Cairns a draw card for foreign students
A senior CQUniversity academic predicts that international tertiary students in Cairns will outnumber their domestic counterparts in five years.
Senior international and services deputy vice-chancellor Alastair Dawson said the destination and proximity to Asia would draw increasing numbers of students from overseas to study in Cairns.
He told 250 people at a recent corporate lunch in Cairns that the destination was ‘really important for people studying’.
Mr Dawson said Cairns was high’ on the list because of its tourism, security and opportunities.
‘We are really excited about Cairns, he said.
Mr Dawson said the university was rolling out a number of products which would appeal to international students.
CQU’s associate vice-chancellor Jodie Duignan-George said Cairns had a strong international brand, an international airport with ever-expanding route connections, significantly expanded student accommodation infrastructure and a collaborative network of international education providers.
TAFE North Queensland general manager Joann Pyne said overseas students wanted to go to capital cities but Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef was recognised and gave the city ‘a foot up’ compared to other regional cities trying to draw overseas students.
Study Cairns president Carol Doyle said Cairns was considered a safe and friendly place to study.
This article is an extract from the Cairns Post.