Taking flight

Study abroad could be the key to graduate employment in tough times, says Robert Malicki. In the current economic climate, with the labour market significantly loosening, it seems graduates are going to need to differentiate themselves from the pack more than ever to secure a job upon graduation. In recent years, the focus by universities and government on providing a range of international study opportunities has increased significantly, providing students with some unique opportunities to enhance their resume. Students who are taking up these opportunities and internationalising their Australian university experience add invaluable soft skills to their resumes. These so-called soft skills, such as intercultural understanding, adaptability, foreign language proficiency and global focus, will set apart two candidates with otherwise similar qualifications. Students who recognised this before the dramatic global financial events of 2008 seem poised to benefit from this. In 2007, university benchmarking showed that 10,718 Australian higher education students undertook some form of international study experience, which includes student exchanges, short programs overseas, internships, clinical placements, volunteering and research experiences. In raw numbers, this figure has been climbing approximately 10 per cent per year and, if coupled with an estimate from AEI research that the figure may be understated by up to 15 per cent, this suggests that as many as 14,000 Australians will undertake some form of international study experience in 2009. Since a 2003 ‘Engaging the world through international education’ paper, the federal government has been actively involved on several levels in trying to increase outbound mobility numbers. There has been a strong show of support from Australian Education International (AEI) and other government agencies since the first National Forum on Outbound Mobility meeting held in 2006. Another of these national discussions on outbound mobility is coming up on 3 April as part of the Australia-New Zealand Exchange Fair Circuit and will be hosted by the University of Melbourne. The government action reached a new high last year in the launch of the innovative Study Overseas portal, unveiled by Julia Gillard (www.studyoverseas.gov.au). On the ground, AEI’s education counsellors around the world have also been working hard to open doors for Australian students. AEI Malaysia recently launched the ‘Guide to Internships and Studies in Malaysia’, a comprehensive overview designed to help more Australians study, work and live in Australia’s third-largest trading partner in Asia. The guide (www.internshipsoverseas.com.au) includes company and university profiles as well as cultural and practical information about living, studying and working in Malaysia. AEI Malaysia has also put forward 25 $2000 scholarships to entice Australians to the country. Australia and Malaysia share a rich history of education collaboration, and this initiative is a way of taking this relationship to the next step. “Malaysia is a fantastic destination for Australian students and interns” says Adam Carlon, AEI’s education counsellor in Malaysia, “It has a wealth of international companies and opportunities that are ideal for Australians, as well as having the added advantage of being close to home and a relatively inexpensive cost of living.” AEI Malaysia have coordinated companies such as Leighton, Talent2 Asia and Bovis Lend Lease to participate in the guide. Carlon says increasing the numbers of Australian students to Malaysia can help build long lasting personal, business and education networks. He adds that internships in Malaysia have the added advantage of providing Australians with internationally relevant work experience in a richly diverse multicultural nation that has a strong connection to Australia. The subject of outbound mobility has not escaped the gaze of the Bradley review either. Bradley’s recommendation regarding Australian outbound mobility focuses on the OS-HELP loan scheme. The scheme allows Australian students to borrow more than $5000 towards the cost of an overseas study experience. This money is then paid back as part of a student’s HECS debt, in addition to a stiff 20 per cent loan fee. For some time it has been anecdotally suggested that the scheme’s “current eligibility criteria and the 20 per cent loan fee limit its effectiveness”. Bradley and her panel have recommended the scrapping of this fee as part of wider reaching reforms to FEE-HELP “to improve Australia’s relatively low rate of outward student movement and to recognise the benefit to Australia of students undertaking study overseas”. At a time when major education reforms are going to be difficult to fund, this would be an inexpensive way of encouraging Australian tertiary students to upskill themselves. If the recommendation is adopted, it would seem that government policy, institutional support and students' desire to participate will have aligned. end Rob Malicki is the director of AIM Overseas.