SDG 4 – Quality education

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Sustainable Development Goal 4 icon

2024 progress

As a university renowned for excellence in teaching innovation and a leader in teacher education and educational research, The University of Queensland (UQ) is advancing SDG 4: Quality Education. We develop graduates who are highly capable, motivated and prepared to succeed in their chosen field. Equity and access is woven into our approach with targeted outreach, scholarships and inclusive learning environments.

Through The Queensland Commitment, we aim to ensure equitable access to education for all across Queensland, including underrepresented groups, with an immediate focus on students from low socio-economic backgrounds, regional or remote areas, and those identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

In research, UQ directly contributes towards shaping policy and practice across the education sector, with strengths in Indigenous education, curriculum and pedagogy, teacher preparation, adult literacy and the application of digital technologies in learning.

We are a premier provider of postgraduate learning opportunities, and offer lifelong learning support through publicly available resources, professional development programs, community education events and vocational training. Through these integrated efforts in teaching, research and outreach, we continue to create and share knowledge that empowers individuals and strengthens communities — locally, nationally and globally.

Read our SDG 4 2024 report (PDF, 304.19 KB)

See how we make a difference across key areas:

Lifelong learning

UQ aspires to become a leader in high-quality lifelong learning opportunities, with internationally competitive offerings for our graduates, alumni and the broader community. Appreciating the importance of flexibility for lifelong learners, we develop new digital platforms with industry-leading partners, ensuring we’re using the best technologies to deliver flexible and accessible high-quality education.

Our commitment is reflected in our diverse pathways. Formal education, in the form of pathways to undergraduate and postgraduate study, is offered by UQ College, while professional development is available through our suite of executive education courses and other accredited and non-accredited short courses via UQ Skills. Alumni and Community coordinates free public learning opportunities, and the library offers an array of open-access resources.

Public resources

We provide free access to educational resources for those not studying at UQ.

UQ Library access

Our libraries welcome visitors not studying at UQ to:

  • access our onsite collections during staffed hours
  • access online resources including selected databases and ebooks on Library computers
  • view exhibitions of items from our special collections.

UQ’s institutional repository, UQ eSpace, also contains open access resources, including digitised items from Fryer Library which can be accessed by anyone online.

Open educational resources website

UQ Library’s Open educational resources website connects the public to a range of educational resources that are freely available, often through a Creative Commons or other open licence. These include:

  • open textbook collections, including Open Textbooks @ UQ, UQ’s open book creation platform on Pressbooks
  • open access journals, including how to access these through UQ eSpace and other repositories
  • digital image content, and how to access this via Google advanced image search, Openverse and Wikimedia commons
  • music resources, including those available for sharing and remixing under Creative Commons licences through music archives and sound databases, as well as open educational podcasts
  • Video content, including simulations, available for download and reuse via a number of collections, archives and online platforms
  • open software released under a free software license, often the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL), which includes tools for 3D modelling, data visualisation and infographics, image editing, and statistical computing and graphics.
  • massive online open courses (MOOCS) and other open courses, such as OpenCourseWare created gratis by various universities. UQ also offers a wide range of free online courses through the UQx on edX platform. These include MOOCs, MicroMasters®, and professional certificates in areas like psychology, leadership and sustainability.
Podcasts and webinars

UQ regularly publishes expert-led content on current topics, freely available to the public through various UQ websites. These include:

Public events

UQ hosts a range of educational events that are open to the general public through a variety of initiatives.

Alumni and community

Alumni and community events run throughout the year and include public lectures and seminars and often feature leading academics and industry experts.

Art Museum

UQ’s Art Museum regularly hosts exhibitions, events and learning opportunities that are freely open to the public. Examples from 2024 include:

  • How We Remember Tomorrow, an exhibition running from 13 February to 14 June 2024, which celebrated storytelling across generations, through oceans and waterways and transcending eras and perspectives
  • Hoda Afshar: A Curve is a Broken Line (opening night of the exhibition) on 19 July 2024, 6pm–9pm, featuring artworks by Hoda Afshar and performances by the Nunukul Yuggera Aboriginal Dance Company and DJs
  • Drawing the UQ Art Collection, a free casual still-life drawing session on 25 July 2024, 1:30pm–3:30pm.

School of Music

The UQ School of Music holds regular concerts that are free and open to the public via their ongoing Live at UQ series. Examples of 2024 performances include:

  • Dean-Grinberg-Dean concert featuring Trish Dean (cello), Anna Grinberg (piano) and Paul Dean (clarinet); works by de Falla, Berg, Paul Dean, and Faure. Performed on 22 February 2024 in the Noel Nickson room at UQ, St Lucia
  • Finding Beauty, a concert by Muses Trio performing works by Amy Beach and Margaret Sutherland. Performed in the Noel Nickson room at UQ, St Lucia, on 7 March 2024
  • Go Seigen vs. Fujisawa Kuranosuke performed by Nonsemble, composed by Chris Perren. Performed in the Noel Nickson room at UQ, St Lucia, on 21 March 2024.

