Growing education sector
WELL, it has been an eventful start to our year. It’s hard to believe three months ago I sat with the new executive committee and discussed our 2020 strategy for Study Cairns and was super excited about what the year would bring.
So far, it certainly has not been the year we planned and the Covid-19 continues to negatively impact both the international education industry and tourism industry.
In saying that, if anyone can shine through this, it is our region of Cairns and the incredible schools, businesses and people within it.
Bernard Salt’s presentation at the Future Tourism luncheon was a great indicator of the potential of international education. In Cairns, it currently contributes $166 million. However, this is only 1.84 per cent of the state enrolments, so we have a lot of opportunities to grow.
Increases in international student numbers in our southern counterparts and other states has been a key to increased infrastructure, investment, professional services and population growth, all necessary for our region to thrive.
The Study Cairns executive committee is committed to reinforcing the brand of Cairns as a serious education destination. To do this, it is important we work closely with our stakeholders and have a common narrative that depicts clearer the strengths of Cairns in all industries.
I was proud to represent Study Cairns on the Cairns TNQ Convoy to Capital Q last month. The 51 delegates from 12 different industries made a huge impact at Brisbane’s Parliament House over the two days. I was there as part of the education team to request support for infrastructure including the university hospital, the Asia-Pacific aviation hub stage 2 and 3, the university high school at Cairns SHS and the CQUniversity CBD Campus. No decisions have been made as yet, but it was a great opportunity to talk with the other industry members about our association and I was impressed with the number of ministers who understood the significance of international education and showed empathy to our current crisis.
Those that made it to our networking meeting on February 27 were able to see the new FNQ iiHub in its splendour, witness the launch of our Japanese Alumni Project and hear about the exciting Study Queensland Talent Project which is merging with our employability app platform.
We understand that for students, employability is a key motivator. We wish to showcase the incredible opportunities in Cairns, celebrate the past international talent and in doing so, attract more talent to Cairns. We aim to help students build their professional skills to complement their education. We will become renowned for supporting international students and nurturing high quality talent. And in turn, attract talent, investment, increase population to our region, resulting in a thriving global regional city.
With the current situation, it is a time for us to band together and ensure that our overseas friends, families and partners know that we are thinking of them and will be here for them in force when the world is open to travel again.