New entrant to Adelaide university market combats 'talent-wasting bottleneck'
Published on 21 Nov, 2011
Media Contact: For details or interview please contact Professor Drew Dawson 0438 329 766 or Professor Andy Bridges 0409 589 866.Embargoed Until:
A new entrant to Adelaide's university market is combating a bottleneck preventing students from continuing their career paths and denying South Australia a larger pool of trained psychologists.
The move will be encouraging for around 1200 psychology undergrads who will be competing for fewer than 200 postgraduate places, which are crucial for professional qualification.
Hot on the heels of establishing a research presence in South Australia, Queensland-based CQUniversity is set to welcome its first Adelaide students to its Greenhill Road campus.
The Appleton Institute is being established to house CQUniversity's new Human Factors and Safety Research Centre. From 2012, it will also host CQUniversity Honours programs for Psychology and Science students.
"This is a nimble response to the needs of South Australia, meeting a significant demand for employment pathways," says Professor Drew Dawson, who is helping to lead the initiative.
"The difference between the last 20 undergrads who get into Honours and the next 20 who do not is minor and well within the measurement error of the assessment process.
"This suite of postgraduate programs will keep good people in SA and stop the drain of people to other states. It will ensure an adequate amount of trained psychologists."
Professor Dawson says CQUniversity is also offering Masters programs in Adelaide, including OHS, Human Factors, and Safety Management Systems, with further proposals for Rail Safety and Fatigue Risk Management.
Participating students are likely to be South Australians who are already studying Arts, Psychology or Science programs.
CQUniversity's Health and Human Services Dean Professor Andy Bridges says the Adelaide offerings are a 'great opportunity' for students to conduct their Honours project in a first-class research lab, with supervision from world experts in Human Factors.
"We expect these students to produce published results from their project," Professor Bridges says.
"This initiative also demonstrates the close relationship between taught programs at CQUniversity and applied research.
"We are very excited about welcoming the first CQUniversity Honours and Masters students to the Appleton Institute."
ENDS