Australian vocational provider, TasTAFE, is to offer new courses in China, strengthening a long-running partnership with Shanghai Bangde Vocational College. Courses on offer will include diplomas in business and banking, accounting and hospitality and will include English language tuition.
The partnership, announced by Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim, will see some students then transfer to Australia to complete their course.
Nick McKim, Tasmania’s Minister for Education and Skills, said: “The objective of the strengthened partnership is to welcome more international student guests to Tasmania to complete their diplomas at TasTAFE.
“Once they complete their diplomas, we already have great options in place for students to continue their studies with UTAS.”
“It’s a very positive start for our new vocational provider TasTAFE, and we should now be able to capitalise on more of these global partnerships.”
“It’s a very positive start for our new vocational provider TasTAFE”
TasTAFE is a public sector, post-compulsory vocational education and training organisation, established this year using the combined resources of the Tasmanian Polytechnic and Tasmanian Skills Institute.
The partnership is part of the Department of Education and Tasmanian Government’s strategy to capitalise on emerging Asian markets, which includes ongoing work with a Filipino hospitality and tourism provider, and plans to deliver the Tasmanian curriculum through a group of high schools in Guangzhou in southern China.
McKim commented, “We see international education as providing wonderful economic and social benefits to Tasmania, and our dedicated International Education Unit is working on many new initiatives to boost student numbers in TasTAFE and our Government schools and colleges.”
The first contract for delivery of Australian education between the Tasmanian VET operator (formerly known as TAFE Tasmania) and Bangde College was signed in 2002.
To date, over 1100 students have enrolled in China on such programmes and 200 students have opted to transfer to Australia to complete the second year of an Advanced Diploma in Logistics offered through the College, almost all of whom have gone on to complete a Business Degree at UTAS.
