The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has unveiled a new strategic plan that aims to supercharge criticial parts of its teaching and learning landscape over the next five years.
QUT’s Blueprint 6 – a strategic plan plotting out its priorities for the next five years – places a strong emphasis on gender equity, innovation, digital transformation, inclusive environments and sustainability.
Professor Margaret Sheil, QUT’s vice-chancellor and president, said that Blueprint 6 refreshes the University’s vision as “the university for the real world”.
According to the Blueprint, the real world increasingly relies on digital and data-drive strategies as well as requires flexible modes of ongoing learning. This would mean that future graduates also need to be skilled enough to operate in diverse settings.
The strategy also seeks to help QUT focus on industry-engaged education and research with practical benefit.
For the next five years, QUT said it will be prioritising the following:
- Promoting equity across gender, ethnic, cultural beliefs as well as socio-economic standing and physical abilities.
- Supporting its student and staff’s creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship ideas.
- Embracing digital transformation by investing in online learning and cutting edge technologies
- Creating inclusive environments to empower and ensure the health and wellbeing of its diverse community of staff and students
- Integrating strategies to empower the Indigenous people in its community
- Enhancing sustainability and environment efforts through research, partnnership, curriculum
“We have more work to do in how we go about transforming our practices, managing the inevitable imperatives of constant change, and continuing to become more agile and efficient,” Professor Sheil said.
“We are committed to serving our wider community—by building aspiration and pathways to success in higher education for all whose circumstances have made it difficult for them to share in the benefits of university education.”
A strong focus on Indigenous Australians
According to Blueprint 6, QUT seeks to address challenges faced “not only by Indigenous Australians but also by all Australians” by working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The University’s commitment to helping Indigenous people is part of increased efforts to bring balance to their relationship with the Turrbal and Yagara people, who are the custodians of the land that QUT’s Brisbane campuses are built on.
QUT is not the only university with a renewed focus on increasing the involvement of Indigenous people across their campuses. The University of Newcastle, for its part, launched the Maliggu Aborogina and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy and Action Plan 2019-2021.
Previous efforts to increase the inclusion of Indigenous people came in the form of establishing the Wollotuki Institute and the Indigenous cadet program.
Currently, the share of Indigenous people in the University’s workforce is at 2.3%. Underthe new plan, Newcastle wants to bring this up to 3.9%.
“We have set recruitment targets to address the under-representation of Indigenous people employed in higher education because we know that being able to provide culturally appropriate support provides a better experience for our Indigenous staff and students,” University vice-chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky said.