Higher education for a changing world: ensuring the 100-year life is a better life

This research was inspired by the anticipated change in age demographics of workers. Around half of those Australians aged 20 today can reasonably expect to live to 100. It is also known that Australians are already working for longer. How we work and what we work on will also be different, because the employment landscape and the nature of work itself is also changing dramatically. Rapid advancements in technology including robotics, artificial intelligence, sensors and big data will continue to transform the way we work. The '100-year life' has significant implications for education...  [+] Show more

This research was inspired by the anticipated change in age demographics of workers. Around half of those Australians aged 20 today can reasonably expect to live to 100. It is also known that Australians are already working for longer. How we work and what we work on will also be different, because the employment landscape and the nature of work itself is also changing dramatically. Rapid advancements in technology including robotics, artificial intelligence, sensors and big data will continue to transform the way we work. The '100-year life' has significant implications for education and training. This survey of current Australian workers was designed to better understand their views and intentions in relation to further education and training. The survey asked 4,000 Australians aged 18 and over who are currently or have recently been in the workforce for their view on further study. Over 2,000 respondents were 'study-interested workers', defined as have recently completed study, or currently studying, or intending to commence study in the next three years. This cohort was then asked further questions about how education providers could best meet their educational and training requirements. The survey was fielded throughout July 2018 and was nationally representative across age groups, genders and locations. The distribution of respondents across industry and occupation was monitored throughout the survey fielding period to ensure that the sample represented various industries and occupations. A summary of the survey method is provided in the Appendix.

The survey has four key findings which, although they might seem intuitive, provide us with Australian workers' contemporary views towards further education and training and insights into what those who are interested in further study really want. These key findings are: (1) the multi-stage life model is still in its infancy - although the majority of surveyed workers are 'study-interested', enthusiasm wanes as we age and among those who potentially stand to benefit most; (2) alert but not alarmed - study-interested workers know robots are coming but they have a plan; (3) keep it real - study-interested workers prefer education and training linked closely to their jobs and industry; and (4) I'll work around you - study-interested workers want flexible and bite-size learning from tertiary providers.

Edited excerpts from publication.