Global best practice, at Flinders Victoria Square
Flinders University has hosted professional staff from across Australia at an Innovative Research Universities (IRU) seminar on Best Practice in International Careers and Alumni.
Forty IRU delegates, from universities including Flinders, Charles Darwin, Griffith, James Cook, La Trobe and The University of Newcastle, attended the event at Flinders Victoria Square.
Over two days, the participants undertook a range of activities including individual presentations and panel sessions with invited guests on issues such as how their university was linking alumni and international student career outcomes, and how to manage career services and alumni for international students.
Jo Asquith, Director Future Students, James Cook University, and Chair of the Australian Universities International Directors’ Forum, delivered a report on the AUIDF commissioned research project on ‘Improving the Employment Outcomes of International Students’.
The project, by Rob Lawrence, of Prospect Research, focuses on international student employment expectations and attitudes in Australia and the UK, and provides examples of best practice in University services, views of Australian and Asian employers, and perceptions of the employability of international graduates by peak industry bodies and professional associations.
Matt Taverner, Director of International Relationships and Mobility at Flinders University, said hosting the event provided great opportunities for Flinders.
“To have colleagues from across the IRU network share common challenges, ideas and opportunities is invaluable,” Mr Taverner said.
“The forum also allowed us to hear from industry, students, alumni and employers – which is critical in our goal to work closely with key stakeholders to maximise employability outcomes for international students.”
Ms Asquith, who chaired a session on Employment Skills Development for International Students, said the IRU seminar had provided valuable insights and networking opportunities for participants that would help them to improve outcomes in many key areas.
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“It was so beneficial to have the expertise of staff from the international, careers and alumni areas of our institutions take on the critical issues of graduate employability,” she said.
“The single greatest return on investment for international students studying at our universities is the ability to gain employment in their area of expertise.
“To provide our students with the critical attributes to ensure our graduates have the necessary skills for future employment, these three areas of our institutions need to work in harmony and develop integrated strategies.”
