In Australia and internationally, there is a growing consensus that a range of attributes and expertise are necessary to successfully navigate life in an increasingly complex world. The attributes or competencies that are developed alongside content knowledge and skills are what we call ‘capabilities’.

The degree to which individuals thrive is bound up with the relationships, ideas and events that comprise their education. In large part, their success relies on how well they grasp the “how” of learning, what it looks like to be a curious, creative, problem solving, team player. To move through life with opportunities to flourish and succeed, young people need to build their social skills, their understanding of others, their ability to adapt and learn from challenges and change.

From the earliest years, throughout preschool, schooling, tertiary education, and onwards into adulthood, capabilities are cultivated and grown through an accumulation of moments, interactions, activities and habits formed in the classroom, the home, the workplace, the community and the social sphere.

Australia’s education system can provide essential sites where learners from all backgrounds can cultivate capabilities. It is important that any approach to keeping Australia capable is not solely focused on the school years but looks both before and beyond to include early childhood education and care (ECEC), senior secondary, and post-school education and training. Other stakeholders, such as parents, carers, industry, community groups and social organisations, must be included in the conversation and equipped to support and complement the strategies of the education system.

Ten years ago, Australia’s state and federal education ministers agreed to a landmark statement about the future of young Australians’ learning. The statement, known as the Melbourne Declaration, recognised the need for young Australians to “become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens” (Ministerial Council on Education Employment Training and Youth Affairs, 2008). Building on some clear recommendations in the recently released Gonski 2.0 report, Through Growth to Achievement: The report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools (Gonski et al., 2018), we take the opportunity to reflect on the increasing recognition of the importance of capabilities and offer some insights for the Australian education system.

In this paper, we consider how capabilities can help all young people thrive throughout their lives – from the early years, through schooling, and beyond. We then look at the strategies that are likely to support effective implementation of a capability-rich curriculum. Framed as an eight-point strategy, we call for the rapid adoption of capabilities and suggest ways in which the curriculum can be leveraged to build capabilities and improve the quality of education for all Australians.