Study Cairns responds to Novel Coronavirus outbreak

Study Cairns is in constant contact with Study Queensland, which is working hard for the International Education sector in co-operation with the International Education Global Reputation Taskforce. The Education Minister Dan Tehan and Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham acknowledge the significant impact that Novel coronavirus has on our sector.

Janine Bowmaker, Study Cairns President, says that Australia remains vigilant in relation to the developing situation and that Study Cairns would like to assure all international students in Cairns that their health and safety remains a top priority.

“Study Queensland is reaching out to the Chinese industry, whether international students or study agents, to reassure them that Queensland treats all student’s health and safety as an absolute priority,” said Ms Bowmaker.

We value our ongoing friendship with China and the role that education plays in this relationship. We would like to assure all international students that we will continue to look out for their welfare while they are in Queensland and we look forward to welcoming returning students when it is deemed safe for them to travel again.

The Australian Government is working with educational institutions to offer maximum flexibility from the sector regulators and encouraging options such as online learning. This does provide some risk mitigation on a higher level that was perhaps having to be handled by your individual organisations previously. We do understand that accommodation occupancy and availability will pose an issue when the situation returns to normal but as an International Education cluster, will work together to manage this when the time arises.

Study Queensland will be rolling out a wider strategy to address the challenges. We appreciate the need to respond to this challenge collectively across all provider sectors and regions and provide the following resources for members to keep themselves updated.

Novel Coronovirus Update (as of 4/2/2020)

Advice for International Students travelling to Australia from mainland China 

Information for university and higher education students and staff arriving from mainland China

Information for universities and higher education facilities

Information for schools and early childhood centres

Information for parents

The Department of Health has a collection of resources for the general public, health professionals and industry about Novel coronavirus. (English and simplified Chinese)

The Department of Home Affairs announced that of 1 February 2020 all travellers arriving from anywhere in china, regardless of nationality, will be subject to enhanced border control measures (English and Chinese)

The Department of Foreign Affairs Smart Traveller website provides travel advisories

The Department of Education has resources for schools, early childhood education and care services, parents, students and universities in English. There are also fact sheets providing advice for international students travelling to Australia.

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) has drafted guidance for higher education providers in the context of the coronavirus outbreak

The Australian Skills Quality Authority has drafted similar guidance for registered training organisations (RTOs) and English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS)

The National Coronavirus Health Information Line opened on 3 February at 7:30am and is now live on 1800 020 080, providing public health and situation informational. The line will refer requests for medical advice to registered nurses on healthdirect – 1800 022 222.

The line operates Monday–Friday from 8am to 8pm, Saturdays from 8am to 5pm, and Sundays from 9am to 5pm.

Out of hours, a recorded message refers people to the healthdirect website or nurse line.

The Queensland Department of Health is the key source of health information for Queenslanders (English and simplified Chinese)

Student scholarships available for studying in Cairns

Study Cairns is excited by the announcement by Federal Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch that 43 scholarships would be available to international and domestic students to study in Cairns and Far North Queensland next year. Our two Universities and many Vocational Education providers in Cairns and Far North Queensland had been provided $1.056 million to offer the scholarships through the Morrison Government’s $93.7 million Destination Australia program. The Destination Australia Program will provide scholarships worth $15,000 a year to students who study at a regional university or vocational education provider.

This will enable Study Cairns to continue to build on our reputation that Cairns is an attractive Australian regional destination for both international and domestic students. For more information, click here.

Students can now apply for a scholarship directly with a successful tertiary education provider for the 2020 academic year. Tertiary education providers in Cairns and Far North Queensland have been granted $1.056 million to offer the scholarships through the Australian Government’s $93.7 million Destination Australia program.

Destination Australia provides scholarships worth $15,000 a year to students who study at a regional university or vocational education provider.

In Cairns and Far North Queensland there will be:

• Ten international scholarships at the International College of QLD (formerly Cairns Beauty Academy)
• Two domestic and two international scholarships at CQU Cairns
• Two domestic scholarships at the Gallang Place Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Corporation’s Cairns campus and two at its Cooktown campus
• Six domestic and eight international scholarships at JCU Cairns
• Two domestic scholarships at JCU Thursday Island
• Nine international scholarships at TAFE Queensland Cairns

Warren Entsch MP says that attracting more students to study in Cairns and Far North Queensland is good for the community, local business and for tourism.

“Our region has a great story to tell and we can be an attractive destination for international and domestic students,” Mr Entsch said.

