As I say, year-on-year, I continue to be immensely proud of RMIT’s contribution to advancing the lives of our students; to solving society’s most pressing challenges; and to our contribution to the future of the communities where we operate. In 2024, social, economic and geopolitical challenges gave us cause to reflect on what we stand for, during a time when our contribution is more urgent than ever before.
Hundreds of thousands of skilled, knowledgeable workers will be needed in the decades ahead to support Australia’s economy and provide care in our community. This demand will not be met solely through a focus on increasing participation of school leavers, and to do so would overlook a substantial group of Australians from backgrounds not traditionally involved in tertiary education. As you know, at RMIT we’re driven to level the playing field. This is why we believe that the true opportunity for Australia, and for our University, lies in improving accessibility for a wider range of learners from under-represented equity cohorts and working adults. For different reasons, both groups face high barriers to entry and success, and are significantly impacted by cost-of-living pressures.
