Cultural diversity at varsities
Australian education providers are well placed to collaborate with the UAE to help deliver on Vision 2021 objectives
Published: Tue 19 Dec 2017, 11:00 PM
Updated: Thu 21 Dec 2017, 1:13 PM
Australia is known globally as being one of the world's most diverse and welcoming countries. With over 4.6 million international students in 2017 - Australia is the third most popular destination in the world for students choosing to study overseas.
Six Australian universities make the world's top 100. Across all global ranking systems, criteria and fields of study, Australia ranks highly for quality of education, student satisfaction, and global reputation. In the 2017 Academic Ranking of World Universities, Australia is the fourth most represented country after U.S., U.K. and Germany even though the Australian population of 23 million is only a fraction of the size of these other economies.
Australia is also among U.S., U.K. and China in producing some of the most employable graduates in the world - there are eight Australian universities in the top 100 of the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2018, and two of these rank in the top 10.
Australia has five of the 30 best cities in the world for students, based on student mix, affordability, quality of life, and employer activity - all important elements for students and parents when choosing the best study destination.
Australia's unique education and learning style encourages innovation, creative and independent thinking with real results. Australia has produced 15 Nobel prize laureates and every day over one billion people around the world rely on Australian discoveries and innovations - including Google Maps, Wi-Fi, IVF, the cervical cancer vaccine and black box flight recorders - to make their lives, and the lives of others, better.
The UAE is clearly a valued education partner for Australia. The first ever foreign university to establish a presence in the UAE was the University of Wollongong, in 1993. Today, they are joined by Murdoch University and Curtin University, along with two Australian secondary schools, providing quality education to UAE students.
Australian training providers are also active in the market. The Australian Institute of Company Directors, the largest of its kind globally, delivers international board director courses reinforcing the growing private sector of the UAE. Edith Cowan University partners with Emirates to train staff in aviation security management, graduating around 100 airline professionals every term to support DXB, the world's busiest international airport.
The Knowledge Human and Development Authority in Dubai (KHDA) has been an active partner with the Australian government, and recently worked with the Government of South Australia - a world leader in this field - to conduct a student well-being census to be delivered online annually to 70,000 primary children in Dubai.
Australian education providers are well placed to collaborate with UAE partners to help deliver on Vision 2021 objectives, as its education system is closely tied to preparing students for employment and modern industry requirements.