BUSINESS COUNCIL STANCE ON GRADUATE SKILLS ALL TALK AND NO ACTION
14 March 2006
The Business Council of Australia’s recent criticisms that Australian universities and TAFE institutions are turning out graduates that are not job ready is a case of all talk and no action on the part of the peak body given Australian businesses’ poor record of investment in research and development, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said on Tuesday.
“NTEU agrees that there needs to be a greater investment in equipment and technology to train students in TAFE and universities, and would point to Australian businesses’ relatively poor performance in investing in education as one of the reasons contributing to this situation,” said Andrew Nette, NTEU Policy and Research Coordinator.
“Most universities would welcome business sector contributions that would allow them to invest in state of the art equipment and provide their students with the opportunity to gain practical experience.”
“Rather than looking for a ‘scape goat’ or a fast media headline perhaps it is time it considered making a positive contribution by in investing in education, which is common amongst many of our overseas competitors.”
One page of 53 in the Business Council’s report, released yesterday, is devoted to the issues concerning vocational education, training and professional development.
It concludes that in some cases graduates lack up to date technical skills and in many cases underdeveloped communication, teamwork, problem solving, ongoing learning, creativity, cultural understanding, and entrepreneurship and leadership capabilities.
“NTEU questions how BCA can characterise the report’s findings as representative of the Australian business community where in reality the conclusions are based on a study of only 17 Australian companies,” said Nette.
“While producing graduates with the mix of skills and attributes desired by business is a vital role of universities and TAFE institutions, it is not their only function.”
“They are responsible for designing courses that meets the needs and aspirations of the whole Australian community not just the business community.”
Information and Comment:
Andrew Nette, NTEU Policy and Research Coordinator: (03) 9254 1910
Paul Kniest, NTEU Policy and Research Officer: (03) 9254 1910