Australia Global Alumni Engagement Strategy First Report (2016 and 2017)This summary presents the key findings of the first report for the Australia Global Alumni Engagement Strategy 2016-2020 (the Strategy)1, covering the 2016 and 2017 period. The purpose of the report is to provide a snapshot of progress towards the Strategy objectives by highlighting available data, evidence and profiles of Australia’s alumni.

The Strategy has been developed by the Australian Government and partners.2 It seeks to grow a global alumni community that actively engages and promotes Australia’s interests, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. The Strategy highlights the importance and value of developing and maintaining people-to-people links through increasing the scope and breadth of targeted alumni engagement activities. The objectives of the Strategy are:

» Strengthening Australia’s diplomatic access and influence» Growing trade, investment and business linkages» Promoting Australia’s capabilities and credentials in education, science, research and innovation» Showcasing Australia as a contemporary, innovative, open society.

The Australian Government’s 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper3 highlights these objectives and recognises the value of soft power in reaching them.

Alumni are central to Australia’s soft power in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. Over 2.5 million talented global alumni have benefited from an Australian education. Since the 1950s, Australian Government-funded scholarships for international students have enabled more than 90,000 women and men to study at Australian universities. The number of international fee-paying students is steadily increasing. These international students, and the Australians who study overseas, including through the New Colombo Plan (NCP), make up Australia’s global alumni. By the end of 2020, the NCP alumni will have grown to around 40,000 young Australians with experience of living, studying and working in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia’s two-way international education exchange builds influence; strengthens links between people and institutions; and enhances mutual understanding.

Key findingsThe key findings from the first two years of implementing the Strategy include:» Alumni create people-to-people links and reinforce professional linkages between institutions,

organisations, businesses and governments.» Alumni hold influential positions in Australia and around the world, and are a valuable soft power asset.» Alumni improve perceptions of Australia by sharing positive views of Australia, its people and society.» Alumni make positive contributions towards development initiatives.» Alumni engage in business-related alumni activities, join local chambers of commerce, and participate in

youth exchange programs and international youth forums, often creating new opportunities for Australian businesses.

» Alumni promote Australia’s education, science, research and innovation.

1 http://dfat.gov.au/people–to–people/global–alumni/Pages/global–alumni.aspx2 The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) worked closely with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural

Research (ACIAR), the Department of Education and Training (DET); Austrade; Australian universities; and implementing partners.3 https://www.fpwhitepaper.gov.au/

Executive Summary 1

Progress towards Strategy ObjectivesStrengthening Australia’s influence

Alumni Strengthening

Australia’s Links

Australia Awards alumnus, a Master’s graduate from the Australian National University (1993) and diplomat, Mr Rudra Nepal, served as Nepal’s Ambassador to Australia from 2012 to 2016. Mr Nepal has created valuable links with Australia across trade, aid and diplomacy, and fostered people–to–people links through his advocacy of the Australian education system.

Australia’s diverse and talented global alumni play a vital role in extending Australia’s international influence. Alumni hold positions of leadership both in Australia and throughout the region. For example, the majority of Australia Awards alumni surveyed by the Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility hold a formal (69 per cent) or informal (24 per cent) leadership role in their current workplace.4

Alumni are able to capitalise on the networks formed through their experiences in Australia. Fifty-five per cent of Australia Awards alumni surveyed by the Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility developed a professional link with an Australian organisation after their award and many of these linkages helped contribute towards collaborations on research and professional work.5

NCP alumni contribute to strengthening Australia’s linkages with the Indo-Pacific. The growing number of Australians who have benefited from the NCP are helping to strengthen relations with the Indo-Pacific. These relationships reinforce already influential and enduring partnerships. NCP alumni networks are building new opportunities for Australia in the region; strengthening people-to-people and institutional linkages; and deepening economic and cultural connections. Eighty-nine per cent of NCP scholar and 43 per cent of mobility alumni reported that their NCP contacts enhanced their understanding and connections with the Indo-Pacific region to a great extent.6

Alumni Creating the Future“Australian alumni are helping create Timor-Leste’s future. They are

Ministers, parliamentarians, running successful businesses and leading civil society organisations. We’ve got civil engineers bringing

clean water to rural communities, disability advocates making education more inclusive, and entrepreneurs running car and

motorbike rental businesses. Graduates come back from Australia with academic and real-world experience that they use to help Timor-Leste develop and prosper. It’s great that Australia’s extended family

in Timor-Leste is making such a difference.”Peter Roberts, OAM, Australian Ambassador to Timor-Leste

(January 2018 to date)

“The New Colombo Plan provides thousands of Australian

4 Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility, Tracer Survey Report , 2017 . The Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility data in this report is from the 2017 tracer survey of 1,510 Australia Awards Scholarships alumni from 27 different countries who completed their award from 2006-2010.

