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Many of these microcredentials will provide pathways into meaningful jobs .
International Education Association of Australia chief executive Phil Honeywood . Photo : Aaron Francis
Quick fix
Australia ’ s plan for short courses in international education gets a boost .
By Tim Dodd
The strategy to build six-month short courses , or microcredentials , into a new arm of Australia ’ s international education sector has received a boost from a recent visit by Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan .
Pradhan , who has held talks with the federal government and exchanged views widely across the education sector , is understood to be positive towards Australia ’ s initiative to offer microcredentials to students in overseas markets .
Last November Morrison government education minister Alan Tudge announced $ 8m in funding for industry bodies to develop microcredential courses to offer to international students in their home countries .
The Albanese government is going ahead with the plan and is expected to announce the first round of grants soon .
India is expected to be a strong market for the new microcredentials , which will be focused on skills in demand from employers .
The six-month qualifications will give international students skills they can immediately use , and also could be a pathway to entering a diploma or degree course in Australia .
They will be offered by Australian education providers – including universities , TAFEs and independent providers – in partnership with an industry body . They must have recognition or accreditation from industry , and can be offered face-to-face or online .
Because they are short courses and can be studied in a student ’ s home country , they will be cheaper than studying overseas and potentially open up a major new market for Australian education from families who can ’ t afford to send a child to another country .
“ With industry endorsement , it is anticipated that many of these microcredentials will provide pathways into meaningful jobs ,” International Education Association of Australia chief executive Phil Honeywood said .
He said that , as the world came out of the pandemic , it was crucial for Australian international education to “ recover its reputation through all possible means ”.
“ The provision of a comprehensive suite of microcredentials we anticipate will meet demand from many students who want to try before they buy – using it as a pathway to a more substantive course ,” he said .
“ Alternatively , for countries such as India , with a strong push to upskill a large number of potential students , these Australian microcredentials will provide clear job outcomes .”
Pradhan joined the Group of Eight universities for a roundtable on research collaboration between Australia and India . Go8 chief executive Vicki Thomson said university engagement with India went “ beyond student recruitment , as important as that is ”.
She said there was an opportunity to deepen collaborative research undertaken between Australian and Indian universities . Go8 universities see the opportunity for collaboration in areas including clinical medicine , physics , chemistry , engineering , materials science and space science .
Thomson called for the inclusion of an “ innovation chapter ” in the Australia- India Economic Co-operation and Trade Agreement , which was signed by the two countries on an interim basis in April .
“ The Go8 recommends that the role of innovation and commercialisation , which will underpin the productivity gains and economic prosperity of both nations , be acknowledged in the AI-ECTA ,” Thomson said . ■
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