News and Opportunities
Austrade update 22 June 2011
22 Jun 2011
Austrade Update provides news about recent Austrade activities of interest to the education sector.
On this page:
The Commonwealth Business Forum — A Gateway for Australian Business
The Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF), a bi-annual forum for business and Government leaders, will be hosted in Perth, Australia 25-27 October 2011 in conjunction with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), focusing on the theme “Partnering for Global Growth: The Commonwealth, Indian Ocean and the Pacific Rim”.
The Forum will highlight new global economic partnerships for trade and investment in key sectors across the Commonwealth and beyond. The CBF, as a unique gathering of business leaders from developed and emerging markets, will focus on building the new economic and financial architecture in the global economy and ensure that it is inclusive and beneficial to all. This important business meeting will present a useful platform for fostering such partnerships and new relationships.
Register before 30 June to receive an early bird discount.
Detailed registration information is available here.
Survey of MIP subscribers shows 78 per cent satisfaction
Results of the recent survey of subscribers to Global Education News and the Market Information Package (MIP) have been delivered, with 78 per cent of MIP users saying they were satisfied or very satisfied with the product. The research was designed to capture feedback from subscribers on what works for them now, and what can be improved in the future for these information sources. The research also gathered information on how subscribers use these resources.
Austrade is now in the process of analysing the full survey results, with an eye to continuing to improve the service provided to clients that have an interest in the international education market.
Austrade thanks those readers of Global Education News who responded to the survey for their time and the quality of feedback provided.
Australian alumni reception in Pakistan
Australia’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, His Excellency Tim George, and Australia’s Senior Trade Commissioner to South Asia, Mr Peter Linford, hosted a reception for alumni of Australian educational institutions at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad on 27 May.
The High Commissioner said that he was pleased that more than 5000 Pakistani students had chosen Australia for their studies and that he hoped that this number would continue to grow, as more Pakistani students become aware of the high-quality educational opportunities provided by Australian institutions. Seven Australian universities rank among the world’s top universities, according to the Times Higher Education.
Because of their deep understanding of Australia, Mr George said he wanted the alumni of Australian educational institutions to act as ‘ambassadors for Australia’ and encouraged them to tell their friends and family about their experiences in Australia.
The High Commissioner also said there were some obvious connections between the alumni and Australia’s business interests in Pakistan. He encouraged greater interaction between the alumni and members of the Australian and Pakistan business community, including through the Pakistan-Australia Business Forum.
The High Commissioner said that he was ‘personally delighted to see the expansion of educational linkages between Australia and Pakistan’ which was part of a much broader and deeper engagement between the two countries in recent years.
Participants in the Australian Alumni reception gather in Islamabad
Australian Schools Showcase — Vietnam 2011
Now in its seventh year, the Australian Schools Showcase, organised by Austrade, continues to raise the profile of Australian schools to Vietnamese students and their families. This year, representatives from 30 Australian government and private high schools participated in the showcase, providing information about their education programs, curriculum, high school preparation programs and education pathways, as well as practical advice about the benefits of living and studying in Australia. The exhibitions were attended by approximately 900 visitors in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The exhibition attracted strong involvement from the Australian Government, including the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, displaying a whole-of-government approach to promote education in Australia. Mr Graham Swift, Consul General, Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, opened the exhibition, emphasising the long-term and close relationship with Vietnam in the area of education and training.
To encourage more interaction among Australian schools and visitors, some new elements were introduced this year, including demonstration English classes taught by Australian teachers and an information panel session about the Australian school system (with representatives of government and non-government schools answering questions from students/parents). It was popular with high school students who were interested to learn about how an Australian class operates.
A showcase of school textbooks, samples of student assignments, art projects and photos from Australian schools was displayed at the exhibition to help Vietnamese students and parents picture school study and life in Australia.
One of the key new initiatives prior to the exhibition in both cities was the School Collaboration Workshop. Austrade Vietnam received support from the Department of Education and Training in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to organise the, workshops, which allowed Vietnamese and Australian schools to meet and explore opportunities to cooperate. Approximately 45 Vietnamese schools participated in these workshops, which led to potential cooperation in a number of areas.
The event received good media coverage in Vietnam (in nation-wide newspapers, e-newspapers), raising Australia’s education profile in an increasingly crowded market.
Vietnamese students learn about study at Australian schools
Austrade Vietnam promotes quality of Australian education
Repositioning Australia as a quality provider of education services is one of five key themes of Austrade’s global education framework. Austrade Vietnam has been undertaking a series of activities designed to contribute to the achievement of this objective.
The seminar Catching Cancer with Professor Ian Frazer at the Hanoi University of Pharmacy on 8 May 2011 was attended by more than 350 students studying at medical and pharmacy universities in Hanoi. Professor Ian Frazer shared with students his passion for research, and strongly articulated that Australia provides excellent facilities and support to scientists who want to devote their life to research. Many students knew about the HPV vaccine but very few of them know that Prof Frazer is Australian, working and conducting his research in Australia.
The Vietnam robot contest Robocon is an annual event, organised by Vietnam Television (VTV), which has been taking place for 10 years. This year, there were 256 teams from 56 universities in Vietnam participating in the contest. Subsequently, 32 teams were selected to join the national contest in Danang in May 2011. Austrade Vietnam signed a sponsorship agreement with VTV to provide an Australia Future Unlimited award for the winning team. The award was a study visit for three members of the winning team to an Australian university having an automation or robot faculty. There were 10 universities who expressed their interest. The University of Technology Sydney was chosen by VTV to be the host university. Next year, Austrade is considering supporting similar events in Vietnam and Thailand.
Australia through your eyes was a social media competition organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Hanoi post) inviting Vietnamese citizens in Australia to share their unique Australian story through videos and photos posted on VnExpress, Vietnam’s leading online newspaper. The competition promoted positive and authentic images of Australian society, study and economy by sharing first-hand, user-generated stories from Vietnamese living in Australia.
Competition entrants were invited to submit videos or photos which showcased one unique element of their Australian life they would like to share with family and friends in Vietnam. Videos (1–2 minutes in length) and photos were uploaded via YouTube, email or directly to the site. Having more than 26 000 Vietnamese students studying in Australia, this was a great opportunity for students and universities to reinforce Australia as a destination for quality education. Austrade contributed an iPad 2.0 as a prize for the winner.
Austrade Vietnam would be pleased to work with Australian providers who have academics or specialist teaching staff visiting Vietnam to explore the potential for collaboration on similar projects in the future to promote Australian expertise in various areas of education and training.
For further information, please contact:
Ms Diep Nguyen
Phone: ++ 84 4 3774 0316
Fax: ++ 84 4 3831 7757
Professor Ian Frazer presents his seminar Catching Cancer at the Hanoi University of Pharmacy on 8 May 2011