of emerging technologies are having a profound impact on traditional lines of employment .
The Foundation for Young Australians has looked at a whole variety of research that ’ s going to provide quite a treasure trove of information for employers and government . That research talks about the way in which jobs are changing and the expectations of employees is changing . Many young Australians aren ’ t looking for full-time employment . They ’ re looking for work-life balance . We also understand that the skills that they learned in one job are transferrable to 13 others .
We also know that based on this research , a young Australian coming into a job now will probably go through five or six different career changes , through 17 different employers . The difference here is there ’ s no perfect job going forward . It ’ s a cluster of jobs that you will move into that provides you with that portability of skills .
That ’ s the first thing we can think about : the way in which we look at long-term employment , the changes , and the way in which knowledge-based learners can more effectively navigate through different clusters for different roles , and more effectively find long-term employment in places where they have a passion or they have a skillset .
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