• Charles Sturt consulting with experts and stakeholders to shape courses that suit the needs of the future workforce
• Workshops across five campuses to examine graduate skills needed in business, information technology, communications, arts, and environmental science

Charles Sturt University (Charles Sturt) will hold a series of workshops with industry experts and stakeholders in the next two weeks as part of its ongoing commitment to building courses tailored to the emerging community and industry needs of the workforce.

The sessions are the latest steps in Charles Sturt’s co-creation process, which aims to identify the skills, knowledge and attitudes required by employers and align the University’s courses to meet those needs.

From Monday 5 August to Wednesday 14 August five workshops will be held: two at the Bathurst campus, and one each at Wagga Wagga, Albury-Wodonga and Port Macquarie.

The course areas and professional requirements examined at these sessions will include the fields of business, information technology, communication, arts, and environmental science.

The goal is to ensure Charles Sturt’s courses continue to produce graduates whose skills in these areas are aligned with the respective industries’ needs, both now and in the future.

Recent co-creation processes led to three new Charles Sturt courses: a Bachelor of Business (Industry Professional Practice) launched in 2018, and Graduate Certificates in Case Management and Co-ordinated Care, and Community Leadership and Resilience, both of which will commence in 2020.

Charles Sturt’s Communication and Creative Industries Course Director, Travis Holland, said the co-creation process was proof of the University’s “continued commitment to ensuring we include stakeholders and whole professions and industries as we plan for the future.

“Charles Sturt is dedicated to investing in the future needs of its communities, and getting input from key experts for our next wave of courses is a critical part of that dedication,” he said.

Charles Sturt’s Acting Associate Dean Academic for the Faculty of Arts and Education, Dr Sharon Schoenmaker, added that the co-creation process is a way of further ensuring successful student outcomes.

“The co-creation process provides a new way of engaging with community and industry to ensure that we continue to graduate students with the skills to succeed and have impact in their communities,” she said

Two workshops will be held at Bathurst, with the first on Monday 5 August to examine the transferable skills that are critical to all industries. This will inform the design of the University’s Bachelor of Arts course.

On Tuesday 6 August, experts and stakeholders will discuss the needs and required skills in the business, information technology, and communication professions.

Mr John Kerrison, Charles Sturt Alumnus and current Director of Media and Social Content at NSW Department of Customer Service, as well as Walkley Award-winning journalist Mr Alan Sunderland, will attend Tuesday night’s session and share their experiences.

Business, information technology, and communication will again be the key subjects at the Wagga Wagga workshop, which will be conducted on Thursday 8 August.

Sessions at Albury-Wodonga on Monday 12 August and Port Macquarie on Wednesday 14 August will examine course options in the area of environmental science.