Have we put too much emphasis on ATAR and attending university? Can the young people of today still expect to reap the rewards for hard work and dedication? And what’s the buzz around micro credentialing and will we be seeing it more in the future?

To answer these questions and more, Education Review spoke to Tony McGuire, a veteran of the education and technology industries, and a former primary school teacher with 15 years’ experience. Later in his career he became passionate about technology and remote learning, and recently edtech and training platform D2L appointed him as the head of its Australian and New Zealand business.

As McGuire points out, roughly 35 per cent of students will enrol in university without an ATAR. Universities are now offering a multitude of ways to achieve one’s goal, including bridging courses, embedded courses and mature-age entry. 

On the career front, however, McGuire does hold genuine concerns for the stability of young people, principally brought on by the GIG economy. He also stated that, however much their budgets are suffering, universities must find a way to keep their top pool of talent employed and sharing the  ideas of tomorrow.

Micro credentialing was another topic addressed in the podcast, which will become increasingly more common and will, as McGuire states, teach those skills that are essential but not necessarily taught and assessed in a formal qualification, such as soft skills and certain dispositions.

Have we put too much emphasis on ATAR and attending university? Can the young people of today still expect to reap the rewards for hard work and dedication? And what’s the buzz around micro credentialing and will we be seeing it more in the future? To answer these questions and more, Education Review spoke to Tony McGuire, a veteran of the education and technology industries, and a former primary school teacher with 15 years’ experience. Later in his career he became passionate about technology and remote learning, and recently edtech and training platform D2L appointed him as the head of its Australian and New Zealand business. As McGuire points out, roughly 35 per cent of students will enrol in university without an ATAR. Universities are now offering a multitude of ways to achieve one’s goal, including bridging courses, embedded courses and mature-age entry. On the career front, however, McGuire does hold genuine concerns for the stability of young people, principally brought on by the GIG economy. He also stated that, however much their budgets are suffering, universities must find a way to keep their top pool of talent employed and sharing the ideas of tomorrow. Micro credentialing was another topic addressed in the podcast, which will become increasingly more common and will, as McGuire states, teach those skills that are essential but not necessarily taught and assessed in a formal qualification, such as soft skills and certain dispositions.

Education Review

Have we put too much emphasis on ATAR and attendi…

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