Global Partnerships

Global Partnerships events, such as free talks and seminars. 2024 examples include:

Vocational training events

We regularly host vocational training events that are open to the general public, including short courses for people who are not attending UQ.

Community Access Program

The Community Access Program allows individuals to study UQ courses that support their personal or professional development goals, without enrolling in a full degree. Students attend classes and complete assessment alongside students enrolled in degree programs. Most courses are available to non-award students.

UQ Executive Education

UQ's Executive Education delivers high-impact programs designed to empower professionals with the skills and capabilities needed to lead in a rapidly evolving world. Offerings include:

2 flagship offerings demonstrate UQ’s commitment to impactful lifelong education:

  • the Climate Change Program (PDF, 136.69KB) equips leaders with the knowledge to address climate risks, develop mitigation strategies and drive sustainability across sectors. Participants engage with world-leading researchers and practitioners to explore topics such as climate science, net zero pathways and climate reporting
  • the UQ-QFI Executive Public Sector and Industry Program fosters cross-sector stakeholder engagement and collaboration, strategic leadership and policy innovation. Co-designed with the Queensland Futures Institute, it brings together and supports senior professionals from government, industry and the community sector to forge trusting, impactful collaborative partnerships to tackle complex societal challenges.
MicroMasters® Program in Business Leadership

MicroMasters® Program in Business Leadership is an online vocational program that includes 5 courses on business leadership, integrating current academic theories with the experience of leaders. This offers an entry pathway into the Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics at UQ, and learners who successfully earn the program certificate may be eligible for credit towards UQ’s Master of Business Program.

UQ Skills

UQ Skills provides practical, industry-aligned training and offers accredited vocational education and training (VET) in areas such as agriculture, business and health. These programs are open to the public including high schools, school leavers, industry and government, and often include flexible delivery options. Examples from 2024 include:

  • Food Safety Short Course – ran in conjunction with the Food Industries Association of Queensland (FIAQ) in Cairns, Bundaberg and St Lucia. This course is designed specifically for members of the food manufacturing sector, this course covers the core skills required to effectively manage a food processing enterprise.
  • Food Leadership Short Course – ran in conjunction with the Food Industries Association of Queensland (FIAQ) in Cairns, Bundaberg and St Lucia. This course is tailored specifically for members of the food manufacturing sector looking to take the next step in their career. It covers building effective interpersonal skills in a professional setting, strategies to optimise team performance and how to implement workplace health and safety plans.
  • Food Safety – Root Cause Analysis & Preventative Actions Master Class – ran in October 2024. This masterclass covers the core skills required to undertake root cause analysis and preventative action development, essential for the food and beverage manufacturing industry.
  • The Food Industry Leaders Toolkit – ran in November 2024. This course is run in partnership with Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) hosted by UQ. This masterclass provides tools and techniques for effective leadership in the food and beverage manufacturing sector.
  • Agricultural Chemical Handling Skill Set – ran in 2024 for Workfit students struggling to find employment. This course provides skills and knowledge to safely handle and apply agricultural chemicals
  • Large Animal Handling workshop – ran in June and July 2024. This course covers large-animal care and handling, signs of stress, approaching and restraining animals safely, leading and handling for transport and workplace health and safety. It is suited to employees already working in animal care and management.
Institute of Modern Languages (IML)

​​​​​​The ​Institute of Modern Languages (IML) offers a diverse array of language courses for personal and professional development, open to anyone. 17 courses were offered in 2024. Some examples include:

UQ Ventures

UQ Ventures offered several entrepreneurship programs in 2024 that were open to the alumni community (in addition to staff and students), such as:

  • Curiosity – helps participants to explore their interests, identify problems they care about and build an entrepreneurial mindset, with support from mentors, industry experts and early-stage founders
  • Validate – the next step from Ventures’ Curiosity program, or for those already deeply engaged with a project. The program provides the tools and guidance to refine, test and prove your ideas
  • LeadHers – an introductory program for women across all disciplines to develop their leadership and entrepreneurial capabilities.

Education outreach activities beyond campus

UQ undertakes educational outreach activities (including lectures and demonstrations), beyond campus in local, regional and remote schools and communities. Particular highlights in 2024 include:

  • our partnership with Regional University Study Hubs (RUSH) with a focus on strengthening RUSH’s capacity to support students, including activities with school-aged students
  • delivering activities that support student aspirations through career exploration and career choice.

We collaborated with the following organisations and others to deliver local and regional events that supported community links, and engaged with more than 2,000 Year 7 to 12 potential future students:

  • Inspiring Australia
  • Queensland Department of Education
  • Queensland Firebirds
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aspirations Program
  • Solid Pathways
  • Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation
  • Education Pathways Indigenous Corporation

Examples of other programs and initiatives that we delivered are listed below.

