University study hubs help keep students in regional Australia
However, four regional towns in Western Australia have seen the benefit of the Lumen Wheatbelt Regional University Study Hub program.
The program gives students enrolled in university or TAFE access to facilities and support rather than completing their education all online.
It has been a staged rollout for the hubs since 2022 in the small towns of Merredin, Wongan Hills, Narrogin and York.
Former English teacher Natalie Warnock is completing a Master of Education in Merredin, 260 kilometres east of Perth.
She said when she started her course, she felt disconnected from the classroom and her peers.
"There were no systems or physical supports in place for people living remotely, so it was just me trying to find time to study in between teaching," she said.
"I was pretty excited when the study hub came to town.
"Because as someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD and is neurodivergent, if I'm left to my own devices nothing tends to get done and it is a last-minute rush.
"Now after work I go to the study hub to do my work, I don't have distractions and have a designated space to connect with other like-minded students and staff to answer any questions I may have."
York-based musician and former TAFE lecturer Christian Gibbs decided to complete a Diploma of Counselling after noticing a need for mental health support among musicians.
For Mr Gibbs, knowing he could access the facilities at his local study hub in York, 100km east of Perth, was a relief.
"It was a really big relief to be in a different environment and get out of my head to reframe the learning experience and formalise it a little bit," he said.
As a former educator, Mr Gibbs said he had seen first-hand what happened when students did not have access to education support in regional areas.
"We need to make sure that the younger generations coming through from long-standing families, and new families coming to towns like York, know that they have options so that they can stay in the town that they love, with the people that they love," Mr Gibbs said.
"If we have to travel to get our tertiary education, it's easy to think we have to look for a job and relocate to major cities where these institutions are based.
"If we can keep people in their home towns maybe we can get them to see that the jobs they are studying for can have a meaningful application in the town they come from."
Wongan Hills business owner Mandy Walker utilises her local study hub to complete her Masters in Economic and Regional Development.
For Ms Walker, access to the Wongan Hills hub, 175km north-east of Perth, eliminates the need to commute.
"Primarily I needed a space to do my exams, having exclusive access to a room but also having that contact with people again," she said.
"It means I don't have to travel to Perth. I can do my day job and have access to the university study hub."
Ms Walker said there was a misconception about the availability of career growth in regional areas.
"You have the opportunity to step up and into roles that you might not have access to in the city because in the regions there aren't always the people to fill those positions," she said.
Program director Elise Woods said regional students often had tough decisions to make before taking up higher education studies.
"Many of our students have barriers around their ability to relocate to where you can access a campus, which has financial stress and sometimes emotional stress involved in having to leave home," she said.
"A lot of our students are also mature-aged students who already have well-established lives, families and jobs in the regions who aren't in a position to move hours away to complete studies.
"We want to see people who live in the regions, study here and go on to work in the regions."
Ms Woods said the growth in online learning during the COVID pandemic helped pave the way for the regional hubs.
"It was a big wake-up call to universities on what is possible, and to students that they could access education from their homes," she said.
"As a WA network we are constantly giving feedback to universities about how they can deliver courses better for regional students."
Flinders University emeritus professor John Halsey said the ability to stay in place allowed communities to thrive.
"If you have a large outflow of people leaving regional towns to pursue further studies, you are taking rich resources out of the community," Dr Halsey said.
"Where university study hubs exist, you're bringing expertise into the town, which stimulates economic activity, and while economic activity is not the be all and end all, it is absolutely critical to the vibrancy of towns."
Dr Halsey said attitudinal change towards the contributions made by those living in the regions would help aid the divide in access to education in regional and metropolitan areas.
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