Work opportunities and welfare programmes are among services being launched to support Victoria's international education industry.

Destination marketing organisations are becoming sophisticated in how they identify and target international students, both pre-arrival and onshore. And authenticity in student interaction marks out the best operators, a specialist forum revealed.

Victoria will celebrate the contribution of international education at next month’s prestigious Victorian International Education Awards, and 17 international students and 19 education providers have been profiled as finalists.

Study Melbourne, the Victoria state government's student-oriented marketing body, has launched an online tool that allows international and domestic students to 'preview' what it is like to study in Victoria.