Faculty of Arts and Education
Deakin University
In 2001, the Federal Department of Education, Science and Training funded a project to analyse and report on 'employability skills' required by businesses. 'The project, conducted by the Business Council of Australia with the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was completed in March 2002. The resulting report 'Employability Skills for the Future' identified several work place skills deemed desirable by industry ... 'in this environment, there is an increasing requirement for employees to be able to support competitiveness, innovation, flexibility and customer focus.
Enterprises are seeking a more highly skilled workforce where the generic or general skills are are broadly distributed across the organisation... employees will be required to show teamwork, the ability to cooperate in an unclear environment, problem solving, the capacity to deal with non-routine processes, the ability to handle decisions and responsibilities, communication skills, and the capacity to see workplace developments in a broad context'.
The report also outlined the 'need for a broader set of skills in employees' and confirmed 'the high value placed by employers on both job-specific technical skills and generic employability skills in new and ongoing employees'. It also noted that the 'project through its surveys of enterprises has identified that employers are seeking a broader set of skills in new and ongoing employees'.
Deakin's Graduate Certificate of Arts and Science seeks to meet these identified skills needs and acknowledges, as the Employability Skills for the Future report outlined, that 'more than ever before universities are being relied upon as a vehicle for the advancement of both the national economy and wider society. (We) do this through the creation of new knowledge and by preparing graduates with appropriate skills and attributes. It makes sense, then, for them (us) to maintain a focus on keeping graduate capabilities in line with the needs of the economy and society'.
The Graduate Certificate of Arts and Science provides this opportunity to broaden your knowledge and provide you with a more rounded education as well as assist you to learn new ways of thinking. Deakin has developed this course in direct response to this feedback from employers to give our graduates the best possible career prospects.
Information sourced from Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training, Employability Skills for the Future report, 2002. More information on this report can be obtained by visiting www.dest.gov.au
Course summary for Deakin's Graduate Certificate of Arts and Sciences
For general fees, applications, dates and services information, please visit Deakin's central Future Students website
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Deakin Students Current Deakin students can apply online at Graduate Certificate of Arts and Sciences Applicant Portal |
Non-Deakin Applicants Applications must be made directly to the university through the Deakin University Applicant Portal |
The Graduate Certificate is a fee-paying course. Domestic students may be eligible for FEE-HELP assistance in paying these tuition fees. For more information about FEE-HELP go to the Going to Uni website at: goingtouni.gov.au
For further information about the Graduate Certificate of Arts and Sciences, contact the Course Co-ordinator, Professor David Lowe on (03) 5227 2691 or by email: david.lowe@deakin.edu.au
