International education experts converge on Brisbane

Brisbane will play host to Australia’s international education industry leaders at the Australian International Education Conference (AIEC), which opens at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre today.

The conference’s Welcome Reception will be opened by the Hon John Mickel, Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations and sponsored by Queensland Education and Training International (QETI) – part of Trade Queensland.
 
“It is testament to the strength of our international education industry that Brisbane is hosting more than 1000 delegates to attend Australia’s largest conference on international education,” Mr Mickel said.

“QETI’s involvement as a Platinum Sponsor of the Conference shows the Queensland Government‘s commitment to developing even further our world-class international education industry, which is already recognised as a market leader.

“The Australian International Education Conference is the perfect opportunity for us to showcase the strength and dynamism of the sector in Queensland and to engage with the international industry.”

International education and training has grown to become the state’s third-largest service export industry and the fifth-largest export industry overall.

“To date, this year 55,164 international students have chosen Queensland as their study destination. This is a growth of 19.6% on this time last year,” Mr Mickel said.

“Queensland is consistently beating the national average for international student enrolments, with students from as far afield as Asia, Latin America and Europe all choosing Queensland.

For more information about studying in Queensland visit

www.studyqueensland.qld.edu.au.

Media contact for Minister Mickel: John Smith 3237 1944, Jane Rowe 3237 1125 or Nathan Moir 3227 8842

7 October 2008