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ISSUE No.6 - January 2015 |
Welcome Back for 2015
Welcome to the first edition of the International Education Unit Newsletter for 2015.
International education continues to be a priority for the Victorian Government and is identified as one of six priority industries for Victoria's future. The Hon, Steve Herbert, Minister for Training and Skills has lead responsibility for international education. From a departmental perspective, the International Education Unit remains within the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, or Economic Development for short. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the sector to ensure our strategy and programs remain relevant and effective in the highly competitive international education landscape.
Keep abreast of changes via our monthly newsletter or drop us a line via info@studymelbourne.vic.gov.au.
In this edition:
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The Study Melbourne Student Centre (SMSC) responds to the needs of the international students living and studying in Victoria. The SMSC is a point of contact and referral where international students can access a range of information about health matters, general well-being, legal services, accommodation, financial management and safety. The Centre offers professional support and referrals to local services and community resources, crisis intervention, case work assessment and support in emergency situations. SMSC also provides advice, information and consultation to education providers supporting vulnerable international students. The centre can assist you to find services that international students are eligible for, and provide advice on how best to access those services.
SMSC staff are available to attend orientation activities and events at no cost, in order to provide information to students about our service. This approach is a partnership model and the team are happy to discuss specific education provider needs. The team is especially keen to support regional activities and can attend events or be part of workshops at any time during the year.
To discuss the service please contact the team via info@studymelbourne.vic.gov.au or call 1800 056 449.
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Victoria's public transport discount scheme for international students, known as the iUSE pass, commenced on 1 January 2015. Eligible international students who are studying at a provider who has opted in as a partner to the scheme are able to purchase a half-price annual myki ticket for the zone/s in which they study. To be eligible, international students must be enrolled in a full-time undergraduate course (Bachelor Degree or Associate Degree) or a higher VET course (Advanced Diploma or Diploma). We are pleased to confirm that all Victorian based universities and a selection of other providers have opted into the scheme.
A full list of providers is available at the PTV website.
Providers can opt into the scheme at any time. Institutions interested in opting into the iUSE pass initiative, please contact iuse.pass@ptv.vic.gov.au
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On Monday 12 January 2015, the Honourable Steven Herbert, Minister for Training and Skills opened the state’s ‘Coming of Age Ceremony’ (Seijin-shiki) for Japanese students taking part in the Victoria-Japan Global Exchange Program at Deakin University, Swinburne University of Technology and Victoria University.
In Japan, the traditional event is customary to congratulate those who have reached the age of 20-years, which marks the official transition into adulthood and is celebrated on Seijin no Hi (Coming of Age Day).
The ceremony was held at the Consul-General of Japan’s residence and students enjoyed a native Australian animal experience, which included possums, wombats and reptiles.
Visit the Study Melbourne Facebook page for event photos.
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Mission to Latin America
The Latin America Education Mission will be held from 20-29 April 2015. The mission will travel to key cities in Chile, Brazil, Columbia and Peru.
The mission will showcase Victorian capabilities in connecting industry with education, training and research; deepen relationships with governments and industry and identify opportunities for future collaboration. The mission will also explore opportunities for the English language sector in Latin America. A number of proposed projects are currently being developed in consultation with the education sector and stakeholders in Latin America.
The mission program comprises both higher education (HE) and vocational education and training (VET) streams. The International Education Unit is working with Victoria’s Commissioner to the Americas, the Education Services Manager for Latin America, the Trade team and Victorian HE and VET providers to develop and refine the mission program.
If you are interested in participating in the Mission please let us know now.
For more information on the mission please contact Megan Phelan or Elise Kavanagh.
Peru’s President of the Republic postgraduate scholarships
The Peruvian Government hosted the first President of the Republic PRONABEC education fair on 14 and 15 November 2014 with five Victorian universities in attendance. The fair attracted potential candidates for the scholarships offered for international postgraduate studies in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields.
Australia received the highest number of scholarships of any non-Spanish speaking country, with 115. Victoria welcomed 28 of the 115 scholarship recipients with 11 going to La Trobe University, 9 to The University of Melbourne, 7 to Deakin University and 1 to Monash University.
The President of the Republic scholarships are awarded for academic merit to Peruvians up to 33 years of age for a Masters and 36 years for a Doctoral degree to candidates who demonstrate the required language skills and financial need for a scholarship to pay for their postgraduate studies.
Scholarship recipients receive 100 per cent of tuition fees, return airfares and funds to cover expenses such as accommodation, food, transport and a variety of other study related costs. Up to 10 weeks ELICOS is also funded when included as a requisite in the student’s offer letter.
For more information visit www.pronabec.gob.pe or email Camille Mansell, ESM Latin America.
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Victorian Connection Myanmar
The Victorian Government Business Office South East Asia (VGBO SE Asia) will be organising the inaugural Victorian Connection Myanmar. The alumni and business networking event will bring together Victorian institutions’ alumni, local and Australian businesses for potential opportunities and synergies. The event is scheduled for Saturday 14 February 2015 at Yangon. This follows an energetic education alumni event in Yangon held in June 2014 as part of the ASEAN Super Trade Mission.
For more information please contact Yi Lin Koo, Education Services Manager, VGBO SE Asia or telephone no: +603 2055 1508.
Career and Education 2015
The Singapore Professional Centre is organising Career and Education 2015 to be held 12-14 March 2015 in Singapore. The annual event showcases education, training and recruitment organisations. Featured categories and industry clusters at the exhibition include:
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Healthcare, energy, engineering, environmental, aerospace/maritime, banking and finance, public service, telecommunication, tourism and hospitality, retail and services, social services, education and early childhood development
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Educational and training institutions
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Local and foreign universities/colleges
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Postgraduate and vocational training institutes
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Language schools and programmes
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Recruitment/employers, head-hunters, employment agencies and placement firms, public and private sector employers.
