Australian vocational education and training (VET) students have the chance to pick up valuable new skills through exciting overseas study opportunities in 2016.

Assistant Minister for Education and Training, Senator Simon Birmingham, said the 2016 Endeavour Mobility Grants will provide around $8.3 million to support at least 2500 Australian VET, undergraduate and postgraduate students in having an international study experience.

“Endeavour Mobility Grants help students immerse themselves in the academic and social cultures of other regions through short-term study, clinical placements, internships and volunteer projects,” Senator Birmingham said.

“These study experiences give Australian students and tertiary education providers the chance to reach out to the world.

“International study experiences benefits not just students, but also their families and Australian education providers.

“We’d like to see as many of our talented VET students as possible take up this unique opportunity.

“We have also created international work opportunities for Australian undergraduate students through the Government’s signature initiative, the New Colombo Plan.”

Short-term grants ($2000 per student) and language support grants ($1000 per student) are available to VET students as part of the Mobility Grants initiative.

Mobility grants will support VET students studying at TAFEs, private vocational colleges and other registered training organisations to undertake short-term study in another country.

In the 2015 round, the Government supported more than 1000 VET students to study overseas – up from 150 in 2009.

Some of the overseas study experiences for VET students funded in the 2015 round included:

? Holmesglen Institute of TAFE students participated in an exchange programme in Singapore to work on specialised scientific equipment.
? Tranby Aboriginal College students visited an educational campus in the Cook Islands that caters specifically to the cultural values and needs of its students.
? Victoria University students underwent professional development training at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles, California.

“The student mobility programmes have been designed to strengthen the global experience of Australian VET students and to reinforce partnerships between our institutions and their counterparts around the world,” Senator Birmingham said.

Overseas study helps students learn the skills they need for future employment, and allows them to better understand key global practices in their chosen industry.”

Students interested in receiving a grant are encouraged to talk to their provider’s international office about overseas study options.

Further information about Endeavour Mobility Grants is available at http://internationaleducation.gov.au/endeavourmobility.
Media contact: Caitlin Keage 0427 729 987