As millennials - those aged between 18 and 30 - continue to enter the Australian labour market, with predictions they will make up 50 per cent of the workforce by 2020, Bond University and VYTL Media are hosting a panel discussion led by some of Australia's top-tier thought leaders to explore how this cultural shift will affect future graduates.
The Q&A-style panel event, called 'Millennials and the Modern Workforce' will explore the changing face of the Australian labour market, and discuss issues relevant to the new generation of workers, who are increasingly exhibiting a different set of professional values to their predecessors.
The event will be held on Wednesday, September 23 at Bond University as part of the Bondstock festivities, a week of social and cultural events celebrating the achievements of Bond students.
Featuring on the panel are some of the nation's industry leaders, including chief executive officer of Ardent Leisure and former editor of Women’s Weekly Deborah Thomas, director of Nine Entertainment and former chief executive officer of Best and Less Holly Kramer and entrepreneur and founder of multi-million dollar businesses MBE Education and The Entourage Jack Delosa.
Rounding out the panel are youth employment specialist and author Peter Cornica, creator of Netflix documentary series Unplanned America Tim 'Gonzo' Ryan and lastly, founder of OneShift and 2014 winner of Smart Company's 'Hot 30 Under 30', Gen George.
The event will be hosted by journalist and Bond graduate Jack Morphet, who said the discussion was a unique opportunity for the Bond community to put their hard-hitting questions to industry experts.
"The modern workplace is changing; workers are expected to complete tasks in their own time, making the traditional nine to five day a relic of the past," he said.
"Within 20 years, five million Aussie jobs are expected to be replaced by computers, however new jobs are emerging six times faster than the traditional jobs being lost.
"For example, the media is a centuries old industry being disrupted by millennials. As a print journalist, I have seen newsrooms significantly impacted by a growing focus on online news.
"Millennials are the first breed of digital natives with the skills to capitalise on a world powered by IT."
Mr Morphet said the panel discussion was open to the general public to attend, and he encouraged both students and the public to engage in the debate and walk away with a sense of being heard.
"Are Bondies more likely to land their dream job if they’ve been on BUSA or played for the Bullsharks? Will their careers be more successful if they’ve been on the Dean’s list or worked a part-time job? This conversation will shed light on how the modern workforce will look both now and into the future, and help students to prepare themselves to thrive within it," he said.
"We will cover a wide range of topics ranging from the passion versus profit debate, why millennials are often misrepresented, how the work force is changing to cope with the evolving digital landscape, the Utopian view of freelancing and the changing priorities of the millennial workforce.
"Our generation has a unique set of skills and priorities at odds with the traditional workforce, so it is discussions like these which will determine whether we sink or swim."
Tickets can be purchased for $40 for the general public and $25 for Bond University students from bondstock.com.au