Graduate Careers Australiaergo - Number 93 December 2003International Education – Graduate OutcomesThis is an edited extract from an address given by Cindy Tilbrook to the recent IDP Education Australia national conference in 2003. International education is one of the most important facets not only of higher education in Australia, but increasingly of the total economic activity of the country. In 2003 education is now the third largest services export, and the eighth largest overall export earner. It is worth more than $5 billion in national income, and accounts for approximately 12% of Australia’s trade in services.
The Context – Local and International Trends
There are also some less obvious factors at play in the work/education environment; we are experiencing a “Knowledge Revolution” with an increasing emphasis on individuals learning to learn; that is how to access, analyse and use information. In addition to traditional job-related skills, there is a greater call for generic skills – general, social and personal competencies/attitudes – deemed important for success in the contemporary work environment. Currently there is also greater emphasis on lifelong learning; career development is not only relevant at the transition from secondary school to tertiary education but throughout an individual’s life. Around the world there is an increasing recognition of skills, education and training as fundamental building blocks for economic growth and development.
International Student Numbers Increasing
Outcomes for International Students in Australia The 2002 Graduate Destination Survey results indicate that 59.1% of overseas bachelor degree graduates were available for full-time employment, compared with 65.4% of their Australian citizen and permanent resident colleagues in 2002. Overseas graduates were more likely to have gone on to full-time study following completion of their bachelor degree, (33.9% compared to 24.1%), a trend that has been apparent since 2000. While the overall number of Australian graduates going on to further full-time study has increased from 17.6% in 1998 to 19.7% in 2002, the increase for overseas students was from 19% to 33.7%. However, of those overseas graduates available for full-time employment, 74.3% of overseas graduates had found work within 4 months after graduation, compared with 81.3% of Australian graduates.
International Education and the Future Flexibility within training and education is increasingly important, particularly in the areas of e-learning and the delivery of services “offshore”. In 2000, around 19% of all overseas students enrolled in Australian institutions were studying offshore, most commonly in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong – this number has increased four-fold since 1994. Some important issues concerning international education which will need to be addressed over the coming years will include:
Recently the Commonwealth government has recognised the benefits of the burgeoning international education industry through:
In October 2003, a new framework entitled “Engaging the World through Education” was developed to direct Australia’s involvement in international education in the next decade and beyond; this is found at www.dest.gov.au/minimas/live/nelson/2003/10/n481141003.asp . Analysis of the educational experience for international students is also important – not only in terms of the economic benefit to the country, but also the impact on individual students; their success in obtaining a job or going on to further study, the cultural experience they have obtained, their improvement in language skills and their increased self-confidence.
Longer Term Benefits
Cindy Tilbrook |