For more information please visit the Career and Education 2015 website
6th Business Opportunities Fair
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is organising the 6th Business Opportunities Fair (BOF) to be held 25-26 March in Manila, Philippines. The fair is a one-stop forum for consultants, contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers looking to provide goods and services for ADB projects. The forum also provides opportunity for participants to network with peers in the industry and with ADB sector specialists in the agriculture, natural resources, energy, public management, finance, transport, ICT, water, municipal infrastructure, health, and education sectors.
For more information visit the 6th Business Opportunities Fair website .
The VGBO SE Asia is calling for expression of interest to participate in the BOF. Please send enquiries and expression of interest by COB Friday 30 January 2015 to Yi Lin Koo, Education Services Manager, VGBO SE Asia at yilin.koo@dsdbi.vic.gov.au and telephone no: +603 2055 1508.
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Australia Business Week in India (ABWI)
The Hon. Mr Andrew Robb AO MP, Minister for Trade and Investment, led the trade and investment mission to India on 12-15 January 2015. The mission was aimed at enhancing bilateral relationships through high-level political and commercial exchanges, and to promote Australia as a trade, investment, education and tourism partner. ABWI is a government initiative which aims to promote Australia and Australian capability with a programme tailored to major industry sectors.
Expertise sought in transportation
Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) is seeking expertise in updating the Comprehensive Transportation Study (CTS) for Mumbai City which was undertaken in 2005-07. As the majority of projects recommended in the CTS were not implemented, MMRDA has decided to commission a new study which takes into account the increase in population since 2008 and other significant developments in the city.
For more information please refer to the following details
Other news items of interest
The Andhra Pradesh State Government is planning to introduce a state-level accreditation system for private and government education institutes. The State government is contemplating allowing foreign universities to set up branches in the State to enable the provision of high-quality education to students across the State.
YouTube has launched an Indian school curriculum focused education channel called Edu India. This channel features subject and class specific videos for 1-11th standards. YouTube has created separate channels for standards 1-12 and subject-specific playlists for each standard.
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) and Indian Institute of Management Bangalore have announced the launch of MOOCs with overseas partners.
For more information please contact Annie Santhana
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Expressions of Interest – Health and Aged Care Delegation
As part of the Global Health Melbourne Plan, Victorian organisations in the health and aged care industry who are interested in taking part in a delegation to Japan and Korea from 1-6 February 2015 are invited to submit expressions of interest.
The purpose of the mission is to showcase Victoria’s capabilities in the health and aged care industries through business-to-business meetings, attendance at the Medical Japan 2015 International Medical Expo and Conference, which will be held in Osaka from 3-6 February 2015, and via introductions to relevant government agencies. Organisations invited to participate will travel to Seoul, Osaka and/or Tokyo as part of the delegation.
Victoria has comprehensive world-leading capabilities across the health and aged care spectrum based on its leadership in medical research, education and training, a thriving medical products industry, health-related IT systems, and its globally renowned life sciences sector. These areas will be a focus of the visiting delegation, with organisations involved in other aspects of the health supply chain considered for inclusion as well.
Participants may include private, publicly-funded, not-for-profit, or public organisations as well as industry associations.
Find out more about submitting an Expression of Interest.
For further information about the potential alignment of the trip with your organisation please contact the Global Health Melbourne project team.
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China International Education Exhibition Tour
The Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) will hold the China International Education Exhibition Tour (CIEET 2015) from 21-29 March 2015 in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, as part of the CIEET Spring Tour.
The China International Education Exhibition Tour (CIEET), supported by the Chinese Ministry of Education, is arguably the biggest international education event of its kind in China. Study Melbourne will join both the Beijing (21-22 March) and Guangzhou (28-29 March) stop.
This year, Study Melbourne will build up a Study Melbourne zone to provide opportunity for Victorian education institutions to introduce highly qualified educational resources to Chinese students in Beijing and Guangzhou. A grant of up to $2000 is available to eligible institutions.
More information about the event can be obtained from the Study Melbourne WeChat account or by emailing Sherry Xu
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We hope you all had an enjoyable break over the new year and that you enjoyed our first edition of the IEU Bulletin for 2015.
In 2015 we’d like to welcome two new members to the IEU in the Business Development team - Elise Kavanagh and Ornella Rampal.
Elise has recently joined us from the University of Melbourne where she was working on program development for international delegations. Elise has over 10 years of experience in international education from teaching to administration with a focus on higher education, both in Australia and Japan. Last year she also spent time in China as a Confucius Institute Scholar building her language skills and knowledge of the Chinese education market.
Elise is excited to bring her international expertise and knowledge of the higher education sector to the Business Development team.
Ornella has joined us from Academia International, a medium sized RTO, where she was the Director of Studies for ELICOS. Ornella has a depth of experience in ELICOS and has worn many hats. She has worked as teacher, academic manager, teacher educator, policy writer, marketing representative and researcher in ELICOS for over five years and was formerly the Victorian State delegate for English Australia. She looks forward to bringing her ELICOS and RTO perspective to the team in International Education.
Sherry Xu will finish as Education Services Manager for China effective 31 January 2015. I know many in the sector have engaged with Sherry over the years and will join me in wishing her well in her future endeavours. More information will follow regarding the announcement of the new ESM based in Shanghai shortly.
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The International Education bulletin
is distributed by the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources.
If you would like more information, please email studymelbourne@dsdbi.vic.gov.au |
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