“Our Government’s Destination Australia program is helping to attract more students to study in regional Australia and we can help by promoting Cairns and Far North Queensland as an attractive study destination because of our lifestyle, lower cost of living and smaller class sizes.”

Find the successful tertiary education providers at Destination Australia

Damian ‘Wildman’ Duffy visits the Student Hub

Mr Duffy has tapped into years of experience in the tourism industry to create the online persona Wildman — an adventurer, wildlife photographer, and good-natured Aussie larrikin open to sharing his experiences with the wider world.

“It’s all about getting out and having an adventure,” Mr Duffy said.

Mr Duffy puts much of his success as a wildlife photographer down to learning to be patient when trekking through the rainforest.

“You can’t just walk into the bush for the first time and start spotting everything — it takes a long while to get used to it,” he said.

“But your eyes get accustomed to it, I call it getting ‘rainforest eyes’, they kind of calibrate a little bit.”

He said the best way to spot wildlife in the bush was to look for uniformity where it should not be.

“Things that are symmetrical are usually something that you want to take a second look at, especially as far as looking for insects goes,” Mr Duffy said.

“Once you calibrate your eyes you’ll be surprised what you can find.”

Cairns is a multicultural city

Australia is a vibrant, multicultural country, home to the world’s oldest continuous cultures as well as Australians who identify with more than 270 ancestries. Since 1945, almost seven million people have migrated to Australia, adding to a cultural melting pot with citizens from across the globe.

International students make up a significant proportion of our multicultural population with Cairns at the forefront of Australia as a popular study destination. Each year over 32,000 international students from over 34 countries come to Cairns to study. Some stay for the duration of a short study tour or extended vocational studies while others come to improve their English language skills.

Australia’s multicultural citizens

One in four of Australia’s 22 million people were born overseas and 46% of Australians were either born overseas or have a parent who was. Nearly 20% of Australians speak a language other than English at home. In the 2012-2013 year almost 125,000 people from more than 190 countries became Australian citizens.

Cairns as a multicultural city

Cairns is in close proximity to Asia and the Pacific, and is well-connected with flights from Cairns International Airport to the city hubs of Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka, Port Moresby, Shanghai, Guanzhou, Auckland, Bali, Manila and Seoul.

Australia has a highly-regarded education system with all classes English speaking. James Cook University is ranked in the top 2% of the world’s tertiary institutions. Central Queensland University enjoys a reputation as one of Australia’s most progressive and innovative universities. International students may arrive in Cairns on a short Study Tour, or be enrolled at a  School or at an English Language College. Students may then continue with long-term study at a Vocational Education and Training College or at University.

Cairns devotes a whole month to Multicultural Month, showcasing and celebrating our unique cultural identity. Cairns Multicultural Month promotes community awareness of multiculturalism and the benefits we all gain from living in a culturally diverse society.

Cairns Multicultural Month happens in August each year with a vast program of events across the city.

Multicultural Community groups

Cairns is a true multicultural community that supports a number of cultural groups from nations across the globe. The Cairns Regional Council supports multiculturalism – contact the council for  more information or you can contact Multicultural Services to find out about multicultural services available in Cairns

Cultural groups in Cairns

• Abou Bakr As-Siddiq (Cairns) Mosque
• African Society
• Alliance Francaise de Cairns
• Australia Japan Society (Far North Queensland)
• Cairns Dutch Club
• Cairns & District Chinese Assoc. Inc
• Cairns & Region Multicultural Assoc. Inc.
• Cairns Indonesian-Australian Assoc.
• Far North Buddhist Association
• German Club Cairns
• Greek Orthodox Parish Cairns
• Khacho Yulo Ling Buddhist Centre
• Mareeba Multicultural Festival
• Papua New Guinea & Wantoks Assoc.
• Russian Speakers Assoc. Cairns
• Serbian Cultural Centre Cairns

Brazilian doctor recalls her exchange student experience in Cairns

Dr Marina from Brazil recalls her time as a high school exchange student in Cairns:
When I first thought about studying abroad, Australia was the country that most interested me. It has an interesting history, exotic nature and friendly people. I started looking for cities and I was enchanted with Cairns because it was so close to the Great Barrier Reef and had many beautiful beaches. It was also important to my family and I that high quality education was offered at public schools.

Moreover, the climate was similar to Brazil and, as it was a smaller city, I thought it would be better to experience Australian culture. I chose Trinity Bay State High School because it has a nice structure and diverse and interesting subjects to choose from.

The school was very prepared to help international students to adapt and make the most of the exchange experience. There were other international students there as well and the school organised meetings so we could get to know each other. Also, there was always someone from the staff to help me with questions and information about school activities.