5 Ibid.6Australian Survey Research, NCP Alumni Survey, Year 2, April 2018. Note: Scholar data is indicative due to small sample size.

2 Australia Global Alumni

students with opportunities to study and undertake internships in ASEAN member states. Beyond professional knowledge and

skills development in relevant fields, this program has provided invaluable opportunities to create genuine mutual understanding and life-long friendships among the youths of both ASEAN and

Australia.”7

H.E. Mr Chirachai Punkrasin, Thai Ambassador to Australia (2016)

Alumni contribute to development initiatives. Development contributions span diverse sectors including infrastructure, health, security, agriculture, fisheries, water management, governance and education. Ninety-two per cent of Australia Awards alumni from countries in Africa reported making some form of contribution towards the development of their respective countries.8 NCP alumna Ms Talia Rose from the University of Queensland, studied at the National University of Singapore, and undertook an internship with the Agile Development Group in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, focussing on disabilities and biomedical engineering. She went on to work at Engineering World Health in Cambodia.

Growing Australia’s trade, investment and business linkages

Australia’s alumni become business leaders, entrepreneurs and employees and can identify new connections for Australian businesses and add depth to Australia’s business relationships. For many Australian businesses, the most significant barriers to growing their operations beyond Australia arise from a lack of familiarity with local languages, cultures and customs abroad, and vice versa for potential customers, investors or businesses abroad9. Alumni with international education experience have the potential to address many of the current barriers to growing Australia’s business profile in the region.

Almost three-quarters of international fee-paying students undertake business-related study in Australia.10

7 http://www.ncpthailand.com/news/he–mr–chirachai–punkrasin–ambassador–thailand/ 8 DFAT, Australia Awards – Africa, Baseline Perceptions Study, 2016.9 DFAT, Australia Global Alumni Engagement Strategy 2016-2020. Linking alumni with Australian business. Fact Sheet 610 In 2016, of the international higher education fee-paying alumni, 54 per cent completed management and commerce, 9 per cent

engineering and related technologies and 8 per cent information technology courses. Source: Department of Education and Training.

Executive Summary 3

New Colombo Plan: Youth Exchange

Mr Sayle Johnston is a New Colombo Plan scholar and Alumni Ambassador for Melbourne University. Since his scholarship study at Universitas Parahyangan and Universitas Gajah Mada in Indonesia, Mr Johnston has maintained strong links with Indonesia as a delegate on the Australian Indonesian Youth Exchange Program and the Australian Indonesia Youth Leaders Workshop. He organised the Conference of Australian Indonesian Youth Review in 2017 and is Secretary of the Australian Indonesia Youth Association in Yogyakarta from 2016-17.

EstablishingBusiness Links

Ms Panita Vongkusolkit is an alumna from the University of Sydney having completed a combined Bachelor of Arts/ Commerce. She works for her family company, Mitr Phol Sugar Group – Asia’s largest sugar producer and Thailand’s largest supplier of ethanol. Ms Vongkusolkit is a director of the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce and heavily involved in alumni activities in Thailand.

Alumni have access to an extensive network of Australian and Indo-Pacific businesses, researchers and others. By becoming members of local Australian chambers of commerce and alumni associations, or participating in Australian-Indo-Pacific youth exchange programs and business forums, alumni are participating in business-related activities and strengthening business networks.

The private sector plays a central role in the New Colombo Plan by sponsoring and providing internships for Australian undergraduates in the Indo-Pacific. More than 300 private sector organisations are registered on the New Colombo Plan Internships and Mentorships Network, offering work-based opportunities throughout the region. NCP alumni have identified business and trade-related opportunities arising from their placements, from engaging with business networks, by improving cultural and language literacy, and through establishing links with professional associations.

For example, Mr Benjamin Terracini, a 2016 NCP alumnus and UTS graduate, joined the Mitsui & Co. (Australia) NCP immersion program in Japan and worked as a trainee mechanical engineer while studying. Today he works at Komatsu Australia as a mining planning and inventory analyst: “My decision to apply for the Mitsui immersion program was a critical turning point.  Like a chemical reaction, it led to improving my

Celebrating Entrepreneurial

Success

4 Australia Global Alumni

Business–related study by full fee–paying international students

Source: Department of Education and Training. Higher Education Statistics Collections (Student). Award course completions, 2016

University of Technology Sydney alumnus, Mr Ren (Rob) Wang was the 2017 winner of the Austrade-Australia China Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship. As General Manager of Beijing Everlast Technology and Trading, Mr Wang received the award in recognition of his exemplary business practice and entrepreneurial success in the booming Chinese wine and luxury goods market.