UQ's Future Students Team In-person Presentations and School Expos

UQ’s Future Students team conducts in-person visits for presentations and school expos at high schools in Queensland and northern New South Wales, or presented virtually to schools around Australia. Presentations can cover a range of topics for Years 9 to 12, such as:

  • senior subject selection planning
  • the future of work
  • the transition to university.

In 2024, the Future Students team conducted over 500 school visits to more than 100,000 students located in major cities, inner and outer regional areas of Queensland ranging as far as Thursday Island, Mackay, Cloncurry and Injune. These events included:

  • campus and school visits
  • career markets and school expos
  • university showcases and bespoke presentations.

UQ Life's Outreach Program

UQ Life’s Outreach Program supports the aspirations of high school-aged students by providing opportunities to build their capabilities and confidence to succeed in secondary school and beyond. The Outreach Program delivers 12 different sessions, each specifically tailored to the needs of each grade from Year 7 to Year 12. UQ works in partnership with selected schools from across the south-east and south-west areas of Queensland which are part of the Queensland Government Widening Participation Consortium.

UQ Science Demo Troupe

The UQ Science Demo Troupe conducts school visits that include either science demonstration shows or science workshops (interactive sessions where the students do hands-on science activities). Realising that there is a need for science outreach in regional and remote places, the Science Demo Troupe spends a day or two several times a year at various schools across Queensland and parts of Australia. 

During 2024, the Science Demo Troupe delivered workshops and demos to over 3,000 students across several schools and locations, including:

  • Ironside State School
  • Raceview State School
  • St Andrew’s Anglican College
  • Moreton Bay College
  • Queensland Academy for Science Mathematics and Technology
  • Margaret Cribb Early Learning
  • Queensland Museum
  • Redcliffe Museum
  • Mt Gravatt Scout Group
  • Redcliffe Homeschool Co-op.

Travelling to Far North Queensland, the Demo Troupe conducted a trip jointly funded by PowerLink and Iberdrola, reaching 800 students at 5 different school campuses across 4 of the Torres Strait Islands. They also brought these learning opportunities to students at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander InspireU Camp, to the general public at the Regional World Science Festival community days in Toowoomba and Chinchilla, and via the Channel 7 Sunrise Morning Show.

Archaeology Education Program

The Archaeology Education Program caters to all year levels and is run by the School of Social Science. It offers archaeology and archaeological science learning opportunities, delivering practical hands-on lessons or lecture style talks to schools in south-east Queensland and in rural, regional and remote areas. In 2024, the program was delivered to approximately 275 students at a number of different schools such as the Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology, and at Redbank Plains High School.

UQ International Development (UQID) Education and Training

In 2024, UQ’s International Development unit (UQID) was honoured with the prestigious International Education and Training Award at the Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards 2024. This recognition underscores UQID’s significant global impact and commitment to empowering communities worldwide through outstanding success in the field of education and training.

An example of their educational outreach impact on communities during 2024 was delivery of 'Responding to the Climate Change Challenge', a short course on climate change for the Australian Government’s Australia Awards Myanmar. One participant, Dr Khin Myat ‘Soe’ applied her expertise in both agriculture and aquaculture with what she learnt on the short course to deliver further capacity-building training in agri-aqua farming with zero waste to 3 organisations. Soe and 6 other Australia Awards Short Course participants have collectively reached 180 (53 men and 127 women) students and learners (farmers, educators, scientists), exchanging expertise in areas such as environmentally friendly aquaculture, climate-smart farming practices, and inspiring youth groups from various ethnicities to take action on climate change. 

Lifelong learning access policy

UQ’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025: Toward 2032 makes a commitment to becoming a premier provider of high-quality lifelong learning opportunities, including launching UQ’s professional academy to deliver market-responsive programs and credentials for postgraduate and lifelong learners, supported by our landmark Brisbane CBD facilities and new online platforms. UQ aims to ensure that access to lifelong learning activities is accessible to all, regardless of ethnicity, religion, disability, immigrating status or gender.

How we are achieving this

Flexible study options

As stated in the UQ Learning and Student Experience Roadmap, it is a priority for UQ to 'offer a modality of courses at each stage of our students’ learning journey designed to best enhance their learning development within disciplinary contexts to balance flexible learning opportunities and student sense of belonging'.

Learning support

We ensure that our programs are accessible to learners of all backgrounds, and offer the following forms of support to facilitate this.

Age-Friendly University membership

UQ leads the Oceania Region of the Age-Friendly University Global Network, an international network of over 100 higher education institutions. The network is dedicated to addressing the needs of older people, including:

  • promoting personal and career development in the second half of life
  • recognising the range of educational needs of older adults
  • widening access to online educational opportunities for older adults
  • enhancing access for older adults.

Explore our progress

Read more about how we're making progress toward other Sustainability Development Goals.

Sustainable Development Goal 1 icon

No poverty

Sustainable Development Goal 8 icon

Decent work and economic growth

Sustainable Development Goal 10 icon

Reduced inequalities