Micro-credentials are stand alone or complementary qualifications that can be completed in a short timeframe.

The scheme expects to benefit 4000 students and is an effort to promote 'lifelong learning' to tackle skills and workforce shortages in teaching, nursing, IT and engineering fields.

Funding can be applied for by universities and higher education institutions, which then offer the courses to students, instead of students themselves being direct applicants as is more usual for most short courses.

Education Minister Jason Clare said the funding will increase the higher education sector's ability to respond to industry needs.

"With more and more jobs requiring a post-school qualification, it is increasingly important for people to upskill and reskill throughout their careers," the minister said.

"This investment means more Australians can get the skills in areas we need, such as teaching, nursing, and engineering."

Expert in higher education Andrew Norton said short courses have long been popular for employees who are upskilling in their already established careers, and students are usually in their late 20s to early 40s.

The Australian National University professor questioned the need for extra funding into micro qualifications because, he says, for this cohort, the lack of time to up- and re-skill is often more of a barrier than cost.

"Most microcredentials are cheap compared to degrees and the main customers – employees and well-paid employees – can afford to pay without government assistance," he said.

Mr Norton said employers are historically less interested in formal qualifications (microcredentials) when an employee is already skilled and established, which is why informal (unaccredited) short courses are so popular.

"For decades the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has found that various kinds of short courses are the most common form of education for people already in their careers," he said.

"Generally I think universities will only be niche players in what is already a large and competitive market.

"Universities could be strong in highly specialised areas where other providers don’t have the capacity to offer courses."

This is the second round of the microcredentials funding, following an initial round of $7.75m for 28 new courses at 18 total universities.

Educational institutions can apply for the funding until March 1 2024.

ANU chancellor Julie Bishop said Professor Bell, who presently leads the university’s School of Cybernetics, was “a compelling and passionate leader, with a deep understanding of the university’s distinctive mission, remarkable legacy, vibrant culture and tremendous assets”.

Professor Bell built her career in Silicon Valley working at chipmaker Intel where she rose to be a vice president and senior fellow, and brought anthropological expertise to investigating the impact of technology on society.

In 2017 Professor Schmidt hired her to the ANU where Professor Bell put her ideas into practice by founding the university’s first innovation institute, the Autonomy, Agency and Assurance Institute (3Ai). She expanded the institute into the School of Cybernetics in 2021 and, as well as leading it, she also served as interim dean of the ANU’s College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics in 2022.

Announcing Professor Bell’s appointment as vice-chancellor, Ms Bishop said she had “an extensive and distinguished track record”.

“Genevieve offers great leadership and strategic capabilities, which will be critical as the university addresses its distinctive opportunities and responsibilities as Australia’s national university,” she said.

“It was clear to our selection panel that Genevieve aligns with the university community’s values and vision for ANU. I’m excited that she will be the first woman to hold this position in our history.”

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare welcomed Professor Bell’s appointment, saying that she had positioned the discipline of cybernetics “as a vital tool to help navigate societal transformations”. He said she was an eminent Australian who would lead ANU with distinction.

Professor Schmidt, who decided to return to teaching and research at the ANU after eight years as vice-chancellor, said it was with “great pleasure” that he was handing over leadership to Professor Bell.

“She is someone who is both a leading intellectual and deeply committed to the values of the university and I know she will do a superb job as vice-chancellor,” he said.

Ms Bishop paid tribute to Professor Schmidt who won the 2011 Nobel prize for physics for his research, performed at ANU, which revealed that the expansion of the universe was accelerating – key evidence for the existence of mysterious dark energy which was driving space apart.

“Across the university, his leadership has strengthened collegiality, championed interdisciplinary practice and reinforced shared values and behaviours. We’re delighted he will resume teaching and research in astronomy, at the ANU Mount Stromlo Observatory,” Ms Bishop said.

Professor Bell will relinquish her seat on the Commonwealth Bank board, where she has been a director since 2019.

Times Higher Education (THE) published its 20th edition World University Rankings this year in partnership with Elsevier, including 1,904 universities across 108 countries and regions.

Six Australian universities ranked in the top 100 worldwide; however, Australia's top 10 institutions experienced slippages across the board.

