Queensland and Western Australian universities are losing students to high-paying jobs in the booming resources industry.
The Australian newspaper reports that more than 1700 tertiary places were returned by Edith Cowan University (Perth), Central Queensland University (Rockhampton) and Queensland University, considering them evidence of the mining boom ‘shyphoning off’ potential students.
The universities claim that the lure of high wages in mining was the main reason why they could not fill the quota of places allocated by the Government. In ther defence, the industry explains they are encouraing school-leavers to take up vocational training in the workplace.
“It is a major concern that in a state where the population is increasing, the number of 18-year-olds coming out of high school wishing to gain additional education is dropping,’ University of Queensland vice-chancellor Paul Greenfield told The Australian.
“Will they after a couple of years decide they want to advance themselves and then go to university? We don’t know that either, but it’s a phenomenon we should be understanding better than we currently understand it,’ he said.
The Australian’s story can be found at http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23481617-2702,00.html