Higher Education in Regional and City Development: State of Victoria, Australia 2010

The State of Victoria is a knowledge-intensive centre for Australia: educational services are Victoria’s strongest export worth more than AUD 5 billion, surpassing tourism and automotive sectors. Victoria is a magnet for immigration, and the international student enrolment represents over 30% of the total for Australia. The higher education system in Australia is moving to a more competitive phase with the decision that the government funding will follow students wherever they choose to enroll. How can Victoria continue to increase participation in higher education and widen access to lower socio-economic groups? How can its higher education institutions help transform Victoria into an innovative state with knowledge-intensive industries and jobs? This publication explores a range of helpful policy measures and institutional reforms to mobilise higher education for the development of the State of Victoria. Foreword......Page 4 Acknowledgements......Page 5 Table of contents......Page 6 List of acronyms......Page 9 Assessment and recommendations......Page 13 Tertiary education and regional innovation in Victoria......Page 36 Introduction......Page 37 National policy framework and the role of the Victorian Government......Page 38 Responding to regional needs and demands - achievements......Page 53 Conclusions and recommendations......Page 69 References......Page 74 Tertiary education and human capital development......Page 78 Introduction......Page 79 Widening access to tertiary education......Page 81 Demand for skills......Page 95 Governance and financing framework......Page 101 Strategic co-ordination of the regional human capital system......Page 103 Conclusions and recommendations......Page 119 References......Page 122 Tertiary education and climate change in Victoria......Page 128 Introduction......Page 129 The research & innovation agenda for climate change......Page 132 Skill creation for green jobs......Page 147 Conclusions and recommendations......Page 154 References......Page 158 Capacity building for regional co-operation......Page 162 Introduction......Page 163 Collaboration between the Victorian Government and tertiary education......Page 165 Regional strategic planning in Victoria......Page 167 Role of tertiary education in regional development......Page 171 Addressing the needs of regional Victoria......Page 174 Institutional commitment to regional engagement......Page 179 Incentivising regional engagement......Page 181 Reducing the overregulation of the tertiary education system......Page 185 Conclusions and recommendations......Page 186 References......Page 191 Annex I: Review team members......Page 193 Annex II: Programme of the review visit......Page 197 Outside the Netherlands Rotterdam is best known for its port – once the busiest in the world, and still the busiest in Europe. But the docks have moved steadily downstream and the centre of Rotterdam is very different from what it was even 50 years ago. A young and dynamic city, Rotterdam is one of the few in Europe where the average age of the population is decreasing. It is ethnically and culturally diverse and has high potential for attracting the "creative class". The Rotterdam region is home to two leading research universities and several other innovative higher education institutions. This report looks at how to encourage growth in the Rotterdam region, through the transfer of technology and knowledge, and through realising the potential of its people. This publication is part of the series of OECD reviews of Higher Education in Regional and City Development. These reviews help mobilise higher education institutions for economic, social and cultural development of cities and regions. They analyse how the higher education system impacts upon regional and local development and bring together universities, other higher education institutions and public and private agencies to identify strategic goals and to work towards them.