University of Melbourne (UniMelb) topped the list for Australia, sitting three spots lower than last year at 37.

Monash fell 10 places to 54 followed by University of Sydney (USYD) at 60 and the Australian National University (ANU) at 67.

University of Queensland dropped 17 places to 70 followed by University of NSW (UNSW) at 84 and University of Adelaide at =111.

University of Western Australia (UWA)'s ranking descended 12 places to =143, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to 148 and Macquarie to 180.

Education Minister Jason Clare spoke about the ranking systems, emphasising that they are not all created equal and that declines or fluctuations should not be cause for concern.

“We punch above our weight when it comes to universities,” Mr Clare said.

“I just don’t want us to get hung up on the rankings per se because it’s all dependent upon the methodology.”

THE World University Rankings is one of the more respected ranking systems, measuring each institution’s performance against 18 indicators across five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook.

THE World Rankings focus heavily on teaching and research, which could be why some are concerned about rank slippage by Australia’s largest and most well-established research universities.

THE World Rankings is limited in that it does not directly measure the impact of employability, which is difficult to compare across countries.

Times Higher Education is one of a handful of well-known worldwide university ranking systems, each using a different methodology to produce a unique outcome.

The rankings can’t be compared against one another because they each use different performance measurement methodologies and are purpose-built for different audiences.

Australian universities fared better when Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) 2024 published their world university rankings earlier this year, placing UniMelb 14th, followed by UNSW and USYD at equal 19th.

QS has published its world university rankings for the last 20 years (the 2024 edition featured 1,500 institutions across 104 locations) and is the only ranking to emphasise employability and sustainability.

The QS ranking methodology surveys employers to determine which universities have the best reputation for producing skilled graduates.

The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) - also known as Shanghai Rankings - doesn’t measure teaching quality or employability; instead, it focuses primarily on research excellence indicators.

ARWU's 2023 results ranked UniMelb 35th, followed by University of Queensland (UQ) 51st and UNSW 72nd.

Mixed results from THE, QS and ARWU rankings can be confusing; not all rankings are created equal, and some are better than others.

Mr Clare told the media he wasn’t surprised by the lower results, given international student numbers are a “barometer of rankings”.

Australian universities experienced a more significant dip in international student numbers resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic border closures.

“When you look at this report out today and these rankings, you can see the direct correlation between the rankings and international student numbers,” Mr Clare said. 

International student numbers are steadily increasing to pre-pandemic levels, which Mr Clare said would likely impact next year’s rankings.

“If there is a direct correlation between rankings and student numbers, then you’d expect that you would see a difference next year. It really all depends on the different ranking companies and the methodology they use,” he said. 

When using rankings to compare institutions, it’s important to understand the methodologies used and the intended audience.

It’s also more important to compare results year-on-year rather than across THE, QS and ARWU ranking systems.

The $93.2 million program aims to fund 8,000 students over the two years, supplying $18,000 for a four-year undergraduate program or $9,000 for two years of postgraduate study, on the condition applicants work in a government school for two years after they graduate.

The scholarships are part of a wider $229.8 million package designed to grow the teaching industry overall, which former premier Daniel Andrews said he hoped will lessen the burden on overstretched teachers.

"Teachers change lives – it's as simple as that. This will mean one less barrier for Victorians thinking of a career in teaching, and more great teachers for the education state," Mr Andrews said at the launch.

In 2025, a $13.9 million 'employment-based degree trial will begin, which will allow teaching students to work paid internships in schools while studying. It is also hoped that this will act as a pathway for education support staff to gain teaching qualifications.

Professor in higher education studies at the Australian National University (ANU), Andrew Norton, told Campus Review that although this program may deliver some of the results the government hopes to see, he doesn't think it will entice more undergraduates to study teaching.

"I don't think it will attract people who weren't already seriously considering doing a teaching course, but it will help [students] complete their course, because some drop out due to financial reasons," he said.

"It will also make public sector employers more attractive compared to private school [employers].

Other initiatives taken by the Victorian government seem to be effective. Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins said this is why the teacher workforce in Victoria is growing, along with other investments made in the $204.8 million 'workforce initiatives' fund in the 2023/24 Victorian budget.

