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What now? What next? Insights into Australia's tertiary education sector

What now? What next? Insights into Australia's tertiary education sector

Hosted by Claire Field

TechnologyEducationInterviews guests

Episodes

155

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-AU

About the show

Claire Field talks with leaders and experts from within the Australian tertiary education sector and across the global ed-tech sector

Listen to episodes

60 recent
August 11, 2026Episode 15521 min

PSO's Anthea Middleton - on skills for the energy transition

In this episode Claire is joined by the CEO of Powering Skills Organisation, Anthea Middleton, to discuss skills for the energy sector and the changes happening within it. As Claire notes in her introduction to this episode - energy is the second major transition (alongside AI/technology) the Australian economy is going through and she welcomes more voices on the podcast to discuss the skills transition that's happening in energy (get in touch if you have initiatives to share). During the interview Anthea also mentions a new report from PSO: the Electrician Workforce Capacity Study - you can find it on their website: https://poweringskills.com.au/publications/electrician-workforce-study/ Claire also mentions in her introductory comments the analysis she's been doing of enrolment trends in the VET sector (government-funded students and their courses and the fee-for-service activity). If you missed her recent webinar and your organisation is a subscriber to Claire's updates on the sector you can access the recording for free, if you're not (yet) a subscriber then there's a small fee to access the webinar recording. Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au

July 26, 2026Episode 15449 min

Emma King (HumanAbility) & Natalie Turmine (SaCSA) - the changing VET sector & their changing industries

In this episode of the podcast Claire spoke with Natalie Turmine, CEO of Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA) and Emma King OAM, CEO of HumanAbility, who head up the Jobs and Skills Councils responsible for: Arts, Personal Services, Retail, Tourism and Hospitality (SaCSA), and Aged and Disability, Children’s Education and Care, Health, Human Services, Sport and Recreation (HumanAbility) In their discussion Emma and Natalie referred to the following: The Australian government's announcement about expanding the Commonwealth Prac Payment: https://www.pm.gov.au/media/government-expands-paid-prac-strengthen-medicare The amazing wonder of Uluṟu: https://northernterritory.com/gb/en/uluru-and-surrounds/destinations/uluru Qualifications reform (this isn't the visual Claire referred to during the interview but helps explain how the reforms will work): https://youtu.be/untAGEvOvXk HumanAbility's work on 'Earn While You Learn': https://humanability.com.au/research---workforce/research-projects/earn-while-you-learn-research-project.aspx SaCSA's new data dashboard: https://sacsa.org.au/data-dashboard SaCSA's Creative Workforce Scoping Study: https://sacsa.org.au/projects/creative-workforce-scoping-study Holmesglen's Home and Community Care Centre of Excellence: https://www.holmesglen.edu.au/about-us/news/Holmesglen-leads-new-Centre-of-Excellence-for-home-care Chisholm Institute's Digital, AI and Technology Centre of Excellence: https://www.chisholm.edu.au/news-and-events/news/news/new-digital-centre-of-excellence IKEA's decision to retrain and redeploy 8,500 staff displaced by AI/automation: https://www.pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/ikea-turned-8500-call-agents-into-design-consultants/ Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au

June 24, 2026Episode 15340 min

Prof. Michelle Trudgett - Indigenous leadership, equity and excellence

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by Prof. Michelle Trudgett, DVC Indigenous Leadership, Western Sydney University. Here are the links mentioned in the interview: Know your worth: valuing Indigenous leadership positions in Australian higher education https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2026.2670000 Indigenous Centre of Excellence at Western Sydney University: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/western-growth/icoe Mother and three children embark on shared journey to becoming Indigenous doctors IRU (now 2050 Alliance) analysis of the impact of Job-ready Graduates funding: https://iru.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Impacts-of-the-Job-Ready-Graduates-policy-and-options-for-reform-IRU-analysis.pdf The GO Foundation: https://www.gofoundation.org.au Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au

June 16, 2026Episode 15245 min

Alex White - why we need to focus on TAFE delivering on students' employment goals... and lots more

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by Alex White, the CEO of the Victorian TAFE Association, to discuss a new research report and Alex's broader insights into VET and the public TAFE sector. The VTA's new TAFE Employment Outcomes report is available on their website: https://vta.vic.edu.au/employment-outcomes-report/ Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au

June 10, 2026Episode 15119 min

Voyage's Matthew Donlon on what students are saying about Australia, about AI, and more

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by the founder and CEO of Voyage, Matthew Donlon, to discuss student perceptions of and questions about studying in Australia, how they are reacting to conflict and global uncertainty and what they want from institutions as AI reshapes the graduate jobs market. The Voyage website is: https://myvoyage.io/app/thesocialsource And details of the the recent change made by the UK government to international education are at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universities-face-ban-on-international-students-over-visa-abuse Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au

May 20, 2026Episode 15028 min

Prof. Phillip Dawson on what comes next with AI in education...

