Education
Undervalued childcare sector tests investor nerve
At face value, Australia’s ASX-listed childcare sector has some enviable drivers that other sectors would dearly love, yet it remains relatively unloved by Australian investors. The five listed stocks within the sector – seven if you include two REITs that collect rent from childcare operators – should benefit from favourable market dynamics, with around 300 new childcare centres required annually just to keep up with a massive rise in demand for their services.Childcare stocks on the ASXGrowth driversWhat’s driving that growth is the number of mothers entering the workforce with children in the 0-4 age group who need looking after daily. To ensure the sector can meet that demand the Federal Government – which has lent its support to the sector through funding, subsidies and wage increases for childcare workers – accounts for over 70% of the industry’s revenue. Given these favourable dynamics and growth drivers, the sector should attract investors looking for stocks with reliable underlying core income streams that also tend to be strong dividend payers. But despite being a $20 billion market that hires over 200,000 people, the sector has been largely overlooked by investors with the sector down around 12% over the las
UTS staff report record strain amid widespread cuts
University of Technology Sydney (UTS) staff have reported experiencing high levels of psychological distress as they brace for 400 redundancies amid a broader cull of Australian university workers, according to a leaked survey. The survey, obtained by ABC News of 380 workers by the National Tertiary Education (NTEU) found 35% were experiencing high levels of psychological stress. "There's a lot of helplessness and uncertainty, and the thing that I want to draw out of here is people have this notion that's natural with change management," said Dr Hossai Gul, a UTS expert in change in complex systems. This comes as UTS plans a massive restructuring dubbed the Operational Sustainability Initiative (OSI). "The need to reduce expenditure is necessary because our revenue does not cover our ongoing operating costs. In 2024, revenue was A$1.3 billion against expenditure of $1.4 billion," a UTS spokesperson said. "We cannot continue to absorb these losses — we need to reduce spending and maintain it to protect our core teaching and research." Earlier this year, The Australian Financial Review revealed that while UTS has a revenue of $1.1 billion, the university plans to cut expenses by $100 million a year and make capita
Harvard expands its financial aid initiative
Harvard University has announced upgrades to its financial aid that will allow middle-low-income families to receive more support. The expansion will allow families who earn US$200,000 or under to attend the university tuition-free starting in the 2025-26 academic year. “We know the most talented students come from different socioeconomic backgrounds and experiences, from every state and around the globe,” William R. Fitzsimmons, Harvard College’s dean of admissions and financial aid said. “Our financial aid is critical to ensuring that these students know Harvard College is a place where they can be part of a vibrant learning community strengthened by their presence and participation.” According to the Harvard website, the annual tuition for an undergraduate is $56,550 and grows to $82,866 when additional costs like food, housing and health services are included. Students whose family income is lower than $100,000 will receive free tuition with all billed expenses like food, housing, health insurance and travel costs included. They will also receive a $2,000 start-up grant in their first year and an additional $2,000 launch grant in their junior year. For those whose families earn less than $200,000, they will r
AirTrunk founder pledges $100m to help girls in STEM
The University of Sydney has received its largest philanthropic donation to date with A$100 million from billionaire Robin Khuda to encourage young girls to study STEM. Khuda’s donation also makes the University of Sydney the largest beneficiary of philanthropy in New South Wales. Khuda is the founder and CEO of AirTrunk, Asia-Pacific and Japan’s leading hyperscale data centre provider, enabling the growth of cloud and AI in the region. In a media release by the University of Sydney, Khuda said after founding AirTrunk, he wants to give back and make a positive societal impact. “I chose to work with the University of Sydney on this program because of our shared commitment to contributing to the growth of Western Sydney and the need to address gender inequality,” he said. ‘A leader in STEM education, the University has an outstanding academic, research and teaching reputation and the flexibility and agility to deliver and evolve this program.” The donation was made on behalf of the Khuda Family Foundation and will fund a 20-year program that will begin in year 7, including three stages that will include tutoring, mentoring and university scholarships. This program builds upon the university’s 70-year history of