Does higher education hold the key to national prosperity?

Universities are complex and ancient institutions, yet instrumentalists view them primarily as a means to achieving government goals. The workers of the future will require advanced skills – so it is reasoned – and universities are perfectly positioned to deliver the training.

But does increasing the number of students at university automatically lead to a better educated workforce? Does it matter whether university educators have been trained to teach? And how can we know what the jobs of the future will be?

Professor Andrew Norton joins Sam to discuss the many responsibilities of universities and whether higher education policy is taking teaching seriously.

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