"The number of teachers in Victoria is increasing and that's no accident - we're delivering a range of initiatives that have helped grow the number of registered teachers in Victoria by nearly 5,000 between 2020 and 2022," the Minister said.

La Trobe University offers undergraduate and postgraduate secondary teaching courses on their Bundoora, Bendigo, Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton and Mildura campuses.

La Trobe's dean of education, Professor Joanna Barbousas, said this scholarship will provide a much-needed boost for the sector.

“The Victorian government’s announcement today is warmly welcomed, this financial assistance will help incentivise more students to consider secondary school teaching, which in turn will help boost the secondary school teacher workforce," Ms Barbousas said.

The government also has plans to expand the $27 million Targeted Financial Incentives Program, which offers up to $50,000 incentives to graduates willing to take up rural and remote 'hard-to-staff' positions in government schools.

Former ANU student Alex Ophel has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possessing an object to be used to kill.

Mr Ophel stabbed one of the female students multiple times before chasing and stabbing the second woman; he also hit a man with a frying pan and punched another man in the face, according to a police spokesperson.

Education minister Jason Clare commented on the "horrific attack" in a press conference at Strathfield on Tuesday.

"Our thoughts are with the two young women who were stabbed yesterday at the university and are currently in hospital, as well as the young men that were attacked," Mr Clare said.

"Can I thank the ambulance officers for the work they did, the ANU security staff and the hospital staff right now."

ACT Police and ambulance service paramedics were called to the university at 2:45 pm on Monday after receiving reports of a stabbing.

ANU vice-chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt sent an update at 5:30 pm asking staff and students to “stay away” from Fellows Oval and Chifley Meadow on campus as the areas remained “active scenes of investigation.”

During a press conference on Tuesday, acting superintendent Stephanie Leonard said police are still investigating why Mr Ophel was on the ANU campus.

"We have been unable to establish a motive at this time. The man's movements and how he came to be at ANU are currently subject of the police investigation," Ms Leonard said.

Mr Ophel appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday, choosing not to apply for bail.

A repeat offender

Mr Ophel was involved in a similarly violent incident on the ANU’s campus in August 2017 when he stood up during a statistics class and attacked the female lecturer with a baseball bat.

Four students who tried to intervene were taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries, including broken bones.

Mr Ophel was charged with five counts of attempted murder but was found not guilty by reason of mental impairment.

Campus safety

The ANU has ramped up security on campus in the wake of the event.

Mr Clare has established a working group including violence prevention expert Patty Kinnersly, as part of the federal government's repsonse to the Accord Interim Report, to provide advice on how universities can create safer campuses.

"The Australian Government stands ready to do anything that we can here. Australia is a safe place. We're a safe place to live, to work, to study and when things like this happen, it just makes it all the more shocking," Mr Clare said.

“The working group will provide advice on concrete actions that are aimed squarely at strengthening university governance and keeping students safe.”

In an email to staff and students, Professor Schmidt acknowledged Monday as a "very tough day for ANU," he thanked the university community for supporting each other.

It reports that nine of the top 10 jobs with the largest increases in employment require a post-school qualification (skill level one to four) or equivalent, with five of those requiring a bachelor's degree (skill level one) or equivalent.

An equivalent to each skill level can be replaced by the number of years of relevant experience that a person has working in that occupation. For instance, skill level one equivalence is five years working in a related role.

Although more jobs need higher qualifications, the report also said that employers value experience over qualifications, with 60 per cent of employers identifying relevant experience as their top priority, and less than 50 per cent reporting qualifications as paramount.

Andrew Norton, professor in the practice of higher education policy at the Australian National University, told Campus Review that most employers actually want both, and this has a negative effect on the pipeline from higher education to the workforce, as it leaves higher-skill level jobs vacant.

"Even if there are strong demands for a profession, sometimes graduates still struggle to find work simply because they don't have any experience," he explained.

The University of New England is attempting to combat this through a fast-tracked two-year bachelor's degree that considers experience in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as up to 66 per cent of the qualification requirements needed to graduate.

