Australian Blockchain academics called for Web3 education in schools

Australian blockchain researchers and educators have called for more Web3 education in schools to prepare students for a future dominated by blockchain technology.

The chief trainer at Blockchain Academy International, Huxley Peckham, said that there are very few trained people in the blockchain industry. Still, there is a huge need for certified individuals, noting that at least 60 different industries use blockchain technology globally.

Tim Bowman, founder of Blockchain Academy International, and Peckman agreed that it was necessary to aggressively develop blockchain education in schools to prepare for an economic revolution.

Peckham feels that blockchain education is essential because it will enable the next generation of strategists and consultants to emerge with a solid grasp of the industry and significantly advance their careers.

He indicated blockchain is a lucrative businessand says he has observed several roles in the field with a salary of $300,000 plus incentives.

Chris Berg, co-director of the Blockchain Innovation Hub at RMIT University, told Cointelegraph that students need to understand what the economy looks like and how it is developing related to cryptocurrencies and blockchain.

Chris Berg, Co-Director of the Blockchain Innovation Hub. Image: Businessacumen

Berg is convinced that students must graduate high school with an awareness of the changing nature of the economy and the technologies that will affect it, including blockchain.

Leigh Travers, CEO of crypto exchange Binance Australia, said it is important for Australian students to have access to the same level of high-quality blockchain education as those pursuing careers in traditional sectors.

Travers highlighted that Binance Australia just created one Binance Internship that allows students to learn from the best in Web3 and crypto and hopefully find work outside of it.

This is in addition to Binance Australia’s ambitions to forge partnerships with Australian institutions to produce a blockchain master’s degree to help students enter the Metaverse or build it for the future.

Bowman said his institution has met with a Brisbane school that will offer a Diploma of Applied Blockchain to its Year 11 and 12 students in 2023.

Blockchain Academy International is the first blockchain education institution in Australia to be certified for government student loans.

This makes it possible for Australians register in blockchain courses without paying in advance. Instead, they can get a loan from the Australian Government, similar to how university loans are offered.

Bowman stated that he feels young Australians are already ahead of the curve in many ways. He cited a conversation he had with an elementary school principal who asked a sixth-grade class, “Who here knows what an NFT is?” which was then followed by “half the class raising their hands” before it was revealed that “six students had already bought an NFT”.

A recent survey by Swyftx predicts that Australia will add one million new crypto holders in the next 12 months, bringing the country’s total crypto ownership to over five million.