A VISION FOR AUSTRALIA BEYOND EDUCATION: LIFELONG LEARNING FOR AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE GAP 10th Annual Economic Summit NSW Parliament House Sydney, 19-20 September 2019 BEYOND EDUCATION: LIFELONG LEARNING FOR AUSTRALIA'S FUTURE CONTENTS Global Access Partners Pty Ltd Introduction 4 ACN 000 731 420 ABN 74 000 731 420 Executive Summary 5 Global Access Partners Pty Ltd, Writing Partners Pty Ltd, 2019 Recommendations 6 71 Balfour St, Chippendale Sydney NSW 2008 AUSTRALIA Acknowledgements 8 T +61 2 8303 2420 F +61 2 9319 5754 Proceedings 9 www.globalaccesspartners.org Opening Dinner – ‘Beyond Education: Lifelong learning for Australia’s future’ 9 Session One – ‘Australia’s future… How can education The report is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 best deliver?’ 16 International Public License (CC BY 4.0), Session Two – ‘The future of work and lifelong learning 28 https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/ Lunch Session 37 Copies of this publication can be obtained by contacting (02) 8303 Appendices 43 2420 or downloaded at www.globalaccesspartners.org Appendix 1– Programme 43 DISCLAIMER: This Report represents a wide range of views Appendix 2 – Speaker Profiles 47 and interests of the participating individuals and organisations. Appendix 3 – Sponsor Profiles 54 Statements made during discussions are the personal opinions of the Appendix 4 – Delegates 59 speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the organisers and Appendix 5 – References 64 sponsors of the Summit. Appendix 6 – Endnotes 66 Page| 3 A VISION FOR AUSTRALIA 2019 | GAP 10th ANNUAL ECONOMIC SUMMIT INTRODUCTION Global Access Partners’ 10th Annual Economic At the Opening Dinner, Catherine Fritz-Kalish Summit, held on 19-20 September 2019 at launched the ‘Bridges to the Future’ report1 by the the Legislative Assembly Chamber of NSW GAP Taskforce on Youth Transitions – a formal Parliament House, stressed the importance submission to the NSW Curriculum Review. Earlier of lifelong learning, given the impact of that day, the report was presented to the federal technology on employment, and the need Education Minister, the Hon Dan Tehan MP, as a to retrain people as skills requirements change. submission to the Senior Secondary Pathways Review. ‘A Vision for Australia 2019 – Beyond Education: The next day of the Summit saw two more launches: Lifelong Learning for Australia’s Future’ brought GAP’s biannual Journal of Behavioural Economics and together 133 Australian and international thought Social Systems (BESS), introduced by Dr Peter leaders, including teachers and academics, business Massingham, and a book co-authored by Brad executives, national and state policy makers and Howarth and Peter Fritz AM, “Innovation is for social commentators. Attendees framed education Everyone”. BESS will explore the theory underpinning as a lifelong pursuit and called for broad reforms the practice of GAP’s Second Track process, while the to help Australians flourish in a volatile, complex innovation book is a culmination of several years of and fast-changing economy. conversations with leading thinkers from the realms of politics, academia, business and government. Delegates were welcomed to Australia’s first and oldest Parliament House by the Summit’s hosting As part of the programme, delegates enjoyed MP, the Hon. Anthony Roberts, NSW Minister for demonstrations by the Department of Employment, Counter Terrorism and Corrections. They also heard Skills, Small and Family Business, Google, speeches from the Hon. Sarah Mitchell MLC, NSW The University of Sydney, and Every Building is a Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning, Classroom – a Pacific Connect project in the Solomon and Benedikte Jensen, First Assistant Secretary, Islands co-funded by the Australian Government Labour Market Strategy Division at the Australian Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family In the lead-up to the Summit, on 18-19 September, Business. Finnish education expert Prof Pasi Sahlberg, the International Centre for Democratic Partnerships Research Director at the Gonski Institute for (ICDP) and GAP co-hosted the Pacific Connect Ideas Education, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Exchange, bringing together emerging leaders from was a keynote speaker at the Opening Dinner. Australia and six Pacific Island nations to share ideas, discuss progress on current projects and broaden The Plenary Sessions were chaired and facilitated personal and professional networks. A delegation of by the Hon. Cr Philip Ruddock, Mayor of Hornsby Pacific guests participated in the GAP Summit. Shire Council and President of the NSW Liberal Party, and Tanya Stoianoff, Head of Government Affairs, Select presentations, articles and blogposts by Summit DXC Technology