CEO Perspectives: The Future of Schooling in Australia

Australian educators are asking big questions about how schools need to adapt to better equip students for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, given the rapid economic and societal changes taking place globally.

Here and around the world, there is a growing push for education systems to engage more closely with industry and civil society to ensure schools get it right. The Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales believes this dialogue between educators and business and civil society leaders is overdue.

To stimulate thinking and ideas for educational improvement, AISNSW commissioned a report titled CEO Perspectives: The Future of Schooling in Australia. The project involved interviews with leaders about their priorities and ideas for change. Our member schools know it is more important than ever to be engaged with what is happening outside the school gates. We know it’s the only way to better prepare students for fulfilling future careers and lives.

Participating CEOs

We thank all CEOs, managing directors and leaders for providing their valuable time and insights for this report.

Ken Boal

Australia Vice President, CISCO
Australia and New Zealand

"Self-awareness of how individuals are playing their role in the team, empathy for others' point of view is really important. We look for adaptability in our teams and our staff."

Sara Caplan

Chief Executive Officer
Skills for Australia, PwC Australia

"...the most important sets of skills that we need from people is that ability to understand what it's like to work in a project team to solve a problem collectively."

Dr Michelle Deaker 

Managing Partner
OneVentures

"I think we're going to see schools moving to do a lot more and cross-disciplinary learning"

Tim Fung

Chief Executive Officer
Airtasker

"You've got to get people to want to put themselves up there, want to take a risk, make a bet, learn something and then whether they win or they lose that bet, to be able to keep going."

Michelle Guthrie

Managing Director
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

"...you want to make sure that you understand all of the global influences and the global potential of the world."

Jan Owen AM

Chief Executive Officer
Foundation for Young Australians

"...the question that we have to ask is, do we have the right knowledge and do we have the right skills to face into the future?"

Kellie Parker

Managing Director
Planning, Integration and Assets, Rio Tinto Iron Ore

"... if you are used to rote learning, or only learning by yourself, once you come to a workplace that needs to collaborate it's really difficult."

James Pearson

Chief Executive Officer
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

"Schools and business have got to do more together."

Luke Sayers

Chief Executive Officer
PwC Australia

"We are looking for people who are resilient and able to make mistakes, fail, learn, grow."

Adrian Turner

Chief Executive Officer
Data61, CSIRO

"... the question is whether the existing institutions will evolve themselves, or whether it’s going to take new institutions and new models to force them to change."

Major Partners