QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil has released a Proposal for Change which is the next element of four stages focused on positioning the university for the future foreshadowed in June this year.
At a briefing to staff, Professor Sheil outlined the proposal which takes into account the recently proposed faculty realignment, the impacts of COVID-19 on international student revenue and the savings measures implemented to date that have been achieved with the support of staff and the unions.
The proposal outlines 174 positions which may become redundant and 102 new roles which will be created. Affected on-going staff will also be offered the opportunity to take up one of 40 fixed term retraining roles in areas such as learning design and digital marketing where we know there will be demand in the future.
“QUT’s plan from the beginning of COVID-19 has been to reduce the number of job losses which we have done through the savings achieved to date and restrictions on appointment of new staff. However, it is regrettable that not all jobs can be saved at time when there is so much uncertainty,” Professor Sheil said. “It is clear, however, that the impact of COVD-19 on international education will continue during 2021 and beyond.”
All fixed term contracts will be honoured, along with QUT’s commitment to no forced redundancies before the end of June 2021.
The Proposal for Change will affect professional services and support staff only with no change to the number of ongoing academic positions.
These measures will amount to a sustained cost saving of approximately $38 million by the end of 2021.
Staff will be able to provide feedback on the Proposal for Change until 9 November, with the proposed organisation structure commencing from 31 January 2021.
Professor Sheil has previously announced a realignment of the university, moving from two institutes and six faculties to a more streamlined model of five faculties.
QUT’s new proposed faculty structure is:
- Business and Law
- Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice
- Engineering
- Health
- Science
QUT also recently moved to a three-division structure from the initial six which was the first of the university’s measures to help contain costs in 2020/21 and to reposition QUT for the future.