Australia and New Zealand. speakers and delegates are available on Open Forum.2 4 | Page BEYOND EDUCATION: LIFELONG LEARNING FOR AUSTRALIA'S FUTURE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • A Vision for Australia 2019 discussed the human knowledge is driving today’s ‘Industrial importance of learning at every stage of life, Renaissance’ – rather than any particular use of from preschool and school to tertiary and artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning. vocational studies and reskilling at work and in Lifelong education will help everyone contribute later life. It was the culmination of several to it and share its benefits, rather than be streams of GAP activity on early childhood impoverished by a small and ever more powerful education, school-to-work pathways and other technological elite. issues, and will set the direction for GAP’s next year of work. • A wider range of more evidence-based and inclusive teaching techniques and platforms will • Despite media fears about robots and be required, and creativity should be nurtured automation taking people’s jobs, the primary from the earliest age. However, the rise of impact of new technology in a developed technology should allow a more human-centric nation will be the augmentation of existing society to flourish. Personal skills of leadership, jobs. While people who lose their jobs will need creativity and empathy will become all the more to be reskilled, people being augmented by important, and the point of technology to serve technology need to be upskilled to take humanity, rather than humanity being challenged advantage of it and increase economic capacity. to serve machines, should be remembered. This training will be as important as the technology itself to maximise its output. • Australia is well-positioned to take advantage of incipient and ongoing technological change. • Young people will need a wider range of The energy and optimism of people in their foundational, cognitive and vocational skills to personal lives should be harnessed through shift between jobs in a fast-moving and collective effort to build a better and brighter uncertain future. Learning to learn, and retaining future for all Australians in an ever more a ‘liquid mindset’ will become more important competitive and fast-developing world. than mastering particular tasks, as these may quickly become outdated. Many tasks will be • Bridging current gaps in the education system, replaced by machines, but business, academia and supporting a wide range of formal and informal government can work together to reskill and learning opportunities, building a coalition of upskill workers to allow them to find new stakeholders, and encouraging a flexible, careers augmenting technology in creative ways. positive and creative mindset in people of all ages will help ensure that everyone benefits from st • Technology can empower lifelong learning, as the social and technological revolution of the 21 well as necessitate it. Online courses and century by having the skills and knowledge they internet content allow anyone with internet need to thrive within it. access to learn more at any time. Instant, universal and frictionless access to the sum of Page| 5 A VISION FOR AUSTRALIA 2019 | GAP 10th ANNUAL ECONOMIC SUMMIT RECOMMENDATIONS • ‘Olympic Mentality’ in Education as well as university. Creativity, problem-solving Education is a vital factor in ensuring Australia’s and systems thinking should be encouraged at future competitiveness in the global economy. every age to develop the skills increasingly While important improvements in inclusion have required and valued in the workforce. been made, Australia is falling behind its international peers in terms of educational • Lifelong Education excellence. The Summit called for educators at The notion that education ends upon every level to embrace an ‘Olympic mentality’ to graduation from school or university must be encourage the highest as well as broadest challenged. We must increase the interaction standards of performance. between primary and high schools, TAFE and universities to ensure the transition between • Better System Integration each is smooth, rather than abrupt and steep. The gaps between Australia’s educational ‘silos of Schools and universities should continue to excellence’ should be filled to allow people to interact with students long after they are move more easily between them. The system graduated, and people should be able to re- should be seen as a ‘jungle gym’, rather than a enter education whenever they need to ‘ladder’, to allow people to pick and choose the improve their skills. Education should be seen courses they need, which will in turn reduce the as a lifelong pursuit, with better incentives and differences in social esteem afforded universities, support for