4 November 2024: The University of Canberra (ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø) will fast track a selection of courses, debt-free, to its staff affected by the organisational change process currently underway, Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker AO announced today.
It further indicated that the opportunity could be extended to staff losing their positions at other universities, including the ANU.
At this stage, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø will offer the following debt-free courses to eligible staff with an undergraduate degree, for admission in Semester One, 2025:
- Master of Primary Teaching
- Master of Secondary Teaching
- Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity
- Graduate Certificate in Data Science
- Graduate Certificate in Building Construction and Information Management
- Master of Building Construction and Information Management
“We know that this is a challenging time for professional and academic staff facing redundancy in the higher education sector. It makes sense for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø as a university that focuses on professional courses to create opportunities for retraining or upskilling in areas where there is significant workforce need, locally and nationally,” said Professor Parker.
“There are long-term and acute shortages in these areas, and so employment prospects immediately upon graduation are good.
“We will arrange special pathways for intensive study, as required, to enable people to complete in the shortest possible time, and make use of available flexible learning.
“We will not charge the Student Contribution Amount for our own staff, and so there will be no HECS debt. We are willing to discuss this with other universities whose staff are being made redundant.
“ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø has a moral obligation to take practical steps to support higher education staff facing redundancy, through no fault of their own, and provide them with opportunities to enhance their career and job prospects,” said Professor Parker.
Further information on the fast-track degrees and courses will be available on the University’s website here, or email us on ovc@canberra.edu.au.