Shaping and upskilling the university workforce of the future in a dual sector experience

Co-designing an academic development framework

Abstract

The Australian tertiary education sector is undergoing significant transformation, driven by evolving workforce demands, technological disruption, and the imperative for inclusive, future-focused learning environments. In response to national policy directions, this paper presents the co-design and implementation of Swinburne University of Technology’s Educator Capability Framework (ECF), developed to support professional learning across both higher education (HE) and vocational education (VE) contexts. The ECF maps educator capabilities across four developmental levels and four domains of practice, aligning individual growth with institutional strategy and sector benchmarks. Guided by a stakeholder-informed methodology, twelve interviews with university leaders shaped the framework’s design, revealing key themes including inclusive teaching, reflective practice, curriculum coherence, and industry engagement. The ECF’s capabilities-based approach offers a replicable model for institutions seeking to build a skilled, adaptable academic workforce. This research contributes to the national conversation on educator development by demonstrating how co-designed frameworks can foster equity, responsiveness, and strategic alignment in professional learning across dual-sector institutions.