Recently, Paul Miles, Managing Director of The BUSY Group, sat down with Sofie Formica from 4BC Brisbane radio to discuss the Federal Government’s Suburban University Study Hubs program. These hubs address barriers to tertiary education for students in outer metropolitan and regional areas by providing dedicated study spaces, along with in-person administrative, academic skills and wellbeing support for students studying with any Australian institution.
The BUSY Group is contracted under the program to provide University Study Hubs in Beenleigh and Strathpine, in the outer suburbs of Brisbane. As a not-for-profit organisation, The BUSY Group delivers employment, education and training services that support individuals with career pathways while addressing industry skills shortages.
During the interview, Sofie highlighted the current situation for regional and outer suburb university students.
“We know across the country about half of young Australians hold a university degree, and in the outer suburbs those numbers really do fall away. If you take Beenleigh, for example, degree rates sit at about 15%. When it comes to the opportunities and getting a tertiary education, the barriers can be real. There’s distance and cost, confidence, competing life pressures, and often environments where maybe tertiary education was not something that was a part of their parents’ lives. The Federal Government’s trying to flip the script here and they’ve put $66.9 million into making it easier for those students in the outer areas to succeed in their studies. There are many reasons why our degree rates might be so low in outer suburban communities.”
Paul responded, “Absolutely; it comes down to a whole range of things. The further you get away from where you have universities and the lower the socio-economic communities, the less and less people you see going to university and higher education. As mentioned, across Australia, you can expect about 55% of people to have a degree, but in somewhere like Beenleigh, unfortunately, it’s about 15-20%. Hence, the need for a hub in that region.”
Sofie queried, “Do the hubs cover a bit of everything, Paul? Are we talking apprenticeships as well here, or is it mainly just the bachelor’s degrees or diplomas?”
“So, it’s university and TAFE, although not so much apprenticeships but certainly some vocational education. What we do is effectively provide mentors/coaches who have experience and a similar sort of training and access to digital capability. The digital divide is obviously a big part of this conversation! As well as access to find placements and jobs for the people that are using the hubs.”
Sofie emphasised the need to move away from the perception that university is the only path to success and a great career. Supporting school leavers who want to pursue apprenticeships or trades is equally important, both for addressing the nation’s skills crisis and for creating meaningful career paths for young people. For those living far from city centres where universities are concentrated, study hubs are essential in providing equal opportunities regardless of location.
Paul went on to say, “The BUSY Group also delivers apprenticeship services, so I agree with you Sophie, and am very much an advocate for all pathways, for education and skills, and we have seen that decline of apprenticeships in recent years.”
He continued, “You know, the federal government is currently, along with the Queensland Government, trying to work out how to incentivise employers to take on more people into those trades, particularly in construction. I’m very much an advocate for higher education too because we do have skill shortages across the board in Australia, in both vocational pathways and higher education pathways too.
“The biggest problem we have is in completions. People start an apprenticeship, but half the people starting don’t finish. At university, we have similar sorts of issues too. It’s probably a case of trying to find the right pathway for people at the start and making far better use of the investment that we do make as a country into education.”
The study hubs are available not just for school leavers but also for those who have been out of school for a while and are entering study as a mature-age student.
Paul shared that at the recent official opening of the Beenleigh Study Hub, attended by Education Minister the Hon. Jason Clare, he spoke with a mature-age student who was embarking on a career change while raising a family.
“She was doing nursing but had to juggle parenting, trying to work a bit as well, and living away from the university. So, she was using the hub to get digital access to study online. The hubs are absolutely for anybody who would fit into wanting to go on to higher education.”
Sofie asked Paul what students using the study hubs were most interested in studying.
“We tend to find a lot of the people engaging with us because, dare I say it, it’s the lower socio-economic environment; they tend to be more vocationally oriented. So, lots of health-based qualifications.”
Sofie commented, “We need those!”
“Absolutely! I mean, it probably is our greatest skill shortage, whether it’s through higher education or vocational orientation. Anything in health is a massive problem for the whole country, and this includes aged care.”
Sofie asked whether the study hub then links them into the university system.
“They’ll already be linked to a university; for instance, they could be studying in Brisbane. But the cost of travel and the cost of accessing the internet, as you know, the further you are from university, along with the fact that people from lower socio-economic communities tend to need to work more so they also can’t get to university. The difference these days is that so much of the training and the lectures are online, which makes it easier; they can do it from home. But of course, so many young people can’t access these things at home.”
Sophie mentioned that a listener just commented with a text that there is a university at Petrie, five minutes up the road from Strathpine.
Sophie went on to say, “I’m starting to get a better picture of what you’re talking about. This is a location people can go to, where they can have access to people to support them and tools they might need to study that they may not have at home, which many of us might take for granted.”
Paul responded, “Absolutely, and interestingly, some of the students at Petrie, also use our hub in Strathpine because it’s more accessible, and it’s quieter. There are people there that can help them out. So yeah, it’s very much a place where you can utilise it without having to travel all the way to university.”
Sophie further stated, “It’s also plugging this gap that we know exists for people who might step away or who are not engaged. I know The BUSY Group also runs school programs for 16–19-year-olds across Queensland. Because I know if you have youth that are disengaged, it can mean they are more likely to make some poor choices.”
“I love that you’ve asked me this, Sophie! The BUSY schools are the absolute passion project of The BUSY Group. It’s a Queensland born-and-bred school system that we now also run in the UK and in New Zealand too. It is giving young people access to alternative education and to employability opportunities so they can try jobs, try different skills, and find the right pathway for them. If you can find that pathway, it’s a way of avoiding challenges in life. Employability has such a profound impact on your social welfare, social interaction, and so many other things. For us, we’re very passionate about trying to bring trades and employability into the education system at an early age.”
(Find out more about The BUSY School’s alternative education model for senior high school students.)
Learn More About the Beenleigh and Strathpine University Study Hubs
If you’re a university student looking to find a quiet, fully resourced and supportive study space, our Beenleigh and Strathpine Study Hubs can assist. Find out more
Listen to the 4BC Interview
Listen to the full interview on Afternoons with Sofie Formica 4BC Brisbane Radio with Paul Miles, Managing Director of The BUSY Group.