Universities Australia calls on the Productivity Commission to “affirm” funding and policy settings that ensure universities are “a fundamental driver” of productivity growth. UA also suggests specific ways to do this

UA’s submission to the PC’s new inquiry into productivity includes headline calls for more money, notably that government subsidised places are “adequate to meet future student demand,” driven by population growth and labour market need.

But it also includes policy specifics, including,

* extend HELP to cover non award micro-credentials. “The traditional front-loaded education model immediately after school is no longer sufficient to equip employees with all the skills they will need throughout their working career. “

* time-limited funding for student placements in health-services, notably aged, disability and primary care. Without such, “increasing health graduates’ understanding and career choice in these areas is unlikely.”

* time-limited grants for universities to use technology in teaching health disciplines, “to support clinical education where access to placements is more limited”

And then there is a proposal that the PC may well like, a lot;  UA points to the six Commonwealth departments and two agencies that oversight universities and suggests the Commission consider measures, “to identify and deal with regulatory overlap.”