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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-11-25 Daily Xml
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INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON (Croydon) (14:57): Can the minister—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member will be heard in silence.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: Can the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education tell the house—

Mr Pengilly interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Finniss!

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: —whether his recent trip to Vietnam improves our state's chances of increasing numbers of international students?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:58): Last week I was pleased to be in Vietnam to make possible a new agreement between TAFE SA and the Da Nang Vocational Training College to deliver TAFE SA diploma courses in Da Nang in Central Vietnam. The agreement aims to further boost the number of international students who come from Vietnam to study in South Australia.

For the first time, three TAFE SA programs—a Diploma in IT (Software Development), a Diploma of Business Administration and an Advanced Diploma of Tourism—will be delivered in cooperation with the Da Nang Vocational Training College. This new arrangement with the Da Nang college builds on an already long association with education providers in Vietnam where, for more than 10 years, TAFE SA has been delivering information technology and business programs in Hanoi and Saigon.

About 1,300 Vietnamese students have come to South Australia to study this year, an 8 per cent increase on the 2009 figure. Vietnam is the fifth largest source country for overseas students in South Australia and the fourth largest nationally, and we want to continue to build on those numbers. The government hopes that young people studying these TAFE SA courses in Da Nang will be encouraged by their positive experience and subsequently decide to extend their studies and travel to South Australia.

On my trip to Da Nang last week, I met with dozens of key educational representatives and was greeted at the Da Nang Vocational College by over 500 students who attended to witness the formal signing of the agreement. I am grateful for the warm hospitality of the Da Nang Vocational College, the People's Committee of Da Nang and the Centre for High-Quality Human Resources. I also want to acknowledge the good work of Austrade and, in particular, the South Australian government representative of Vietnam, Miss Thao Nguyen.

During fruitful meetings with officials I highlighted Adelaide's reputation for providing world-class educational opportunities in a safe and supportive city which welcomes students from overseas. Vietnam has many opportunities. For example, the current surge of restaurants, hotels and resorts being built in Da Nang has created a demand for training programs in tourism, hospitality and accounting, business administration and information technology.

We are keen to showcase our excellent vocational education courses and facilities in hospitality, tourism and English language to encourage even more Vietnamese students to come to South Australia. Students coming to Da Nang can study English language courses and move directly into hospitality and tourism programs at the Regency International Centre in Adelaide, which delivers professional training in cookery, hospitality management, tourism, cookery, patisserie, bakery, butchery and food processing.

During the visit, TAFE SA also held a free English language seminar for Vietnamese students in Saigon. This was well attended. I also visited an education expo while in Saigon. Despite the closed regime and the protracted war, the spirit and ambition of the Vietnamese is not quelled; and, like our successful Vietnamese community in South Australia, families left in Vietnam are seeking a better future through education. I hope that, through opportunities like vocational training, a bridge can be built between the Vietnamese people and South Australia.

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