Forging closer higher education ties with India

New Delhi: Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham has led a delegation of more than 30 Australian education representatives to India to deliver the message that Australia is open for business, and continues to be a great place to visit and study.

Joining the delegation are around 100 Australian businesses and organisations, as well as Austrade CEO Dr Stephanie Fahey, who said that the mission is focused on strengthening Australia’s education ties with India and building Australia’s reputation for high-quality education.

“With a young, aspirational population, the demands on India’s education system will continue to grow, driving demand for high-quality education for the current generation and their children,” Dr Fahey said.

“India’s education system is looking to the world for specific capabilities to help it adapt and prepare for the future, and Australia is perfectly placed to partner with India as both nations strive for sustainable higher education sectors.”

“Australia’s education ties to India are already strong – India is Australia’s second largest source of international students, and Australian universities are already highly active in India,” said Austrade General Manager of South Asia, Catherine Gallagher.

“This week, Australia’s leading universities signed agreements with Indian counterparts to further strengthen our education ties and build stronger research and development capabilities between both nations.”

During AIB-X, Deakin University launched its Certificate of Sports Marketing with the Rajasthan Royals IPL team and the University of Wollongong is partnering with IIT Bombay on electrical power engineering systems.

Austrade’s AIB-X multi-month program of events is designed to deepen Australia’s ties with India in key sectors such as education, tourism, premium food and wine, resources and energy, and infrastructure.