Japanese, exposing me to the business culture, and my meeting key executives including former CEO Mr Takahashi. It’s these opportunities that have led to my position with Komatsu Australia today .”11

Alumni business and entrepreneurial success have been recognised by universities, government and alumni associations. Alumni engagement activities, such as corporate sponsored business events, training workshops and annual alumni awards for innovation or entrepreneurship, encourage alumni to establish their own businesses and maintain commercial linkages with Australia.

Promoting Australia’s capabilities and credentials in education, science, research and innovation

Education, training and research exchanges are central to promoting Australian capabilities. Professional associations, alumni grant schemes and recognition through prestigious international and regional awards have all supported alumni to promote Australia’s credentials in education, science, research and innovation.

As a result of their professional and personal networks, alumni are in positions to promote Australia as a destination for study. Ninety-six per cent of the Australia Awards alumni surveyed by the Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility reported they readily provide advice to people from their country concerning the pursuit of educational opportunities in Australia.12

New Colombo Plan:Co-Authoring

Research

Mr. Andrew Wrigley, a 2015 New Colombo Plan Scholar from the Australian National University, undertook his Honours research in machine learning at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Mr Wrigley continues to work with NUS as a research assistant following the publication of co-authored research. He is spending a year at the Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China studying for a Masters of Global Affairs in 2018-19.

11 https://dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/new-colombo-plan/Pages/new-colombo-plan.aspx12 Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility, Tracer Survey Report, 2017.

Executive Summary 5

Strengthening Education Links

Australia Awards Endeavour fellowship alumna, Ms Nguyen Thi Bui Khoi received the 2016-17 SEAMEO-Australia Education Links Award for her proposal to build teacher capacity by connecting university language programs in Vietnam and Australia through An Giang University, the Australia National University, the University of Canberra and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

In 2017, 98 per cent of Australia Awards Scholarship alumni from countries in Africa reported they were promoting Australian education, science, research and innovation13. In a survey of Vocational Education and Training (VET) international alumni who studied in Australia and graduated in 2016, 89 per cent of respondents said they would recommend their training program and 85 per cent would recommend their training provider.14

Based on their positive experiences in Australia, alumni regularly recommend Australia as a study destination. Ms Chow Yoong Sien, a doctorate alumni from the University of New South Wales has an astounding family connection with the university. Since 1959, 28 members of her extended family, who now live in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia, have attended the university. ‘My mum and dad, as graduates, wouldn’t let me consider any other Australian university”.15

Alumni are instrumental in promoting valuable institutional linkages. Australian education and research have been strengthened through linkages between Australian universities and universities in the region.

Advancing Australian Expertise

Dr Tanda Panjaitan, a senior researcher for Indonesia’s Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology, completed his PhD at the University of Queensland in 2008 on an Australia Awards John Allwright Fellowship. He has worked consistently in partnership with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) over his career. ACIAR develops and maintains relationships with alumni in the Indo-Pacific and Eastern and Southern Africa to promote Australia’s capabilities and credentials in agricultural science.

These partnerships are an important component of the Australian Government’s efforts to position itself at the forefront of research, science and innovation in a globalised world.

Examples of research collaboration include co-authored publications by NCP alumnus Mr Andrew Wrigley, and ACIAR alumnus Dr Tanda Panjaitan. Another alumnus, Dr Thitipong Nandhabiwat from Murdoch University, fostered strong Thai-Australian relationships by connecting Murdoch University and Rangsit University to deliver two collaborative double degree programs in Information Technology and International Business.

13 DFAT, Australia Awards - Africa, Outcomes Study 2017, Infographic. Based on a 61% response rate on 613 surveyed alumni who returned home during the past 30 months.

14 National Centre for Vocational Education Research, (2018). National Student Outcomes Survey, 2017 (international component).15 Ibid.

