The Institute for Working Futures has released a third discussion paper in their series on the New Normal examining the post-Coronavirus economic recovery. This paper is written for educators, those managing workforce transformations and policy makers. Picking up the baton from his earlier papers, Dr Marcus Bowles delves deeper to see how we can overcome higher education providers’ resistance to, or at least reluctance to change.
The Discussion Paper explores the following fundamental systemic issue: COVID-19 has amplified future work trends to a point where business change now occurs at a pace that demonstrably exceeds the rate at which tertiary educational providers are responding. It argues strongly for higher education providers to look beyond traditional curriculum and to find new paths that re-establish the relevance and value of vocational education. Drawing on examples of good practice, the paper illustrates how higher education curriculum can be designed in a non-traditional format to open employment opportunities for people looking to enter fast-growth, emerging digital roles that span disciplines and ignore the Industrial Age boundary between the blue collar worker and the white collar professional.