Sunday, February 3, 2013

Indian Students in Australia

The NRI community is spread right across the world and when you look at the figures it seems as though Australia continues to be something of a magnet for non-resident Indians. Over the last few years we have seen a significant increase in the number of non-resident Indian students in Australia and even though there have been some difficulties, they look set to play a major role in the economy going forward.

There are a number of elements attracting the NRI community to Australia and in particular the student community which has been very active around the world.

Australian investment in education

If there is one thing which the Australian government has been very successful at over the last 20 years or so it is investment into the Australian education system. The country now boasts a system which is the envy of many around the world and due to a number of educational exchange partnerships between the likes of India, the USA and the UK for example, this is an area of investment which has certainly created a healthy return.

There are very few leading universities around the world which do not have some kind of direct relationship with the Australian education system. The Australian government has invested billions upon billions of pounds into the school system as well as the university system and overseas students such as those from India will play a major role going forward. This policy has not only brought significant revenue for the Australian economy but it has also brought some of the brightest minds to Australia who will in all likelihood eventually transfer their skills and experience to the employment market in Australia.

The Australian economy

Time and time again the Australian economy has been put forward as one of the better performing areas of the world since the 2008 mortgage crisis. The country managed to avoid a recession, the economy continues to grow and strengthening relations with the likes of China and India have to a certain extent insulated the country from the dark clouds encompassing the worldwide economy.

While you may not immediately put together the education system and the Australian economy these are two elements of Australian life which go hand-in-hand. Over the last couple of years we have seen ongoing friction between the government and various unions with regards to the use of imported skilled labour. The problem is that in many areas of Australia, in many areas of the employment market, the skills and experience required for new projects such as mining operations are currently not available. So what else can the government do?

As we touched on above, the Australian government has been very proactive in the education market and in particular the university sector. By attracting some of the brightest minds from India and other areas of the world the Australian government is able to breathe new life into the economy because skills learnt by overseas students in Australia will eventually be transferred to the employment market. These will be fully fledged taxpaying workers who are based in Australia, have been there for some time and have often contributed more than their fair share both physically and morally.

Conclusion

Many years ago the Australian government decided to invest a significant amount of the federal budget into the education system, with particular emphasis on the university sector. The idea was to attract some of the brightest students, including NRI students, from around the world who would ultimately move into the employment market and assist in training the domestic Australian workforce. They would also be able to transfer their own skills and experience into the wider employment arena and therefore reduce the requirement to continue importing specific skills and specific experience.

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