Graduates .. what happens to them after they leave university?
In March 2008, the Australian Federal Government instigated a review into the direction of the higher education sector, the projected ability to meet future needs of students and the community and the options for improvement. Findings and recommendations were compiled in the Review of Australian Higher Education Final Report ¹, otherwise known as the Bradley Review.
In response to the Review’s findings, the Government announced the Transforming Australia’s Higher Education System ², committing to a number of initiatives, including the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) ³. Specifically, the Government has committed to a total of $433 million in funding over four years to support universities to achieve low socio-economic status (SES) student targets, set by the Government. By 2020, the Government’s goal is that twenty per cent of higher education enrolments at undergraduate level should be people from low SES backgrounds.
With research currently showing that students from more well-off backgrounds are three times more likely to attend university than those from low SES backgrounds 4, the HEPPP initiative intends to encourage more students to consider post secondary education with further anticipated benefits such as increased employment outcomes and future financial benefits.
Deakin University’s current Strategic Plan5 reflects a commitment to supporting students from low SES or disadvantaged backgrounds. In 2010 Deakin University was awarded a Commonwealth Government HEPPP grant, part of which is being used to pilot a paid work placement program for students from a low SES background. The Work Placement Program offers public and private sector employers, volunteer organisations and faculties/divisions within Deakin University the opportunity to host a student on work placement for four weeks in February 2011. The grant will provide students with a scholarship and it will also pay a supervision fee to employers during the four week work placement.
Co-ordinated by the Careers and Employment team at Deakin, the Work Placement Program will link placements to either a student’s career goals or area of study, and will not be for academic credit. Leading private and public sector employers in Melbourne, Geelong and Warrnambool will host the 38 students currently enrolled in the program. For more information about the Work Placement Program, please contact Belinda Salvatico, Project Co-ordinator.
1 D Bradley, Review of Australian Higher Education, 2008, Retrieved 4 January 2011
4 D Bradley, p.30
5 Deakin University, Strategic Plan: Delivering effective partnerships, 2009, Retrieved 4 January 2011