6 Australia Global Alumni

Showcasing Australia as a contemporary, innovative and open society

Alumni describe their Australian study experience as transformational, allowing them to view the world differently and embrace new ways of thinking and new technologies.16 Ninety-six per cent of Australia Awards alumni surveyed by the Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility had a positive perception of Australia as a country and 94 per cent a positive perception of Australian skills and expertise as a result of their time in Australia.17 In 2017, 88 per cent of the Australia Awards Scholarships alumni from countries in Africa reported that they were showcasing Australia as a contemporary, innovative society.18

Advocating Against Domestic Violence In PNG

Gender specialist Ms Jane Kesno was inspired by her Social Planning and Development studies under an Australia Awards Scholarship at the University of Queensland in 1996. As a result she established the Public Service Male Advocacy Network in PNG in an effort to stop violence against women. Since 2016 the network has sparked an important transformation in the perception of PNG society, with violence against women no longer seen solely as a women’s issue. Men are now leading the network to advocate against violence and calling other men to join in.

Many alumni embody Australia’s values in their chosen careers, for example, by advocating for gender equality and women’s leadership, by encouraging an inclusive society through support for people with disabilities, and by celebrating cultural diversity through the arts.

In 2016-2017 the Australian Government supported international alumni engagement with a thematic focus on gender equality, including targeted gender training and networking events. As a result, there has been a significant uptake of initiatives promoting women in leadership across different regions. For example, Australia Awards in Indonesia funded eight small grant projects for alumni to support women’s empowerment projects. Australia Awards alumni from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan participated in the Women in Business Leadership Conference in Pakistan.

Targeted alumni engagement activities on disability inclusion have taken place across the Indo-Pacific in 2016 to 2017. Australia Awards in Indonesia provided small grants for alumni on entrepreneurship training for people with disability, and skills-development for teachers to identify children with disability.

Alumni have raised the profile of disability inclusion, through advocacy, policy-making, and practice in their work to improve

16 Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility, Tracer Survey Report, 2017.17 Ibid.18 DFAT, Australia Awards - Africa Outcomes Study, 2017, Infographic.

Executive Summary 7

Advocating for disability

inclusiveness

Through the New Colombo Plan, Mr Austin Wyatt, a student at the Swinburne University of Technology, completed his Honours research at KAIST in the Republic of Korea, with a four-month research internship at the Centre of Robotics for Field Exploration, Innovation and Defence at KAIST. His PhD was concerned with the regional security implications of the deployment of lethal autonomous weapons in East Asia. Mr Wyatt has been the Deputy Chairperson of the I Can Network, Australia’s first social enterprise run by people on the autism spectrum.

inclusiveness. In Bhutan, an alumnus trained teachers from more than 20 schools on inclusive and special education, and has been involved in drafting the Bhutan Inclusive Education Policy and the National Disability Policy.

NCP scholars, mobility students and alumni represent Australia while living and working in the Indo-Pacific. They have the opportunity to share Australia’s values, way of life, cultural diversity and inclusiveness through their engagement in the region.

A NCP mobility study tour to Fiji, through the University of Canberra and the University of Western Australia, examined how Indigenous knowledge was being advanced and protected in Fiji. For Mr Fred Leftwich, who is descended from the Butchulla, Kuku Langi and Doomage nations of Queensland, the trip gave him greater perspective on his own heritage and inspired him to write books on Australian Indigenous nations. Mr Jai Cornish-Martin, from Bourke in far western New South Wales, said the tour enabled him to become more in touch with his own Indigenous heritage, while engaging, learning and contrasting the Fijian Indigenous culture to his own: “Going forward, the experiences I gained and learnings I engaged in whilst on this trip will undoubtedly help me to support the next generation of Indigenous youth coming through to succeed and thrive in becoming role models for Australia and the world.”

Connect, mobilise, and celebrate

The Australia Global Alumni Engagement Strategy advocates three strategic actions — connect, mobilise, celebrate — to engage with alumni building on the strong foundation of alumni engagement by universities, diplomatic posts and Australian Government departments.

» Alumni are

connected through the Australia Global Alumni website and social media channels.

» Alumni are mobilised through networking and professional development opportunities, policy and trade dialogues, business linkages, research, mentoring, and women’s leadership initiatives.

» Alumni are celebrated through alumni excellence awards, publications, keynote speeches and video profiles such as the Australian by Degree series on YouTube.

@AusGlobalAlumni globalalumni.gov.au

8 Australia Global Alumni

Alumni Open Doors

“In Indonesia, Australian alumni promote study in Australia, Australian business and investment and

provide insights into the Australia-Indonesia relationship. These Indonesian alumni open doors for Australia. In the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, we

work closely with these alumni to support their leadership in Indonesia’s development and continue to

provide them with professional development, networking and career opportunities.”

