Education

How will technology evolve the sector?

Australia’s educators face challenges on multiple fronts as new technologies and trends in learning impact a sector already struggling to meet the needs of Australia’s rapidly growing population. Existing shortages of specialist teaching skills in fields such as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) will drive adoption of technology-based teaching methods to improve delivery of these subjects and ensure students in regional areas have access to the same opportunities.

Technology will also play a key role in changing education delivery at all levels from K12 through to vocational learning and higher education thanks to the uptake of virtual reality and augmented reality as learning aids in the classroom, while online technologies will continue to blur the boundaries between the classroom, playground and home. Educators at all levels will need to adapt to new teaching methods using these technologies including the greater usage of eLearning and micro-credentialing, especially the support of rapid skills development and life-long learning programmes.

How will the demand for education workers evolve over the next decade?

Teaching professionals are the dominant occupational group in the education sector and, today, these roles rely heavily on nuanced tasks such as establishing relationships, thinking creatively and guiding or motivating others. These types of roles are less susceptible to automation over the coming 10 years.

However, many other occupations in this sector are more susceptible to technological change. Our analysis suggests the large body of office clerks in the sector could shrink by 10% over the next decade because they are relied upon to perform more readily codifiable functions.

In our technology scenario, we predict overall growth in jobs in the education sector, with over 5% growth in demand for early childhood educators and childcare workers. Core functions of these roles, including caring for others, building teams and resolving conflict, will continue to be performed most effectively by humans over the coming decade.

The future of jobs and skills needed

How widespread are skills shortfalls for new entrants to this sector?

Our 2028 scenario suggests demand for education will grow in Australia, and therefore this sector will need to pull in workers from other parts of the labour market.

Our analysis suggests that the most pervasive skills training priorities are in skills such as social perceptiveness, time management and decision making. More than half of the available talent pool to fill jobs in the sector currently lack these necessary skills.

The chart above illustrates the size of the learning curve the available talent pool would face to fill vacancies in this sector, across the most critical skills categories. Most prominently, those workers best placed to fill jobs requiring programming skills in this sector currently fall 58% short of the level they need. In science and technology design skills, the available talent pool falls more than 40% short.