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in IT and business. Over 60 per cent of IBM
employees in Ballarat are graduates from
FedUni, and of these a significant number
started out as international students. There
are many cases of Indian students who
completed this program and returned to live
in the region and work with IMB.
Scholarships are also an incentive
for international students and special
University Foundation Scholarships have
been awarded by FedUni for humanitarian
purposes, including to support Karen-
Burmese refugees with their studies in
nursing and social science at the university’s
Wimmera campus. In the small nearby
township of Nhill in western Victoria,
these refugees now make up 10 per cent
of the town’s population and 18 per cent
of the workforce, where they are largely
employed in the large Australian poultry
company Luv-a-Duck, contributing to
boosting the regional town’s population
and economy.
While regionally based universities
may be less known for their research,
they have focused strengths in key areas
such as agriculture, food agility, mining
rehabilitation, regional development, digital
health and marine science. At FedUni
such expertise attracts PhD students from
across the world to undertake research
into issues faced in their home countries.
Many of these students retain research
connections once they graduate and return
home, or stay on to contribute to the local
research capacity building.
PARTNERSHIP MODELS
Australian universities have enjoyed a long
history of successful partnership-working
internationally. As FedUni has evolved over
the years into a multi-sector, multi-campus
institution with locations across Victoria
and Brisbane, like many other universities
with regional origins or regional campuses,
internationalisation has become integral to
FedUni’s strategy. In 2018, over one-third
of the university’s total student population
of 22,000 is international. How has the
university achieved this?
On-shore partner providers have
been a major strategy for growing
international student numbers to boost
revenue and promote the university’s
brand. The University of Ballarat, FedUni’s
predecessor institution, was one of the first
to adopt a public/private partnership model
for accessing the international student
market. FedUni now has over 20 years’
experience of working with reputable
private providers in three major Australian
cities to offer its courses in business,
commerce, accounting, IT and technology.
While these students study at partners’ city
campuses, they are still students of the
university and remain connected as alumni
once graduated. Expertise of the partners
and their knowledge of source countries is
relied upon for recruitment and marketing.
The partners’ deep connection to students’
country of origin is highly beneficial for
positive student outcomes. The FedUni
partnerships have worked well over the
years and students are satisfied with their
university experience. Such established
partnerships offer even greater potential
for innovative future models of program
delivery to international students.
Several regional universities have also
established their own city campuses for
both domestic and international students as
a strategy to improve financial sustainability,
increase their profile and broaden their
scope. These metropolitan locations, such
as FedUni’s new campus in Brisbane, open
doors to more international students while
still providing a connection to regional
Australia. Opportunities for mobility
within Australia can be offered in cases
where students wish to take advantage of
both regional and metropolitan campus
environments and course offerings.
Off-shore partnerships for international
students who enrol in joint degrees and
articulation pathways are another approach
for regional universities. After several years
of building partnerships with four leading
higher education institutions in China
involving dual degrees and articulations,
more Chinese students are now arriving
at FedUni to complete their degrees and
common interests are also emerging for
research and innovation in technology
and environmental sustainability. The
University’s Technology Park model
complements that of our partners and will
help build the global collaborations they
are seeking.
International partnerships in the
vocational education area are also
on the increase and as a dual sector
institution, FedUni has recently developed
a partnership with a college and an
automotive company in China to enrol
students for an accredited one-year
automotive qualification in Ballarat.
These students study English, have the
opportunity to undertake work placements
at some of the local dealerships and
participate in the Worldskills regional
competitions. They are accompanied
by their teachers who also develop their
technical and teaching skills.
All of these partnerships enhance
the prospects of regional universities
to internationalise through a myriad of
arrangements that can create attractive
pathways and articulation for students,
joint degrees, student mobility, joint PhDs,
research collaboration and staff exchange.
INCREASING THE VALUE
PROPOSITION
International students access quality
Australian education at regional universities
and value their experiences, which adds
to the positive reputation of Australian
higher education. The contributions of
international students to the regions go
beyond the economic, enhancing cultural
understanding, global connectedness and
soft diplomacy through our alumni when
they return home.
Regional universities have developed a
range of innovative partnership models
to become more versatile and open to a
wider international market. This creates
mutually beneficial and impactful
opportunities for students, providers,
industry and communities. The Australian
higher education offering for international
students should not overlook the diverse
and rich opportunities that are available for
these students to study at any of Australia’s
68 regional campuses, as well as campuses
in major cities. International students
at FedUni do not identify any major
disadvantages to studying regionally and
indeed, they highlight many of the unique
advantages not available in city locations.
Australia should continue to work on
ensuring international students receive the
highest quality of education in Australia
and the necessary social, cultural and
career development support for them to be
successful. Regional universities can do this
very well.
However, ongoing strategic planning and
investment will be necessary to ensure that
regional universities increase the overall
value proposition of Australian higher
education and attract quality international
students. ■
Professor Helen Bartlett is
vice-chancellor and president of
Federation University Australia.
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