Australia needs greater numbers of skilled science professionals to meet primary industry demand, particularly in rural and regional areas. Yet enrolments in undergraduate science courses are falling. Governments, industry, universities and research organisations have all established initiatives to attract students to tertiary science studies, but many of them have been short term or narrowly focused, and to date these initiatives have not arrested the decline. The Primary Industry Centre for Science Education (PICSE) is addressing this problem. PISCE is a national collaboration between universities, their regional communities and local primary industries, aiming to attract students into tertiary science and to increase the number of skilled professionals in agribusiness and research institutions.
A former chair of the Conference on English Education reviews current issues in teaching and teacher education in the fields of English and literacy learning – English Education.
Four senior secondary teachers in Queensland illustrate ways to cover the topic of critical literacy with students learning English as an additional language – English in Australia.