Human societies have always found ways to adapt to moments of profound social, economic and technological change. Across history, periods of uncertainty have also been periods of creativity, innovation and renewal.

This CSHE and Network for Experiential Learning Employability Symposium will explore what careers and professional futures might look like in an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving world. Rather than focusing solely on disruption, the symposium will examine the opportunities emerging for graduates, educators and industries as new forms of work, collaboration and innovation continue to evolve.

The symposium will challenge traditional ideas of linear career pathways and consider how universities can best prepare students for futures characterised by uncertainty, adaptability and lifelong learning. As industries transform and entirely new roles emerge, discussions will focus on the enduring human capabilities likely to matter most — including creativity, critical thinking, ethical judgement, communication, collaboration, initiative and the capacity to learn across contexts.

Through inspiring speakers, researcher insights and cross-sector dialogue, participants will explore how higher education can cultivate graduates who are not simply prepared for their first job, but equipped to navigate complexity, shape change and thrive in careers that may not yet exist.

Keynote presentation

Educated for the unexpected: Capability, identity and the changing university

Prof Ruth Bridgstock, Swinburne University of Technology

Waves of technological, economic, social and environmental change are reshaping what it means to work, learn and live. Higher education faces existential questions about how graduates develop the capability to navigate and shape futures we can't yet see, and how universities need to co-evolve to make this possible.

Drawing on two decades of her research in graduate capability development, authentic learning and institutional transformation, Ruth Bridgstock identifies capabilities for future and change that higher education rarely teaches for, assesses, or even names, and examines the curriculum architectures, pedagogical approaches and educator agency needed to develop them. She argues that developing these capabilities also requires institutions themselves to become more adaptable, forward-oriented and permeable, decisive in the face of uncertainty, and, like the learners they serve, grounded in a clear sense of identity and purpose.

Participants will come away thinking differently about future and change capability, about what it asks of educators and researchers, and about the institutional conditions that need to shift to make it possible.

Symposium program