Neena Bhandari in Melbourne discovers there is an overlap between the courses students choose and occupations in demand in Australia.
Neena Bhandari in Melbourne discovers there is an overlap between the courses students choose and occupations in demand in Australia
Nearly one in five international students from 162 countries studying in Melbourne and regional Victoria are from India. Australia’s international education was worth AUD9.8 billion to the national economy and AUD2.9 billion to the Victorian economy in 2005-2006.
There has been substantial growth in Indian students enrolling in vocational education and training courses with 174 students in 2006, the number has risen to 896 in 2007.
Like most boys, playing with cars was Ankush Gupta’s favourite pastime. “I always dreamt of working in a big car company and my brother, who was doing hospitality management here suggested I enroll in the Kangan Batman Institute’s Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE) in Melbourne”.
ACE is set to become the largest and most advanced automotive training facility in the southern hemisphere. Victoria has been the hub of the Australian auto industry with three of the four vehicle manufacturers, over half the industry’s jobs and its production, and 54% of its exports.
For a teaching family from Bhatinda, paying the two-year course fee of AUD21,800 was a tough call. Ankush says, “After this course, I will be able to earn and live independently, whereas in the Indian education system, it would have taken me at least five years”.
Their class of 24 has eight boys from Punjab. Sunny Handa from Hoshiarpur heard about the course from a friend who was employed in Ford, Australia, after doing the course. Sunny says, “I have always been intrigued by the machines and want to work in a car factory. The course here is more practical and I am enjoying the creative aspect of it.”
Programs currently include short courses, pre-apprenticeships, traineeships, apprenticeships and advanced trade training in the areas of panel beating, vehicle bodymaking and vehicle painting. These trades are in demand in both the manufacturing and retail, service and repair sectors of the automotive industry.
Sunny is looking forward to work experience in a car company before heading to Germany for a bachelor course in automobile engineering. Students enrolled require 1,200 hours of work experience for permanent residency.
Victoria’s minister for skills, education services and employment, Jacinta Allan, is expecting a steady growth from India in the next five years. She says: “The driver for this will be the growth in India’s economy that will lead to an increased demand for skilled workforce. India’s economic growth will lead to higher incomes, which means international education will be more affordable.”
However, there are concerns that changes to visa regulations, which will raise the level of English language required for permanent residency, and inclusion of a professional year or work experience requirement may have a negative impact on the number of students from India.
This is probably the reason why number of Indian students taking English Language courses has grown from 344 at March 2006 to over 1,400 in the same period in 2007.
But, at the moment, international education is reaping rich dividends. Allan says, “International education has increased our participation in the ‘global village’ through strengthening not only economic links but cultural ties and friendships.”
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