Global education leaders converge to Australia to drive technology innovation

Vice-Chancellors and senior leaders from some of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious universities are meeting with their Australian counterparts at the University Alliance Future Leaders Program and TechnologyOne’s OneEducation Global Mobility Program this month to compare notes and share learnings on industry challenges and opportunities.

The programs were an opportunity to discuss the recent release of the Government’s University Accord Final Report. The importance of job skills development was also on the agenda at a meeting with the Hon Brendan O’Connor, Minister for Skills and Training.

Shrinking budgets, skill shortages, and student wellbeing are on the agenda as well as visits of leading Australian university campuses that are using transformative technologies to attract, support and retain students throughout their educational journey.

Leaders from across the UK’s University Alliance (UA), including the University of Hertfordshire, University of Derby, University of South Wales, Teesside University, Anglia Ruskin University, Robert Gordon University, Middlesex University and Coventry University met at campuses across Australia for a week-long visit part of the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN) and University Alliance Future Leaders Program, an alliance which fosters knowledge sharing and mentorship between existing and emerging leaders from the member universities in Australia and the UK.

The following week, a new cohort of UK higher education leaders from the London School of Economics, Leicester University, University of Hertfordshire, Buckingham University, Royal Holloway University of London, Kingston University and Bradford University are touring the country as part of the TechnologyOne’s OneEducation Global Mobility Program, visiting Curtin University, Victoria University, Queensland University of Technology and Macquarie University.

The program focuses on fostering collaborative international partnerships between UK and Australian higher education leaders, as well as showcasing how integrated Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions, such as TechnologyOne’s Student Management, are driving educational and operational excellence. UK CIO, registrars, and CFOs will engage in meaningful face-to-face dialogue, share experiences, explore best practices and collaborate on innovative solutions to navigate the challenges facing leading universities.

TechnologyOne Industry General Manager for Education Peter Nikoletatos said: “UK universities are world-leading, but when it comes to digital transformation, Australian universities and TAFEs are sometimes 15-20 years ahead and this technology is enabling them to do more with less.”

“With universities looking for ways to address rising costs, spending money on new technology may seem counterintuitive but we know that campuses that have invested in their digital infrastructure have higher student wellbeing scores as well as increased academic performance, retention, and graduation rates, which is key to universities financial sustainability.  The invaluable insights that a modern, true SaaS solution offers is also key to guiding financial decisions in a competitive landscape.”

Universities Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said: "University Alliance and ATN are natural global partners to explore mutual collaborations in the irrespective strength areas of innovation, knowledge exchange, industry partnership, teaching and applied research. Our sponsor TechnologyOne made the visit possible to bring current and future leaders from across our membership to engage in positive dialogue and opportunities to share best practice and collaborate.”

QUT Chief Digital Officer, Huw Davies, welcomed the TechnologyOne Global Mobility Program delegation to QUT.

“This partnership highlights our commitment to innovation and excellence and also signifies the power of collaboration in shaping transformative student experiences. We look forward to sharing our digital journey and fostering meaningful connections with our esteemed international colleagues,”Mr Davies said.

Universities across Perth, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sydney will provide UK visitors with an expansive scope of the mission-critical applications enabling enhanced student experiences.