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by Prof. Phillip Dawson from CRADLE at Deakin University. During the episode you'll hear them mention the following resources: The Castlereagh Statement: https://castlereagh.ai/ Research on academic cheating by Prof. Guy Curtis and colleagues: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40979-026-00215-z (open access) Prof. Dawson's LinkedIn post with the AI glasses: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/philldawson_you-designed-an-interactive-oral-assessment-share-7454689736088109056-zZMo/? His research with Dr Thomas Corbin & Sue Sharpe on AI wearables and teaching/assessment: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2026.2661367 (open access) TEQSA's GenAI knowledge hub: https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/higher-education-good-practice-hub/gen-ai-knowledge-hub Prof. Margaret Bearman's research: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/40465-margaret-bearman/publications The 'drive an F1 race car with your mind' video https://youtu.be/UC_fQa2cmd0?si=on7i9u1dbUw729oD The 'control a drone with your mind' video: https://youtu.be/LSUr-C6JLYA?si=1SLeQpe_SF595OW- Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au

May 5, 2026Episode 14931 min

Rishen Shekhar with some great ideas on fixing international education

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by Rishen Shekhar to discuss his experiences in the Australian international education sector and where it needs to head to next. Here are links to some of the articles and reports Rishen discusses: Jon Chew 'Implications of rising inexplicable student visa rejections' https://thekoalanews.com/implications-of-rising-inexplicable-student-visa-rejections/ IEAA Agent Quality Research Project: https://ieaa.org.au/IEAA/research/Publication/2026/IEAA-Agent-Quality-Research-Project.aspx Eric Knight 'Education agent commission ban won't cut course hopping. Here's what will: https://www.themandarin.com.au/308521-education-agent-commission-ban-wont-curb-course-hopping-heres-what-will/ Minister directs French universities to raise fees for international students: https://monitor.icef.com/2026/04/france-directs-universities-to-charge-higher-tuition-fees-to-non-eu-students-starting-september-2026/ Keri Ramirez 'Visa Cost Increase: The Quiet Rise of a $735 Million Revenue Stream' https://thekoalanews.com/visa-cost-increase-the-quiet-rise-of-a-735-million-revenue-stream/ Universities Australia factsheet: https://universitiesaustralia.edu.au/publication/international-education-a-sector-worth-backing/ Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au

April 21, 2026Episode 14837 min

Assuring learning and encouraging aspiration in the AI era - Prof. Kevin Ashford-Rowe and Erin Jancauskas

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by Prof. Kevin Ashford-Rowe, Pro Vice Chancellor Learning and Teaching at QUT and Dr Erin Jancauskas, Chief Academic and Partnerships Officer at Online Education Services (OES) to discuss how we can assure learning and encourage aspiration as AI transforms teaching and learning. In the episode they discuss the following reports and articles: OES - Assurance of Learning Positioning Paper Needed Now in Learning and Teaching - 'When teachers become builders: Vibe coding and the future of educational technology' - James Bedford, UNSW College The Castlereagh Statement - A cross sector call to action on Australian education and training in the age of AI Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au

March 26, 2026Episode 14739 min

Building a legacy in the private tertiary sector - insights from Analytics Institute of Australia

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by three senior leaders at the Analytics Institute of Australia (Pankaj Goel, Sarthak Goel and Rolf Baum) to learn about what it's like leading an international private higher education provider as the sector goes through a number of policy changes, as well as educating and preparing students for work in an AI-era. During the interview - Sarthak references TEQSA's new Revised Academic Integrity Toolkit: https://www.teqsa.gov.au/about-us/news-and-events/latest-news/revised-academic-integrity-toolkit-now-available Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au

February 26, 2026Episode 14639 min

CIT's Dr Margot McNeill on the changes happening in VET

In this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by the CEO of Canberra Institute of Technology, Dr Margot McNeill, to discuss some of the key reforms in VET including: TAFE Centres of Excellence National Qualifications Reform the National TAFE Network women in leadership, and why we need to shift from RPL to "recognition of prior experience". Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social Check out the news pages on my website: clairefield.com.au Email me at: admin@clairefield.com.au The ‘What now? What next?’ podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s traditional custodians. In the spirit of reconciliation we are proud to recommend John Briggs Consulting as a leader in Reconciliation and Indigenous engagement. To find out more go to www.johnbriggs.net.au

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