More than 4200 higher education professionals from over 80 countries gathered in Dublin for a truly global knowledge exchange at the European Association for International Education (EAIE) conference, 11-14 September 2012. There were 18 presentations by Australian higher education experts and 33 of Australia's 39 universities were represented.

 

CEO of AEI, Colin Walters, participated in the opening key policy dialogue, Rethinking Education: Reshaping Economies, which aimed to set the direction for debate at the conference. Colin, together with Jordi Curell Gotor, Director, Lifelong Learning: Higher Education and International Affairs, Directorate General Education and Culture of the European Commission; Mary Doyle, Deputy Secretary General, Department of Education and Skills, Ireland; Professor Ellen Hazelkorn, Vice President, Research and Enterprise, Dublin Institute of Technology and Derry Gray, Managing Partner, BDO Accountants and member of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, debated the role of higher education in supporting economic growth and the preparation of young people for future employment.

 

Key issues debated included the role of governments in providing leadership for higher education institutions and skills acquisition; and the changing roles of universities which covered the important position they hold in regional development and employment, business and industry partnerships with institutions and the quality of provision.

 

In discussions on the preparation of young people for employment, Colin challenged the panel to consider whether universities were indeed preparing graduates for the new forms of employment and careers. These new forms are more likely to be in self employment or operating as sole traders requiring business and entrepreneurship skills. Such skills in the past might have been gained during the first years of working life. This led to discussion on the expectations of employers, who seek to employ highly skilled graduates with experience, and the rise of the internship generation, the need for quality work experiences and additional training. Questions were raised about the teachers who gained their qualifications in the 1990s and who are preparing the graduates of 2020. Skills rather than qualifications might be the learning outcomes of the future. Graduates will need to be sufficiently flexible and agile to meet a working life which many of us cannot imagine.

 

The European Commission spoke about the importance of cross-border mobility along with the role of Erasmus and the Bologna process in facilitating international movements. International education, with its focus on quality, listening to student demands and its role in supporting global citizenship may be the space in which the future of education is defined and delivered.

 

After the conference, Austrade Australia Future Unlimited staged two events for Australian higher education institutions that attended the conference. Mr Will Archer, Chief Executive of i-graduate, delivered a briefing on i-graduate’s work and its purpose of enabling education providers to maximise competitive advantage, value and quality. This was followed by a reception where participants heard from Australian Ambassador to Ireland, HE Bruce Davis and AEI’s CEO, Colin Walters. The events provided a great opportunity for the many Australian delegates to come together and network while in Dublin.