University researchers to reveal why students come to Queensland

Published Wednesday, 18 July, 2018 at 09:10 AM

Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development and Minister for the Commonwealth Games
The Honourable Kate Jones

The Palaszczuk Government is backing James Cook University research on international students who studied in Queensland.

Member for Townsville Scott Stewart said the research which was partly funded by the Palaszczuk Government would seek to discover links between the quality of education in Queensland and international students who went on to have successful careers

“International education is a rapidly growing sector here in North Queensland,” he said.

“That’s why we’re investing in research to better understand why so many students from across the world are choosing to come to places like Townsville to get an education.

“The better we understand this emerging industry, the better position we’ll be to grow our share of the market and create more international education jobs here in North Queensland.

A consortium of Queensland education institutions has agreed to collaborate on a ground-breaking International Alumni project for Queensland.

Led by James Cook University, the consortium will explore personal and business links between Queensland’s international graduates and the places and people where they studied.

In a first for Australia, the study will move beyond university campuses in an attempt to understand links not only with graduates of formal courses, but also with any international visitor to Queensland achieving an education outcome.

This could include English language students, study tour participants and conference attendees.

Tourism Industry Development Minister and Ministerial Champion for International Education Kate Jones said she was proud to support the work James Cook University researchers were doing in the international education sector.

“International education is worth more than $4 billion to Queensland and supports around 20,000 jobs across the state,” she said.

“But we know that if we invest in this sector, these numbers will grow in the future. That’s why we’ve allocated more than $25 million over the next few years to grow this industry.

“Townsville is one of the most sought-after tourism destinations on the planet and some of the state’s leading education providers – it makes sense that more international students want to study in North Queensland.”

Project leader and James Cook University Pro-Vice Chancellor (International) Melissa Banks said; “The key element for any international visitor to Queensland is the connection they make while they are here to people and place.

“That may happen in the context of a university degree, or it may happen on a study tour of the Great Barrier Reef, or a conference on indigenous business and economic support initiatives.

“Where are those international visitors now, are they still connected with Queensland, are they doing business here, are they advocates for Queensland education, business, tourism?

“These are the things we want to discover – and through this achieve a better understanding of the economic benefit to Queensland cities, towns and region of international visitors’ lifelong links to our state.”

The study is set to take place over the next 12 months, involving education institutions, community groups, industry and business representatives.

Findings from the study will be used to develop training programs for organisations in how to engage visitors as advocates for Queensland.

The consortium will work in partnership with the International Graduate Insight Group (i-graduate) to undertake the study.

i-graduate has surveyed over 3 million students and alumni since 2005 and is a leader in delivering comparative insights to the education sector worldwide, helping institutions and other organisations enhance their competitive advantage.

ENDS

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