According to the report, in the last year 72 per cent of employers said they had difficulty recruiting for higher skilled occupations (level one to three), compared to only 55 per cent who said it was difficult to recruit for lower-skilled occupations (level four to five).

"Often [higher skill level jobs] are more interesting work, less repetitive and more scope for independent judgement," Professor Norton said.

"On the other hand, some people don't do well in the education system, and there is still a need for jobs that don't require any post-school qualification."

Professor Norton said many recent reports also show universities aren't enrolling enough full-time students to meet demand, with many choosing to study part-time or, especially among the mature-aged cohort, go straight into the workforce.

The report revealed over half of total employment growth over the year was in skill level two to four occupations, where vocational education and training (VET) qualifications are the primary pathway.

VET courses have commonly been thought of as a 'second option' to university degrees, even though increasingly graduates from both can obtain the same jobs, but with university graduates often left with more debt.

Government initiatives rolled out this year, such as fee-free TAFE, $330m to ADF technical trade skills and Queensland's Trade to Teach internships , are attempting to ameliorate both the vocational education and high-skills shortages.

Currently only two universities do in-depth research and teaching nuclear fields.

The Australian National University has strength in nuclear physics, a key area of its research since the 1950s when, as the national university, it had a strong mandate to match global developments in this field.

Andrew Stuchbery, head of ANU’s department of nuclear physics and accelerator applications, said the university’s master of nuclear science degree was ramped up last year in response to the AUKUS submarines announcement in September 2021.

An optional unit called advanced reactors was added to the degree for students who wished to prepare themselves for the job opportunities offered by the nuclear submarine program

“Some of the people who complete our program will go to the US and the UK for more specific education,” Professor Stuchbery said.

He said the ANU would be collaborating with other universities, including US institutions, to provide the training required for Australia’s nuclear workforce.

The university is also playing a role in educating government officials who need to learn nuclear basics.

Last year it offered a two-day crash course in nuclear issues for public servants who are working on the submarine program.

The University of NSW offers Australia’s only specific university courses in nuclear engineering, currently with about 50 undergraduates and about 70 postgraduates.

UNSW senior lecturer in nuclear engineering Edward Obbard said he believed, based on an analysis of the US nuclear submarine workforce, that each Australian submarine would need 361 nuc­lear engineering graduates trained to masters and honours level, a figure that allowed for attrition.

He said the UNSW program could be scaled up to provide this number of graduates every two years, on the assumption that Australia acquired a new submarine every two years once construction was under way.

On top of this Dr Obbard estimated that each submarine would require 216 highly trained PhD graduates.

“Universities need to act fast to expand PhD courses in these areas,” he said.

Making the skills challenge even harder, new engineering and science graduates will not be ready to take up their full responsibilities in the submarine program.

Dr Obbard said PhD graduates aiming for top-tier positions would need 20 years’ work experience and mid-tier people (which includes those with masters or honours qualifications) would need 10 years’ work experience before being ready to assume their role.

He said Australian universities had a tremendous amount of expertise in training people to work in highly demanding science and engineering fields.

“Not enough has been said about how our universities are a strategic asset.” Dr Obbard said.

University of Adelaide vice-chancellor Peter Hoj said a sovereign nuclear submarine capability would need engineers and scientists from a range of disciplines.

“Nuclear physics and chemistry are key, as are mechanical, electrical and nuclear engineering,” Professor Hoj said.

His university would work with industry and government to “co-create programs to meet these needs”.

For example, he said, the master of marine engineering would be updated “with a new focus on nuclear propulsion to address the specific needs of a nuclear submarine capability”.

The Australian Technology Network, representing the technology universities, said it was ”ready to work with the Government in developing the AUKUS Submarine Workforce and Industry Strategy, including the delivery of nation-wide education and skilling plans”.

“ATN universities are well placed to partner with Defence to deliver the skilled people, research and development, and strategic and policy development to complement and enable these defence and national security undertakings,” said ATN executive director, Luke Sheehy.

Starting in 2024, international students at either university will be able to study on exchange across the Sydney and Canberra campuses to "broaden their experience of Australia".

ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt said the partnership would help attract more overseas students.

