79 UNE students to study in Indo-Pacific region under the New Colombo Plan

31 Aug 2015

31 August 2015

31

FEDERAL Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce has welcomed the announcement that  students from the New England Electorate will live, study and work in the Indo-Pacific under the 2016 mobility round of the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan.

 

Mr Joyce said 79 students from the University of New England will be among the thousands of Australian undergraduate students who will be supported by the New Colombo Plan in 2016.

 

“I am delighted that the New Colombo Plan’s mobility program will support undergraduate students from across Australia to study in 28 locations across the Indo-Pacific,” Mr Joyce said.

“New England and UNE students will benefit directly from these opportunities to live, study and work in the region, deepening their understanding of our neighbours and forging friendships and professional connections that will last a lifetime.

 

“Our students will return home with new insights and understanding about the region that will help them to contribute to the economic and cultural life of Australia.

 

New Colombo Plan Mobility Projects include 20 education students from the UNE travelling to Bhutan for a short term study experience. Students will be based at Paro College and through lectures and school based visits will deepen their knowledge of Bhutan’s cultural and educational diversity.

 

A further 20 UNE students will travel to Cambodia as part of the International Agricultural Systems Study Programme to carry out Agriculture, Environmental and related studies, while 12 more Education students will travel to Japan to study Japanese arts in early childhood.

 

“These are exciting opportunities which demonstrate the capacity and drive of our local students.

 

The New Colombo Plan is a signature initiative of the Australian Government to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific by supporting Australian undergraduate students to study and undertake internships in the region.

 

Mobility projects are open to students from any discipline, and range from short-term study tours to semester-based study and internships. The New Colombo Plan also includes a scholarship program, which will support around 100 students in 2016.

 

By the end of 2016, over 10,000 Australian undergraduate students will have participated in the New Colombo Plan.

 

“I encourage students to talk to their universities about opportunities to study and undertake work placements in the region under the New Colombo Plan,” Mr Joyce said.

 

The government has committed $100 million in new funding over five years to implement the New Colombo Plan. For more information on the New Colombo Plan, visit www.dfat.gov.au/new-colombo-plan or follow @NewColomboPlan

 

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