Australia’s educational institutions are highly ranked among the global universities with a strong emphasis on quality education, student satisfaction and employability. The primary objective of the institutions continues to be focused on making newer career paths with excellent skills that will ensure that their students are globally employable. For example, Student Employability Initiatives by Study Queensland is one of the largest talent programmes in Australia, that focuses on developing students’ employability skills and connecting them with alumni and employers.
Beyond the usual destinations
Another important aspect is that students have a wider opportunity beyond the renowned destinations like Sydney and Melbourne to other developing parts of the country. Besides, they are majorly focusing on innovation and research. For instance, Queensland Government has invested $650 million in the future of Queensland, supporting growth, innovation, and research development across several key industries. To build on the state’s competitive strengths, diversify the economy and create knowledge-based jobs of the future, Queensland is driving innovation-led economic growth through increased collaboration between government, industry and research organisations, locally and internationally. Furthermore, maximum institutes are nation’s leading research-intensive large universities with the excellent environment of research opportunities, strong industry connections and favourable startup ecosystem. To mention a few examples, the University of Queensland developed the Nanopatch needle-free vaccine technology that will eliminate the need for refrigeration during storage and transportation. The world-leading malaria vaccine—PlasProtecTTM—is now at the human-trial stage and will be manufactured at the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith’s Gold Coast campus.
It is important to mention that Australia is also focusing on developing emerging industries that would be of prime importance to the world. For example, the Queensland government is investing heavily to develop sectors like Advanced manufacturing, Biomedicine, Advanced agriculture, Green Hydrogen in bio-futures, Critical minerals, clean energy, Electric vehicles, smart mining, and next-gen Aerospace. Earlier this month, Australia announced a $5.8million, 3-year Critical Minerals Partnership with India to encourage strong supply chain partnerships on both sides.
Student hubs
To make students feel at home and familiar with the surroundings, Australia has strong student hubs across the country which provide information, help and advice at every stage of the student journey. In terms of security, states like Queensland have a dedicated portal for student assistance and 24-hour hotline support called 1800QSTUDY (1800 778 839). Their services include connection to local events and social activities, orientation to Australia and accommodation advice, career pathways advice, cultural and religious support, individual assistance relating to mental health and wellbeing, safety and security support, referrals to financial and legal support, work experience and employment advice, volunteering opportunities and English language support.
It is no secret that Australia is one of the most welcoming countries for international students with attractive post-study work visa norms that gives enough time for international students to set their career path in Australia. With borders opened and welcoming international students, this is the best time to be in the right place to ensure that you have the best student experiences and excellent opportunities with global exposure.
(The author is Senior Commissioner for Trade, Investment & Education – South Asia at Trade & Investment Queensland)
