Professional training in psychology and academic staff profiles in Australian universities

We draw on information gathered as part of the Strategic Review of the Psychology Discipline and its Research to discuss the provision of professional training in psychology. The number of students undertaking such training is increasing, and marked further increases in demand are expected, although the introduction of full fees is a complicating factor, The overall profiles of age and appointment level of academic staff in departments of psychology are reasonable, with many young and early-career staff and no sign of a problem of greying. However, the proportion of professors is low, especially in professional fields. Difficulties are foreseen in appointing sufficient academic staff with the research and professional qualifications needed to provide high-quality professional training to meet the likely demand. Given the range of pressures, strong quality assurance procedures are required to maintain standards.