This Month
The generation gap could tear society apart. Top CEOs have 9 solutions
Intergenerational inequality is one of Australia’s greatest challenges. Leaders, from NAB and AMP to Wesfarmers, have practical solutions.
$13 an hour, no training: Thousands of apprentices struggle to finish
Future earnings are lucrative, there are 300,000 job vacancies and the jobs are (mostly) AI-proof. Why aren’t young people racing to start a trade?
Would you pay $55k for a head start in finance?
Industry players have developed a course to ensure new graduates are thoroughly prepared for the job market – at a cost.
How tradie wages stack up against white-collar work
The Australian Financial Review crunched the numbers to find out how the pay for a white-collar career stacks up against blue-collar work.
October
Unions win right to enter schools for recruiting
A landmark court ruling has radically opened up right of entry laws, potentially allowing unions to enter TAFEs, schools and universities to organise apprentices.
Housing targets threatened by shortage of apprentices
Not enough learners are signing on to meet the needs of trade industries with numbers at their lowest in a decade.
September
AI to redefine the jobs market, displacing some workers: Bullock
The RBA governor says AI is part of a “societal shift” that could require federal government investment in training and education.
August
The AI era is HR’s time to shine. But they’re not invited
Australia’s top bosses think their people chiefs are not up to managing the artificial intelligence transition, and that’s a big problem.
‘We can’t force people to wisdom’: Why no one is studying arts
As universities become more like vocational colleges than places of higher learning, the humanities are in steep decline. They can and should be saved.
Australia’s low-skilled migration addiction is killing productivity
Instead of hosting low-wage guest workers, Australia sells study, graduate, and working holiday visas to poor people from developing countries, to do our hard work.
July
The jobs of the future that don’t require uni degrees
Growth jobs of the next decade will include management and professional roles, but many will not require university degrees to gain the skills required.
June
Fixing the ‘crisis’ of Australian universities
Higher education, in the words of one expert, is in “serious trouble”. Can Jason Clare, regarded as the nicest minister in Canberra, fix the system?
May
The stage of life Australians can’t afford to ignore
Kate Carnell says federal funds for end-of-life planning would reduce costly hospitalisations and prevent unnecessary suffering.
April
Migrant surge to persist as graduates bring in families
A glut of Indian and Nepalese graduates bringing out family members while they work on post-study visas will wreak havoc with election promises on migration.
February
Why businesses are key to fixing Australia’s skills gaps
Cutting-edge training and education is happening in Australia’s largest employers. If we are to meet our national skills challenge, we must encourage more of it.
$80,000 debt is only part of cost crisis hitting students hard
Jasmine O’Brien is in the second of a five-year degree, holds down two jobs and worries about what her student debt will be when she finally graduates.
How careers counsellors could help plug the skills gap
Encouraging teenagers to complete high school and giving them access to careers counselling are key to plugging the yawning skills gap.
January
Business Council rejects legislating fee-free TAFE
The government is hoping to bake into legislation 100,000 free TAFE places a year, but the Business Council of Australia is arguing against the idea.
December 2024
Why we got it wrong on education and skill shortages
After 15 years of policies encouraging people to go to university, Australia’s skills tsar says it is now time for a reset if we are to address chronic skill shortages.
October 2024
AI greenhouses feed remote communities and educate children
Food Ladder installs AI greenhouses in remote communities to feed people and educate their children about the benefits of healthy fresh produce.