Charles Darwin University challenged to build a competitive advantage

Charles Darwin University vice-chancellor Scott Bowman admits the uni as on the wrong path but has now redirected its focus. Find out how.

The Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission (TERC) report challenged Charles Darwin University (CDU) to “build its competitive advantage” and relevance to the Territory and Australia by “pursuing new models of engagement and delivery”.

CDU vice-chancellor Scott Bowman, who started at the university just weeks after the TERC report was released in November 2020, has begun the rollout by broadening his focus beyond Darwin.

“I think hand-on-heart we started to go the wrong way with the university,” Professor Bowman said.

“We were starting to morph into the university of Darwin rather than the university of the Northern Territory. We’re really coming out of that now.”

The appointment of Aboriginal Professor Rueben Bolt as deputy vice-chancellor First Nations and Engagement has seen the University return to Nhulunbuy and eye expansion to Tennant Creek to match work already done in Alice Springs and Katherine.

Professor Bowman said CDU depended on its VET programs to compensate for the Territory’s relatively low population.

To be viable universities require a population base of at least 700,000,

“The only way CDU can exists is to provide vocational training but also to bring students in from outside.”

Glencore McArthur River Mine acting general manager Adam Hatfield speaks at the NT News' inaugural Future Northern Territory lunch. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Glencore McArthur River Mine acting general manager Adam Hatfield said the university could play an important role in upskilling its 20 per cent Indigenous workforce currently at the mine.

“The mining industry can dovetail really closely with organisations like Charles Darwin University,” Mr Hatfield said.

“We’ve got a large Indigenous workforce - about 20 per cent - and a component of that is apprentices.

“One of our plumbing apprentices comes from Borroloola and he’s been doing a component of his apprenticeship on site and he’s moving to Darwin to get residential experience and attends CDU to complete his theoretical training.

“It’s really important for us as the mining industry to be able to work with education suppliers for sustainability in the future. It’s about having bold ambitions and realising the opportunities we’ve got in the Territory.

“It’s great we’re talking about a $40bn economy by 2030 and I think it’s important to have objectives like that and then to build plans around that and I think that’s what government’s done really well in so far as developing this TERC componont ($40bn by 2030).

“We’ve got plans around that and for me it’s now about the execution and really putting the rubber to the ground to ensure this keeps moving so we can hit this target.”