One of the biggest challenges facing our state from an education perspective will be how we position ourselves as an education leader in the field of innovation into the future.
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Historically, Tasmania’s education performance has been underwhelming. Amongst other key indicators, our low school retention rates highlight our shortcomings.
But to their credit, the state government is at least trying to bring about positive change.
Making year 11 and 12 compulsory is an excellent start.
The expansion of the University of Tasmania into the CBD in Hobart is another great step, as is the plan to build a new UTAS campus at Inveresk. This will be further enhanced by the introduction of associate degrees in Launceston, which will introduce an entirely new range of courses to our young minds, most of whom would never have moved through to tertiary education.
But there needs to be a more detailed approach in terms of identifying what skills and educational outcomes our employers of the future will need in 10 to 20 years from now. Having the knowledge today what these jobs of the future will be is the best way of making sure we are producing suitably qualified trainees.
To date, the university has done a commendable job of identifying those roles and providing courses and degrees to fit.
A perfect example of where this has proven successful is spatial scientist Associate Professor Arko Lucieer, a researcher at the University of Tasmania, who is working in the area of unmanned aircraft systems – or drones as they are more commonly known.
A decade ago, drones were virtually unheard of outside their military application.
But nowadays, drones are used for a vast range of purposes, including in the case of Associate Professor Lucieer, the agriculture sector.
And it’s not just in the technological sphere where we are showcasing examples of how science can help shape our future.
Dr Anna Carew, a research fellow in Wine Science with the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture based at the university, has been researching new processes to improve the quality of Tasmanian ciders and wine.
Investment in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) will be paramount to how we can progress from both an economic and academic perspective. Being in a position to take full advantage of that expected boom will be the key.
