Positioning Australian Universities for the 21st Century

Based on the assumption that corporate learning is a growing sector that will be serviced by companies providing learning opportunities and services quickly and efficiently on a business-to-business (B2B) basis, using electronic technologies, the paper argues on the basis of Australian experience that higher education will undergo very considerable change. In Australia universities are being encouraged to become trading enterprises; they are forming cartels and partnerships; and they are increasingly focusing on the global market. However, they are at risk of competition from large, global, non-university sector players who see education as a market. This article explores the paradigm shifts that are driving change, and provides an insight into one company's vision of what the future might look like.