Mr Chris Holmes1, Nuala Myatt-Bocarro1
1StudyNSW, Sydney, Australia
In 2014 the NSW Government set up StudyNSW to support international students in NSW, and partners with international education stakeholders to achieve this. StudyNSW has contributed close to $1 million over 4 rounds since 2014 to support 30 Partner Projects, which have been backed by $4.6 million in contributions from international education stakeholders In 2017/18, StudyNSW supported ten Partner Projects throughout NSW to develop international students’ employability and entrepreneurial skills, build wellbeing and safety resources, and foster connections with the wider community. The Partner Projects included the NSW Police Force Student Ambassador Program, in which international student representatives assumed roles as ambassadors for NSW Police to assist in facilitating two-way communication between police and international student communities. It also worked with the Council for International Students Australia and NSW Police in the translation and dissemination of a series of safety and crime prevention videos for current and future NSW based international students. The ‘Sixers Smash’, a series of cricket events for international and domestic students in 4 locations across NSW, was delivered with Cricket NSW and the Sydney Sixers and culminated in an internship program at Cricket NSW for selected international student participants. International student employability partnerships with Southern Cross University’s ‘Volunteer Connect’, University of Newcastle’s ‘Upskill through WIL’, and Intersective’s NSW Global Scope regional cluster programs delivered Work Integrated Learning programs to hundreds of international students across NSW. StudyNSW’s Partner Projects demonstrate how international students can be empowered to make an invaluable contribution when involved in the delivery of programs, and that working in consortia with international education stakeholders is a fruitful approach to enhancing the student experience. The presentation will also offer guidance for submitting an effective StudyNSW Partner Project grant application.
Biography:
Chris joined the Study NSW team as a Project Officer in December 2017. Chris relocated from Canberra for the role, where he had been working for the Australian Government Department of Education and Training for several years, predominantly in the international education policy space. Chris is proud to be a member of the Study NSW team, working with the international education sector and student community to benefit the international student experience.
Nuala Myatt-Bocarro has fifteen years of experience in the Australian international education sector including Student Mobility Manager at the Australian National University and Regional Recruitment Manager at Western Sydney University. She commenced at StudyNSW in July 2015 to manage projects focused on enhancing the international student experience and promoting the education and research strengths of NSW.