City’s plan to become education destination

AN AMBITIOUS plan for the Garden City to become a national and international education destination of choice has been endorsed by Toowoomba Regional Council.

Study Toowoomba, Queensland’s newest regional study cluster, will be up and running in early 2019.

The program will be the centrepiece of a public campaign to attract students to the region.

“Education and training is today the second largest industry in the Toowoomba region and is expected to create an additional 4391 jobs by 2041, so the establishment of this program will no doubt benefit the entire region,” Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio said.

“Our region is serious about being an education hub and the establishment of Study Toowoomba will initiate a major campaign to attract students from within Australia and internationally.”

Cr Antonio said last week’s visit to Toowoomba’s new Chinese Friendship City, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing, saw the University of Southern Queensland sign an agreement with the Zhejiang Yuexiu University of Foreign Langauges, with the first group of students expected to visit Toowoomba in February next year.

“This is the type of real success that we expect Study Toowoomba to replicate through effective local and international partnerships,” he said.

Cr Antonio said TRC had partnered with USQ, TAFE Queensland, and other regional education and training sector stakeholders to establish one voice for the region’s education and training sector.

Supporting the new program, USQ Vice Chancellor Professor Geraldine Mackenzie, said the Toowoomba region was recognised nationally as an education centre, having a higher concentration and greater variety of educational assets than most regional centres in Australia.

“The education sector makes a significant contribution to the Toowoomba Region’s economy, providing almost 8000 jobs and more than $200 million in exports,” she said.

“Positioning the Toowoomba region as an education and training destination of choice needs a vehicle for coordination and promotion of the sector and this is why Study Toowoomba is so important.”

The launch of Study Toowoomba has been made possible through a grant of $145,000 over two years from the Queensland Government, with matching funding being provided by TRC and USQ.

For more information visit www.tr.qld.gov.au or contact Council on 131 872.