International students aren’t taking Australian jobs, says Hobsons

Kind of an interesting Point of View **DB

by Beckie Smith via “The PIE News“

Four in five international students who study in Australia return home immediately after graduating, a survey by student recruitment and conversion specialists Hobsons has revealed. The company has argued that the findings show international students do not pose a threat to domestic graduates’ employment opportunities.

Just 2% of overseas students stay in the country long-term post-graduation, according to the study of 1,026 overseas graduates of Australian universities, while 14% stay for a short period.

“The data found what Hobsons has long known – international students are not taking jobs from Australians”

“The data found what Hobsons has long known – international students are not taking jobs from Australians,” Tanya Perera, Hobsons director of client success, told The PIE News.

“Hobsons knows the immense benefits international students bring to Australia and now have the data to dispel this community perception,” she continued.

International students are a valuable asset to Australia, both in terms of building cultural diversity and global networks in education and from an economic perspective, Perera said.

With strong growth in international student numbers – up 11% last year – international education is Australia’s fourth largest export industry. It added AUS$17.6bn to the economy last year, and supports more than 130,000 jobs nationwide.

As such, stakeholders are keen to demonstrate overseas students’ value to the country. . . .

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10 Reasons Why You Should Study Abroad in Australia

by College Tourist via “Huffington Post“

So many people I know study abroad in European destinations — England, France, Spain. But here are 10 reasons you should consider Australia as a study abroad option.

1. Speak the Same Language
If you’re not learning a foreign language (or even if you are) Australia is the perfect place, because guess what? We speak English! Yay. You won’t have to worry about making awkward hand signals or getting lost in translation, because Australians will know exactly what you’re talking about (even if we do have weird accents).

2. Unique Flora and Fauna
Did you know that around 80 percent of plants and animals found in Australia are unique to this country only? The variety of animals you can see here over any other place in the world is astounding, and this would be especially relevant if you want a degree in related science fields. Get photos with kangaroos, koalas, wombats, quokkas (yes, these are a thing — Google it!), and every type fish you could think of.

3. Amazing Beaches
Do you like surfing? Australia has some of the best spots for this! Do you like to lay out and tan? We have the perfect white sand for you to do so. Want to snorkel with aquatic life? Far North Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef is for you. Australia has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world; many of them rarely touched by humans.

4. Cool Cultural Places
Australia is said to be the home of the oldest humans in the world — the indigenous people of Australia! In the Northern Territory you can explore caves and rock formations that were around in the Dreamtime. Visit Uluru, a large, isolated desert rock in the middle of Australia, sacred to the indigenous people. Besides this, Australia’s cities are ethnic and diverse, home to people with nationalities from all over the world.

5. Outdoor Activities and Sports
Snorkelling and diving? Hiking? Surfing? AFL (Australian Rules Football)? kayaking? Beach volleyball? Skiing? Australian Tennis Open? Australia has it all. This country is conducive to an outdoor and healthy lifestyle, with the ability to partake in any sport or recreational activity you wish.

6. Laid-back People
Everywhere you go in Australia you will come across nice and welcoming people. Maybe it’s being in a country with generally good weather, or being so close to the beach, but you will easily find relaxed people who don’t take life too seriously. Although this may be a generalization, I’ve found that it is true in most cases!

7. Fun Things To Do for Students
All of the major cities in Australia are perfect places for students to live, work and study. With bars, pubs and clubs everywhere, you will most likely have a local hangout to go to every night of the week. Australian universities are also great places to join clubs and societies, which are easy ways to make friends and go to events throughout the week.

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Australian Universities to Help Boost US Study Abroad

by Geoff Maslen via “University World News”

Five Australian universities are contributing to an American initiative to encourage more United States students to go abroad by promoting education opportunities on their campuses.

Launched by the US Institute of International Education, or IIE, the Generation Study Abroad initiative aims to double the number of American students going overseas to study by the end of the decade.

According to the IIE’s Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, 295,000 US students went overseas in 2011-12 to undertake credit-bearing and non-credit programmes.

As the report noted, while that number might seem a lot, in fact it represented less than 10% of the 2.6 million students graduating with associate or baccalaureate degrees each year.

The Generation Study Abroad scheme hopes to tackle the shortfall by bringing employers, governments, associations and others together “to build on current best practices and find new ways to extend study abroad opportunities to tens of thousands of students for whom traditional study abroad programmes aren’t working”, the report says.

Australian universities

The five Australian universities involved are Monash, Griffith, the University of New South Wales and the University of Western Australia, plus the first private university to open in Australia, Bond University in Queensland.

The Western Australian university announced last week that it intended to double the number of US students on its campus in Perth by establishing 10 new partnerships with American universities and would try to attract 400 students a year.

“We will improve access by offering scholarships of up to A$80,000 [US$69,400] in 2015 to support new and existing partnerships, launch a new fee model to support students from new non-bilateral partners, and recognise US study abroad students as formal alumni of the university,” said Iain Watt, pro vice-chancellor international.

Watt said the US was the most popular destination of choice among University of Western Australia, or UWA, students who went abroad and that the more American students his university accepted, the more Australian students could go to the US through the bilateral partnerships.

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