Federation University has lost about 50 staff through involuntary redundancies over the past three years as it restructures its curriculum, moves to a new cooperative education model and battles a significant COVID-induced reduction in international students.
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University vice chancellor Professor Duncan Bentley has previously stated small numbers of staff had been made redundant, but not given a total figure.
"When I came in (to Federation University) in the middle of COVID, universities were shedding 200, 300, 500 staff but over the past three years we have had roughly 50 involuntary redundancies, which is less than 2.5 per cent of our workforce," Professor Bentley said.
"We had to do the restructure ... but the key thing for me was to try to save as many jobs as possible because we are in a regional area."
Professor Bentley said there had been opportunity for those made redundant to redeploy or retrain in other areas that take advantage of their skills.
He said the university, and many others, were currently struggling with significantly fewer full-fee-paying international students and did not expect numbers to near pre-pandemic levels until at least 2026.
That alone has significant financial impacts for the university, with university revenue dropping 29 per cent since the start of the pandemic. Coupled with other factors including high inflation and negative revaluation of investments, and the university has forecast an operating loss for 2022.
That combined with fewer domestic students applying to universities across Australia presented a significant challenge to the institution and its ability to retain current staffing levels without the previous student numbers.
"We are increasing our share of applications, but the mental health statistics for year 12 students across the nation show they are really struggling even though they have been at school this year ... and there has been an 8.7 per cent drop in domestic students across the sector, and greater numbers in regional areas, not participating (in post secondary education)," he said.
While course applications are lower for next year, of concern are those who took a gap year after completing year 12 in 2021 but do not seem to be applying for further study at university or TAFE after their break.
"We are not seeing that from those who left at the end of 2021, they are not enrolling in the numbers they should be in 2022. They might be working, making money, got a car ... thinking why would I want to go back?"
He hopes the university's new cooperative education model, which offers extensive work placements, internships, cadetships and strong ties with local and global employers for students in all courses by 2025, will attract more students back.
In the first courses to offer the cooperative model from next year, mostly in business and IT related courses, there are more scholarships than students.
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"The cooperative education model is so important because it means students can get credit for the work they are doing while they learn. Employers say it suits them ... and we have more scholarships than we have students ... we need more students to fill the places," Professor Bentley said.
"Employers have said if we can get them working right from very early on in their degrees and train them up as an intern or cadet on longer periods of secondment then we can employ them at the end.
"If school leavers can see the opportunities they can have here ... are so much richer and more immediate than going to a metropolitan university."
The Federation University Tech Park in Mount Helen is forecast to double in size by 2030. "The tech park has $700m economic impact and 2500 jobs. We will double that by 2030 but we need another 2500 people, skilled people ... and we need to be able to drive up the number of students going through in to those internships and employment."
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