For 60 years, UNSW has proudly trained the men and women who enter our defence forces to keep this nation safe and secure.

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But what are we doing to recognise the incredible skills that our veterans bring with them when they leave active service and re-enter civilian life?

We often talk of the debt of gratitude we owe these men and women; for risking their lives in the theatre of war for our safety.

But what do we actually do to make a difference?

The simple answer is that the university sector isn't doing enough. The pathways for veterans to undertake tertiary education in its many different forms aren't clear enough, and the benefits of lifelong learning for veterans haven't been promoted well enough.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics there are approximately 580,000 veterans and reservists in Australia today.

Over the last decade, the focus on Anzacs, the Australian spirit and national identity has been refocused through commemoration, research, education and more recently, discourse around service and sacrifice. At the core though, has been people, and their service and sacrifice to Australia.

James "Jimmy" Doolittle once reflected that "there is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer". And perhaps what he might have also said with prompting, is that democratic nations rely on the service of men and women to uphold and safeguard their country's freedom and national interests. And that we cannot take them or their responsibility to our nation for granted.

When I joined UNSW in 2022, the organisation was heading towards a sixty-year relationship with Defence.

Having spent my entire career working within or alongside Defence in research and education I could not think of a place that was more aligned to my values and sense of purpose than UNSW.

At UNSW Canberra, our teachers equip our military students with the educational foundations to serve and safeguard our country; and to build and nurture the skills and knowledge that keeps Australia open and free.

UNSW has served our nation quietly - and deliberately - by developing educational programs focused on developing and expanding the future skills and knowledge base that our country needs in our servicemen and women. Our strengths or unique proposition is the breadth of........

© Canberra Times