August 2008

Higher education has a vital contribution to make in preparing and positioning Australia for the new and emerging challenges and opportunities that will transform the global environment in the 21st century. These developments include the continuing rise of China and India, the increasing economic influence of Asia more generally, the global challenges of climate change and tensions resulting from rapid economic and population growth in developing nations.

Against this background, successful business enterprises are looking to not only the knowledge and skills of people, but also the ability of those people to apply their knowledge and skills in ways that contribute to building new value. This value is increasingly being created by more effective organisational integration and through the broad range of processes that contribute to innovation.

It will be important that the objectives and outcomes of the higher education sector, in conjunction with the school and training sectors, are broadly engaged with supporting Australian organisations to develop, compete and grow in the context of these changes.

Relying on established or ‘proven’ frameworks for approaching global challenges will not be adequate in the decades ahead. Different environments will require new approaches. The capabilities to develop new and flexible approaches based on analysing current information and events and on trying new methods will be critical to meeting emerging challenges and successfully identifying and benefiting from new opportunities. This extends to the need for multi-disciplinary approaches to tackling problems and developing innovative new responses.

Download the Submission to the (Bradley) Review of the Australian Higher Education System using the link below.