- Published:
- Tuesday 1 December 2015
Outstanding international students and education providers have been celebrated at the 2015 Victorian International Education Awards ceremony hosted today at Government House.
The Honourable Linda Dessau AM, Governor of Victoria and Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert both congratulated the Award recipients for their contributions to Victoria’s international education sector.
The University of Melbourne’s Fang Xuan Koay was celebrated as the recipient of the ‘Premier’s Award – International Student of the Year’ for her advocacy work for international students’ rights, and Impact English College was presented the ‘Premier’s Award – International Education Provider of the Year’.
Monash University’s Joslyn Ma was the winner of the new ‘Victorian Student of the Year – Internationalisation’ category, for her ongoing focus on enhancing cultural integration between domestic and international students.
Five international student winners were also announced, who will each receive a scholarship of $10,000 to contribute to their studies in Victoria and become an ambassador for the Victorian Government’s Study Melbourne initiative. Seven education providers were also named as category winners.
The Andrews Labor Government is committed to transforming Victoria into the Education State and recognises the enduring value of international education.
160,000 international students enrol to study in Victoria each year with international education generating $5.6 billion in export earnings in 2014. For more than ten years, international education has been Victoria’s largest services export sector.
International education also delivers to Victoria the untold benefits associated with alumni who become global economic, political and cultural leaders with graduates becoming ambassadors for the State, maintaining connections and developing global research, trade and business linkages.
Victoria has also today been recognised as the destination of choice for international students arriving in Australia, with Melbourne ranked the number one city in the latest QS Best Student Cities Index.
More information about the Victorian International Education Awards can be found at www.studymelbourne.vic.gov.au.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert
“Congratulations to all our 2015 finalists and winners, as well as our local students who have supported the engagement of international students with the broader Victorian community.”
“The Andrews Labor Government is committed to cementing Victoria’s position as an international education destination through initiatives like our $4 million International Student Welfare Grants.”
2015 Victorian International Education Awards – Provider winners
Excellence in International Student Employability and Career Development
RMIT University
Excellence in International Student Experience
Impact English College
Excellence in International Education - English Language Training
Ability English
Excellence in International Education - Private Education and Training
The Australian Ballet School
Excellence in International Education – TAFE
Box Hill Institute
Excellence in International Education – University
Monash University
Excellence in Innovation in Industry Partnerships
Deakin University and IBM
2015 Victorian International Education Awards - Student winners
Victorian Student of the Year – Internationalisation
Joslyn Ma, Monash University (Australia)
International Student of the Year – English Language Training
Jirayut Prompen, Monash University English Language Centre (Thailand)
International Student of the Year – Vocational Education & Training (VET)
Iyiade ‘Hybee’ Aibinu, Box Hill Institute (Nigeria)
International Student of the Year – Higher Education
Fang Xuan Koay, The University of Melbourne (Malaysia)
International Student of the Year – Research
Ashrafalsadat Hosseini, The University of Melbourne (Iran)
2015 Victorian International Education Awards – Premier’s Award winners
Premier’s Award – International Student of the Year
Fang Xuan Koay, The University of Melbourne (Malaysia)
Premier’s Award – International Education Provider of the Year
Impact English College