Allaster Cox, Minister and Deputy Head of MissionAustralian Embassy, Jakarta

(December 2017 to date)

AusGlobal AlumniNCPAlumni

Executive Summary 9

AnnexCore Australian Government ScholarshipsNew Colombo PlanTable 1: Number of NCP scholarship program recipients by region of host location and award year

Host Location 2016 2017

North Asia 48 55

Pacific 5 8

South East Asia 42 37

South Asia 5 5

Total 100 105Source: DFAT New Colombo Plan records, May 2018

Table 2: Number of NCP mobility program recipients by region of host location and award yearHost Location 2016 2017North Asia 1,769 2,378

Pacific 380 652

South East Asia 2,316 3,159

South Asia 1,022 1,252

Total 5,487 7,441

Source: DFAT New Colombo Plan records, May 2018. Notes: Mobility Program student numbers are subject to amendment by Australian universities.

Australia Awards Scholarships and Fellowships19

Table 3: Number of Australia Awards offered by region (2017)Region Long-term Short-term Total

East Asia 683 987 1,670

South Asia 206 442 648

Pacific Island Countries 267 115 382

Papua New Guinea 243 25 268

Sub‐Saharan Africa 144 292 436

North Africa & the Middle East 10 10

Latin America and Caribbean 89 89

Total 1,553 1,950 3,503

19 Australia’s scholarships and fellowships program has been branded as Australia Awards since 2011. The Australian Government has funded scholarships since the 1940s, such as through the Colombo Plan in the 1950s. Other predecessor schemes to the Australia Awards Scholarships include the Australia Development Scholarships and the Equity and Merit Scholarship Scheme funded under the former Australian Agency for International Development.

10 Australia Global Alumni

Source: DFAT Australia Awards Statistical Profile, 2017. Notes: Includes Australia Awards Scholarships, Australia Awards Pacific Scholarships, ACIAR awards, Australia Awards Fellowships and Short Course Awards.

Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships20

Table 4: International Endeavour Scholarship or Fellowship Recipients by Level of Study (Intake years: 2007-2017

Level of study Number

Postdoctoral research 1,201

Professional development 691

Australian Masters by coursework 582

Australian PhD 453

Short–term research towards a PhD 329

Diploma 238

Advanced Diploma 207

Australian Masters by research 54

Associate Degree 48

Short–term research towards a Masters 46

Total 3,849

Source: Department of Education and Training, May 2018

Figure 1: Region of Host Location of Australian Endeavour Scholarship or Fellowship Recipients (2007-2017)

Source: Department of Education and Training, May 2018

20 The Endeavour Leadership Program was created in 2018 to support two-way mobility for short and long-term study, research and professional development opportunities. The new program merged the former Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships and the Endeavour Mobility Grants, with better targeting to ensure that these opportunities are sustainable into the future and aligned with the Australian Government’s strategic priorities.

Executive Summary 11

International fee-paying students Note: The international student data covers onshore international students studying on student visas only. It does not include overseas students on Australian funded scholarships or sponsorships or students undertaking study while holding a tourist or other temporary entry visas. New Zealand students are not included. Double-counting occurs when a student studies in more than one course (for example undertaking first a Bachelor degree, and then a Master’s degree).

Table 5: International fee-paying student higher education completions by region of permanent residence, 1990-2016

Region 1990-1999 2000-2009 2010-2016 Total

Americas 2,881 26,397 28,250 57,528

North Africa and Middle East 1,364 14,100 31,645 47,109

Europe 3,062 32,558 25,587 61,207

North–East Asia 37,601 235,565 310,112 583,278

Pacific/Oceania 4,183 6,472 5,629 16,284

South–East Asia 79,504 237,551 227,937 544,992

Southern and Central Asia 7,729 80,647 88,353 176,729

Sub–Saharan Africa 1,498 15,777 22,165 39,440

Not known 9,286 10,989 6,359 26,634

Total 147,108 660,056 746,037 1,553,201

Source: Department of Education and Training. Higher Education Statistics Collections (Student). Provided by DET March 2018

Table 6: International fee-paying student VET completions by region of country of birth, 2014 to 2016

Region 2014 2015 2016

Africa and the Middle East 10,768 16,591 16,590

Americas 3,101 5,325 6,953

Europe 4,945 7,249 7,584

Northeast Asia 14,832 16,693 20,644

Pacific 1,822 2,658 2,095

12 Australia Global Alumni

South East Asia 9,038 12,880 13,711

Not known 6,518 7,135 7,050

Total 51,024 68,531 74,627

Source: NCVER 2017, Australian vocational education and training statistics: total VET students and courses 2016 — pivot tables, NCVER, Adelaide. Source: National VET Provider Collection 2014-16 and National VET in Schools Collection 2014-16. Notes: 2016 preliminary data.

Executive Summary 13