Obviously, we recognize that governments are under pressure from all stakeholders. What I would say is that if we aren't investing in our future, our economy and our social fabric all break down.
Work-integrated learning is so essential because it allows our students to get the first-hand experience in the workforce that supplements their learning on our campuses.
I will use the opportunity to enlighten the committee somewhat. Sometimes the old, dated notions of a what a university is need to be challenged. A lot of the work-integrated learning actually happens on our campus. If you are learning about aerodynamics and engineering and you have a wind tunnel, you can imagine that you don't need to go to an employer. Those investments are used by our students. If you want to be a forensics scientist and you are learning about a crime-scene house, and and you have one on campus, that's where you do it.
The notion that you're always going out to an employer isn't so much as real as sometimes our employers are on campus. The answer to your question is that work-integrated learning, whether on our campus or within the purview of the employer's residence, allows our students come out more ready to push the labour force and our economy. That's exactly what we need.
I hear from CEOs every day that the biggest thing they want is to make their cultures more innovative. Young minds thinking about old problems in fresh ways will help our economy to thrive. That's what's going to allow the tax base to pay for the other essential elements.
I appreciate the question.