Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and Industry 4.0 interconnectivity are upheaving entire industries by forcing the world to re-evaluate the nature of work.
With this, the role of qualifications is changing, while the pace at which Universities must develop and translate ideas to commercial outcomes is increasing exponentially.
“There are new expectations of how we should contribute to the generation of economic activity and employment,” says John Dewar, Vice-Chancellor, La Trobe University.
For graduates at La Trobe, employability is the University’s major focus.
Digital technologies are rendering traditional approaches to qualifications and pedagogy obsolete, while the shelf life of skills and qualifications acquired through formal education at university is quickly reducing.
For La Trobe, the solution is to create a lifelong relationship with its students by offering on-demand learning in multiple modes called ‘study-flex’ learning. This allows students to top up skills during their working life, and to study when and how it suits them.
“Stackable short courses and micro-credentials are becoming a big part of our business,” says Dewar.
By involving employers in course design, La Trobe is more confident that its students are developing the skills and attributes sought in the workplace.
The University is also aware that some students will want to create their own business rather than work for others after graduation. La Trobe has established an Accelerator Program to help interested students develop entrepreneurial skills and bring their start-up ideas to life.
La Trobe calls its Career Ready program industry-leading, and gives students workplace skills to supplement classroom learning so that they are work-ready when they graduate.
The program also gives students real-life work experience at the University in its CoLab workshops, which provides an opportunity for operational areas of the University to work in partnership with students to generate new ideas, and solutions to issues at La Trobe.
Shaping research
Having intelligent, forward thinking people is not enough in a modern University. You need to build a sophisticated research infrastructure to develop University research into commercial outcomes much more quickly than was possible in the past.
It is this thinking that underpins the current transformation process at Melbourne’s La Trobe University, as it embarks on a 10-year, $5bn campus transformation to become the ‘University City of the Future’.
The transformation of La Trobe’s 235-hectare North Melbourne campus will create 20,000 new jobs and $3.5 billion in Gross Regional Product (GRP) over the next decade.
To turn its Melbourne campus ‘inside out’ it is inviting both industry and the community in, with the incorporation of a Research and Innovation precinct to stimulate new ideas and translate them into genuine commercial outcomes.
With the new precinct La Trobe is playing to its strengths in three key research spaces: Agribioscience, Health, and Digital Technologies including Cybersecurity.
The Research and Innovation Precinct complements the well-established, cutting-edge Research Centres at La Trobe, such as the Centre for Technology Infusion.
Over the last 10 years the Centre has completed some of Melbourne’s most ambitious programs to directly benefit Victorians. This includes the technology build for Australia’s first zero emission house, the world’s largest technology trials for rail crossing safety, developing AI-based signal technology for Melbourne’s iconic tram network, and work on Victoria’s first fully autonomous shuttle bus deployment.
Importantly, the team delivers field ready technology projects for government and industry, helping to immediately address the challenges that arise from increasing urbanisation, and Melbourne’s rapidly increasing population.
In response to these and other trends, La Trobe University is evolving into a new type of institution different to the traditional university that existed in the last century.
“Our new philosophy is to be outward looking, deeply connected to industry and the communities around us, and committed to serving the needs of our students. This new approach means we are being innovative on multiple levels. For example, we are redeveloping our campus so that we can interact with industry and the surrounding community in new ways,” explains Dewar.
“We are changing how we develop and deliver teaching and learning for students. And we are running programs that simply were not offered by universities in the past, such as our accelerator program to support start-up ideas. Finally, we are being innovative in the way we do research.”
The University’s accelerator program is fostering start-up businesses and entrepreneurial ideas through co-working spaces, professional services, specialised workshops, mentoring, pitching and networking opportunities for 70 teams in two years.
The new accelerator program helps to engage students with industry, making a huge difference to La Trobe’s capacity to help creative people develop their ideas and launch commercial start-ups.
Between its employability focus for graduates, and new approach to formalising innovation through commercialisation, La Trobe is positioning itself to be the University of the future, not only responding to trends, but anticipating and planning ahead.
This piece is taken from our upcoming book, Australia's Nobel Laureates, Vol. III, celebrating Australian science and innovation. Taking a whole-of-economy healthcheck on Australia's innovation ecosystem, the book features words from industry, academia, and Government.