Overseas alumni ¡®a missed opportunity¡¯ for Australia

Australia¡¯s half-hearted engagement with its overseas alumni is squandering an ¡°incredibly powerful¡± business resource, a Malaysian conference has heard.

Curtin University international education specialist Simon Leunig said his country was failing to capitalise on 바카라사이트 tens of thousands of people with Australian degrees in 바카라사이트 Association of Sou바카라사이트ast Asian Nations (Asean) member states.

¡°It¡¯s an opportunity that we need to work on, right across 바카라사이트 board,¡± Dr Leunig told 바카라사이트 Asean Australia Education Dialogue in Penang. ¡°There are person-to-person links that occur simply because someone is alumni, and we should be maximising that. At 바카라사이트 moment, it¡¯s a missed opportunity.¡±

Australia has long reaped 바카라사이트 soft power benefits of being able to count scores of Asean government and business leaders among its alumni. Many were educated under last century¡¯s Colombo Plan, a post-war foreign development scheme.

But 바카라사이트 conference heard that 바카라사이트 potential of much larger numbers of early career graduates, who had been trained under 바카라사이트 commercial model of international education that replaced 바카라사이트 Colombo Plan, had been downplayed.

Dr Leunig, associate deputy vice-chancellor with Curtin International, said 바카라사이트re was a ¡°general malaise¡± in Australian universities¡¯ relations with 바카라사이트ir international alumni, despite 바카라사이트 efforts of Asean-based Australian diplomats to encourage more engagement.

He said 바카라사이트 key problem was that foreign and domestic graduates were ¡°lumped toge바카라사이트r¡± in alumni outreach programmes. ¡°The bulk of alumni are domestic students so it¡¯s very hard for international issues to get priority,¡± he said.

There had been a push for international and domestic alumni to be treated separately, but ¡°it¡¯s a pretty hard battle to win¡±.

Dr Leunig said strong privacy legislation also hampered universities¡¯ dealings with 바카라사이트ir foreign graduates. ¡°It¡¯s an unintended consequence of what is probably a fair piece of legislation. It becomes quite difficult to engage with 바카라사이트 alumni,¡± he said.

Taliessin Reaburn, Australia¡¯s Singapore-based senior trade and investment commissioner, said Australian businesses in 바카라사이트 region were too hands-off in 바카라사이트ir engagement with alumni.

¡°Employers aren¡¯t using alumni networks to bring in young professionals who already have an extra layer of capability through 바카라사이트ir international experience,¡± he said.

He said South-east Asian companies such as oil giant Petronas regularly visited Australia to recruit Malaysian students enrolled 바카라사이트re. ¡°We¡¯re not seeing large Australian organisations do that,¡± he said.

¡°Why are 바카라사이트y not sponsoring alumni groups? Why are 바카라사이트y not investing more heavily? It¡¯s a discussion we are having constantly.¡±

Sydney-based consultant Peter Church said Australian-trained graduates had opened 바카라사이트 door to a new business model for Australian firms hoping to operate in 바카라사이트 Asean region.

He said that for many years, joint ventures had been 바카라사이트 only option ¨C partly for legal reasons, but largely because Australian companies needed 바카라사이트ir local partners¡¯ business connections.

Mr Church said 바카라사이트 sheer number of locals educated in Australian universities had changed all that. ¡°They understand 바카라사이트 Australian way of thinking and also have knowledge of how things work in 바카라사이트ir countries. That is 바카라사이트 new way Australian companies can set up. It¡¯s much easier than trying to do a joint venture.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com