The very structure of academic positions at university is in crisis, with many in the industry calling for a complete overhaul of the current teaching architecture.

Many lecturers and Professors are starting to feel the pinch of the economic crisis, and as they end their long and fruitful careers there has been a sudden focus on the number of individuals who are keen to replace them.

Studies show that over 40% of Australia’s academic community is over the age of 50, compared to the figure of 30% in the overall workforce, one gets a sense that academic higher education positions are either very exclusive, or they are being overlooked by the younger generation.

Many in the industry are calling for higher salaries and changes to the PhD structure to help entice more people to consider university careers, and these reforms seemingly can’t come soon enough as current government projections predict that by the year 2025 over 40 per cent of 25 to 34 year olds will either have a degree or be studying for one.

Current university staff believe that not enough is being done to combat the problem, and that the strategies being employed by universities is not enough in comparison to how other industries are dealing with ageing workforces. However many academics have proposed changes to the current system:

The first is the prerequisite to hold a PhD. In comparison to other industries, universities offer competitive salaries for high end staff, however PhD requisites deter intelligent individuals from considering senior academic positions. Relaxing these rules will help alleviate this concern.

The second proposed change regards the difference in pricing structure as individuals progress through the university job bands.

Lecturers who begin their university career soon discover that the pay increases between the job bands are not enough to consider furthering their careers for. In essence, many universities lose intelligent and capable staff early in their careers; for this reason further incentives to help sustain their growth are proposed.

Campus Daily