At Trinity Bay, I loved to be able to choose which subjects to take! They were more practical than in Brazil and teachers respected the students’ learning pace.

In one of the disciplines, Biological Sciences, I had my first contact with the concepts of medical genetics and assignments about scientific methodology. This aroused great interest in the subject, which later influenced my career choices.

One of the main goals of this time abroad was to become fluent in English. I got a lot of support from school and from my host family in the first weeks. Then, I started making friends with Australians and international students which made me practise English all the time and also helped me to enjoy my exchange time.

I chose to stay with a host family and it was the best choice I could make. Lynn and Tony were a lovely couple that made every effort to make me feel welcome! They organised a birthday party, they took me on road trips to places near Cairns and they really helped me with my English. They were genuinely concerned about my wellbeing and became a family to me.

We still keep in touch nowadays. Also, they had other exchange students staying with them, one of which has become a good friend of mine. I visited her in Germany in 2016 and it was great to remember our adventures in Australia.

After I came back from Cairns, I finished high school in Brazil in 2011 and graduated in Medicine from the University of São Paulo Medical School in Brazil in 2018. I’m currently in a medical residency program in Medical Genetics at the University of São Paulo and I plan on specialising in cancer genetics.

My time in Cairns contributed significantly to my career. It allowed me to get in touch with very interesting subjects and helped me to become fluent in English. Also, living away from home made me more independent and focused. I am very grateful for this experience!

This story has been reproduced from Education Queensland International

Student Ambassador Sayuri Okuda has spent the last month exploring Cairns as the winner of the Take Me to Cairns Competition. Sayuri won a study trip to Cairns valued at over $8,000 in the competition for Japanese-based students.

Sayuri has been in Cairns since late June and she has made the most of her visit to our fabulous region since with the competition which was supported by Tourism Tropical North Queensland.
After living with a Banora International Group homestay family initially, Sayuri is staying at Cairns Sharehouse for one month while attending English lessons at Cairns Language Centre and You Study International College. She’s also enjoyed some work experience shifts at Cairns Wildlife Dome and visited the Cairns Student Hub and learnt about Aussie BBQ’s at the social event the Hub holds each month on the Esplanade.

 

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A post shared by Sayuri🐨🌿 (@sayuri360jp) on Aug 2, 2019 at 5:34pm PDT

Sayuri was very impressed with all the activities and events organised by Cairns Student Hub.

“The Cairns Student Hub has been organizing many events and workshop regularly such as Ukulele, Spanish, IELTS, resumes and taxation. The Hub is a perfect place for meeting other international students and most workshops are free,” Sayuri said.

“I went to a BBQ party at Esplanade with lots of international students – it was so much fun!”

In her spare time, Sayuri has been exploring the region, enjoying some of the best attractions from Port Douglas to the Tablelands. Phew. What a busy month!

 

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A post shared by Sayuri🐨🌿 (@sayuri360jp) on Jul 2, 2019 at 10:14pm PDT

About Sayuri Okuda – winner of Take Me to Cairns Competition

Well-travelled Sayuri calls Takamatsu, Japan home. She has travelled to many parts of the world and recently spent two years living in Vancouver, Canada. One adventure took her to Costa Rica where she stayed on a remote farm for two months taking care of crops and farm animals where running water and electricity was limited. Sayuri said that it wasn’t easy but she learnt a lot of significant life principles.

“Getting to know people and culture are one of my favorite parts of traveling. Besides traveling and working, I do love being in nature, such as going hiking, or running and doing stand up paddle boarding,” she says.

While studying in Canada, Sayuri says she was fascinated with learning and experiencing everything, but as a student her funds were limited so she couldn’t always share her experiences with others.

When she returned to Takamatsu she founded a language cultural exchange group called Setouchi-Sun as a means for her international friends in Japan to learn about Japanese language and culture in a friendly social environment. But she found that many of her Japanese friends enjoy meeting international travellers too so it’s a terrific opportunity for people of all cultures to learn about language, cultures and customs while making new friends.

She is keen to share her experiences from Cairns with her friends all over the world and encourage them to travel to north Queensland to study.

Follow Sayuri on Instagram at @sayuri360jp and the Student Hub at @cairnsstudenthub

Cairns students win trips to China in 2019 Queensland Cup

Four Cairns high school students were announced as winners in the 2019 Queensland Cup Chinese Speech Competition held in May 2019. This annual competition is organised by Confucius Institute at QUT (CIQ), in partnership with the Chinese Language Teachers Association of Queensland. There were nine prize winners in total who recently departed on a ten day study tour to Shanghai and Beijing.

