PEOPLE CHANGE and LEARNING IN RURAL AUSTRALIA Rural Learning Summit Jack Archer
About the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) MENU About the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) The most important people trends in regional communities Education divide and the future of work (a bad combination) Peoplecare?
Knowledge. Policy. Practice. We gather and analyse the best information we can find on regions and make this readily accessible to people around the country We work with regional leaders around the nation to understand their challenges and help them identify opportunities for future development that they can implement We also talk to governments at all levels and provide independent, evidence based advice about the options they have to make regions even greater The RAI is a not-for-profit organisation established as a public company limited by guarantee and we are an Approved Research Institute for tax purposes. The Institute was founded in 2012 with seed funding from the Australian Government. Our current operations depend upon a mix of Commonwealth and State government support, partnerships with a range of companies and projects working directly with regions. For more information on the RAI: www.regionalaustralia.org.au
[IN]SIGHT - the regional competitiveness index [IN]Sight is an online tool that: Identifies issues and reveals previously hard-to-see patterns and trends in specific locations Will enable effective policies to be put into place - so we can put the right help where it is needed most Will provide us with the vital information we need to enable us to tap into the potential of the regions Putting data back into the hands of regional Australia
Headline Trends – Regional Population is Growing
Population GROWTH PATTERNS Source: 2016 Census Data
Regional Growth and Change – MIGRATION Regional Australia’s population growth rate is lower because it attracts a small share of international migrants; International migration enabled 151 rural LGAs to stabilise or grow their population (2011-16). Source: 2016 Census Data
Regional Growth and Change - Ageing Source: 2016 Census Data
Regional Economies in Transition – Future of Work
THE EDUCATION DIVIDE
THE EDUCATION DIVIDE (RAI HUMAN CAPITAL INDEX)
THE PROBLEM HAS DIVERSE ROOTS (standard policy can’t deal with this)
SERVICES ‘EFFICIENCIES’ HAVE BLED LOCAL CAPACITY in rural australia Forthcoming work: Documenting the outcomes of 30 years of health, education and employment services reform on small town services. Early results – services professionals Fewer doctors and more nurses (but no flexibility for nurses to do more) Fewer psychologists (but higher rates of suicide and mental illness) Same number of police Same primary but fewer high school teachers Fewer childcare workers
Engagement should be the priority The Education Divide – THE KEY RESPONSE Engagement should be the priority “Whether you’re 8 or 88, if you’re in a regional area we want you to be engaged in learning.”
MITIGATING RISK THROUGH LIFELONG LEARNING Future jobs will need more high technology digital skills, as well as entrepreneurial training to make the most of opportunities. In addition, jobs of the future will require soft skills in communication, collaboration, creativity and problem solving. www.thefutureofwork.net.au
RURAL Learning CommunitIES – OLD IDEA NEVER EXECUTED
DOES RURAL AUSTRALIA NEED A PEOPLE CARE MOVEMENT? Landcare for people issues: Community led migration strategies Learning communities that respond to the future of work Engaging disadvantaged youth in the economy and community Older worker engagement and aged care support Government can support and invest: Flexibility in how existing resources can be applied in small communities Extra resources to support community effort Facilitation and support for Peoplecare groups
www.regionalaustralia.org.au www.futureofwork.net.au Thank You AND CAN YOU HELP? Jack Archer – CEO RAI jack.archer@regionalaustralia.org.au @Archerjack www.regionalaustralia.org.au (All our work, see www.regionalaustralia.org.au/insight for human capital index (education divide) data and publications in partnership with Bendigo and Adelaide Bank) www.futureofwork.net.au (tools for kids to prepare for the future of work in partnership with NBN Co)