"There is much to be gained by working together," he said.

"ANU and Macquarie are such complementary institutions; when we combine our areas of expertise in teaching and research and the diverse experiences of our two cities, we can give students an incredible experience."

The partnership, which was first signed in 2021, came after both universities reported a drop in overseas enrolments during Covid-19.

In 2020, almost 11,000 international students from 117 countries were enrolled at Macquarie, while ANU had more than 9000 overseas students.

By 2021, international enrolments at Macquarie decreased by almost 20 per cent.

"COVID-19 has accelerated the need for change and innovation in the university sector, and we look forward to building sustainable future strategies through this partnership," Professor Schmidt said.

Macquarie Vice-Chancellor Professor Bruce Dowton said the international exchange scheme will give students the opportunity to be part of "award-winning programs".

As part of the partnership, student alumni from both ANU and Macquarie will be offered a 10 per cent fee waiver.

"This study support arrangement will encourage lifelong learning for alumni of two great Australian universities," Professor Dowton said.

Six Australian universities have ranked among the top 50 of the world's most international universities, but all saw a drop in their position compared to 2022.  

The ranking, released in late January, comes as Australia's universities prepare for the return of over 40,000 Chinese students after the country placed a snap ban on online learning.

It assessed factors including the proportion of international staff and students, the number of journal publications with at least one international co-author and the university's international reputation. 

The Australian National University ranked as the nation’s most international institution at place 27 but dropped 11 places compared to 2022. 

An ANU spokesperson told Campus Review the university is proud to be part of the ranking and will continue to build global connections. 

“By any measure, ANU is one of the world’s best universities and we’re proud to be the only university with a national mission to advance Australia and its place in the world, which we do through excellence in research, education and service," a spokesperson said.

The University of Melbourne ranked 38th, dropping 14 places, followed by the University of Sydney 40th, which lost 7 places. 

UNSW and Monash university dropped 19 and 18 places, respectively, from 2022 to 2023.

The University of Queensland ranked 44, losing 16 places from 2022. 

A UQ spokesperson told Campus Review the university values diversity on campus.  

“UQ has a strong global focus on both education and research and works with an increasing number of partners on world-class collaborations addressing some of our greatest challenges,” a spokesperson said. 

“The University also values the connectivity and diversity that our international colleagues, partners and students provide, representing more than 130 countries.”

The University of Adelaide also entered the ranking for the first time this year, ranking at 51. 

In total, more than 200 universities in 30 countries have been ranked, with the United States grabbing over 60 slots.

Worldwide, the University of Hong Kong took the top spot for the third year in a row, followed closely by Swiss universities l’École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and ETH Zurich, which ranked second and third. 

The Nobel laureate and astrophysicist told students and staff he would return to his role as professor of astronomy after eight years in the top job.

“I am so proud to have been trusted to lead ANU,” Professor Schmidt said in his State of University Address.

"After eight years, I will be ready to get back to my research and teaching, and a somewhat more balanced life."

Professor Schmidt said he had never thought of becoming a vice-chancellor, but volunteered for the role in 2015 to give back to the university which he said had "done so much" for him. 

He was then appointed as ANU’s 12th vice-chancellor in January 2016.

During is tenure, Professor Schmidt led ANU through major changes including the Covid-19 pandemic which left the university in a $162.4 million operating deficit.

Professor Schmidt said he has honored his commitment to hire more women in senior leadership position at the university and wants to promote rights for professional staff.

"Our professional staff bear significant responsibility. [They] serve our colleagues and our community, with integrity," he said.

"The new career pathway we will co-create with [our professional staff] will do more to help [them] achieve [their] ambitions."

Professor Schmidt said during his last year he will work closely with the federal government on upcoming higher education reforms.

"I will be working to persuade the federal government to invest in the amazing work we do for the betterment of Australia - our students, our researchers - and to see us as an opportunity, rather than an expense."

"There is no greater privilege or larger responsibility than simply being a member of this extraordinary university," he said.

ANU chancellor Julie Bishop praised Schmidt's contributions and said his leadership will be considered as "a historic high in the history of the university."

She said the university will now begin a "global search" to find a new vice-chancellor.