Each year CIQ, in partnership with the Chinese Language Teachers Association of Queensland, convenes this competition with regional competitions held in Rockhampton, Hervey Bay, Townsville and Cairns. Over 400 Queensland school students from 56 schools competed in the competition on 25 May 2019.

Study Queensland provided CIQ with a partnership grant under the International Education and Training Partnership Fund in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the Queensland Shanghai sister state relationship allowing the first prize to winners to travel to China.

Minjeong Kwon, Minju Kwon and Yein Chung, all from Cairns State High School, and Liam McNamara from Whitfield State School are currently in Shanghai learning about this famous city as well as aspects of Chinese language, culture and cuisine.

CIQ Director Antoine Barnaart said “We had 254 students compete in the regional competitions and we had another 400 compete in the Brisbane final.”

“We are delighted with the outcome and Study Queensland’s support, particularly for regional schools and students, who have less opportunity to be immersed in Chinese language and culture. The fact that four of the nine first prize winners are from Cairns is a remarkable outcome for the region and shows the importance of CIQ and Study Queensland providing regional support.”

COPYRIGHT Tony Phillips 0410666553

Nicole Patterson from Study Queensland said “the Queensland Cup is usually conducted in China for Chinese students to compete for the opportunity to travel to Queensland. This year we have changed direction and have supported this competition to have Queensland’s best nine Chinese language students travel to Shanghai and Beijing as reward for their significant effort and accomplishments. We know our winners will be great ambassadors for Queensland, showcasing our State’s high-quality school education system in China.”

Update from Study Cairns President Carol Doyle

With the Federal election a distant memory, at  Study Cairns we can start to focus on building and attracting existing and new business with more certainty, without worrying about external influences that may or may not affect the international education and training sector.

Over the last couple of months, Study Cairns has been focused on two key areas: reviewing our marketing plans and how we brand Cairns as a study destination, plus promoting and implementing our CONNECTS employability projects to international students and Cairns businesses.

Study Cairns held a branding workshop with our members and Study Queensland to choose new and revised themes aimed at positioning Cairns as an education and training focused city in our future marketing plans. There is more to come on this over the next few months when our marketing plan is formed.

Both CQUniversity and James Cook University are developing new and existing course offerings for international students which will position Cairns strongly in an ever-competitive international marketplace. The success of our universities in attracting long-term international students to Cairns is key to underlining the future success and growth of the international education and training sector in our city. Each long-term student is worth about $45,000 directly into the Cairns economy, with additional flow-on of income from visiting friends and relatives.

Michelle Behsman, our executive officer, attended the ANZA Workshop in Darwin in April, which was followed by a successful familiarisation visit to Cairns by selected agents.
We appreciated what Michelle and our members who supported this event either by providing in-kind support, contributing to the overall costs, driving the agents to their destination and just generally making sure everyone had a great time. Thanks to the support given by our accommodation providers.

We were able to place these agents in purpose-built student accommodation, showcasing the high standard of facilities that Cairns offers, particularly to long-term students.
During the start of the year, Study Cairns consolidated future plans for the Cairns Student Hub.

We were lucky enough to have Tim Cliento join us for a few months, bringing his experience from working with Study Queensland and setting a solid framework to build the CONNECTS project. A warm welcome to Gaby Thomasz, who has now taken over the reins as Cairns Student Hub coordinator. Gaby and Danny have been busily consulting with students to improve the weekly activities and events for students, with exciting plans for the future.

The initial CONNECTS pilot program is almost complete, with two business project plans completed for Kuranda Tourism and Study Cairns. We held an energised Hackathon run by Megan at Gen-in and have just commenced two internships.

The Japan market is still a high priority for the Cairns region and Study Cairns hosts a trade mission in-country every two years to revitalise the Cairns brand with education agents, schools and universities. This year we also intend to promote the long-term options for study and pathway programs to higher education to meet the changing needs of Japanese students.

If you are considering joining the Cairns Education Mission to Japan in September, please lock in the dates of September 10 in Osaka and September 11 in Tokyo.

This mission will be run with the support of Trade and Investment Queensland and TTNQ. We are in the process of finalising the costs, venues and other aspects and will be releasing more information soon.

The Chamber of Commerce and immigration agents have worked hard over the past year to successfully renew the Designated Area Migration Agreement. The busy international student season is upon us and I am sure that the student experience in Cairns will be enjoyable and memorable.

Carol Doyle
President, Study Cairns