An overwhelming majority of the Australian public and business community have a positive view of international students attending Australian universities, according to a study commissioned by Universities Australia. The research found that 69% of representatives of businesses and 72% of the public are supportive of providing education for international students. An overwhelming majority of the Australian public and business community have a positive view of international students attending Australian universities, according to a study commissioned by
Universities Australia.
The research found that 69% of representatives of businesses and 72% of the public are supportive of providing education for international students.
“We strongly value our international students who are an integral part of Australia’s diverse multicultural society and who help build deep cultural ties with their fellow students and the wider community," Universities Australia’s chief executive, Belinda Robinson, said of the results. She said that the findings were an important boost for the higher education system which has seen overseas enrolment fall in recent years.
"They [international students] are helping Australia forge valuable links with their home countries"
The study also shows that 72% of the public and 80% of businesses think foreign students should be encouraged to stay in the country after completing their studies, especially if they are sponsored by an employer.
Robinson said that international students were also playing a "pivotal role" in increasing Australian engagement with Asia. "They are helping Australia forge valuable links with their home countries, providing a cross-cultural dialogue with domestic students and sustaining ongoing relationships with Australia in their post-student lives.”
Universities Australia, which represents all 39 Australian universities, conducted the research over a year. It involved community engagement, focus groups, and a survey of 1,000 members of the public and 300 employers. The findings were weighted to be representative of the Australian population and business community.
Universities Australia said it had factored the results into its advocacy agenda ahead of the upcoming general election,
A Smarter Australia: An agenda for Australian Higher Education 2013-2016. Internationalisation is a key theme alongside online learning and economic and industrial renewal.
The study's release comes within days of the
long awaited Chaney report, which offers a blueprint for how Australia can turn around its embattled international education sector. Due to a high currency and growing competition from rival study destinations, Australia has seen international enrolments fall for four years in a row across all sectors. 2012 figures
show a 6.9% fall to 515,853, although the ELICOS sector may be seeing the beginnings of a bounce back.
An overwhelming majority of the Australian public and business community have a positive view of international students attending Australian universities, according to a study commissioned by Universities Australia.
The research found that 69% of representatives of businesses and 72% of the public are supportive of providing education for international students.
“We strongly value our international students who are an integral part of Australia’s diverse multicultural society and who help build deep cultural ties with their fellow students and the wider community,” Universities Australia’s chief executive, Belinda Robinson, said of the results. She said that the findings were an important boost for the higher education system which has seen overseas enrolment fall in recent years.
“They [international students] are helping Australia forge valuable links with their home countries”
The study also shows that 72% of the public and 80% of businesses think foreign students should be encouraged to stay in the country after completing their studies, especially if they are sponsored by an employer.
Robinson said that international students were also playing a “pivotal role” in increasing Australian engagement with Asia. “They are helping Australia forge valuable links with their home countries, providing a cross-cultural dialogue with domestic students and sustaining ongoing relationships with Australia in their post-student lives.”
Universities Australia, which represents all 39 Australian universities, conducted the research over a year. It involved community engagement, focus groups, and a survey of 1,000 members of the public and 300 employers. The findings were weighted to be representative of the Australian population and business community.
Universities Australia said it had factored the results into its advocacy agenda ahead of the upcoming general election, A Smarter Australia: An agenda for Australian Higher Education 2013-2016. Internationalisation is a key theme alongside online learning and economic and industrial renewal.
The study’s release comes within days of the long awaited Chaney report, which offers a blueprint for how Australia can turn around its embattled international education sector. Due to a high currency and growing competition from rival study destinations, Australia has seen international enrolments fall for four years in a row across all sectors. 2012 figures show a 6.9% fall to 515,853, although the ELICOS sector may be seeing the beginnings of a bounce back.
