SYDNEY, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- To boost the recovery of its international education sector, the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has rolled out supportive programs to enhance students' experience and attract talents from around the globe.
Supported by Study NSW, a unit of the NSW government responsible for international student affairs, Sydney hosted its first official welcome event on Tuesday for international students studying at local institutions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the event, the city's international student leader ambassador 2023-24 program was announced to kick off in early November, helping students strengthen their links with local communities through training, mentoring and practical work experience.
"Pre-COVID, the international student market was contributing more than 1.6 billion Australian dollars (about 1 billion U.S. dollars) to the local economy and generated demand for more than 10,000 full-time jobs," Mayor Clover Moore said.
"International students can also create vital links between Sydney and their home countries, becoming life-long ambassadors for Australia as a place to visit, learn and work," Moore noted.
Last month, the NSW government announced six projects targeting global students to share in 400,000 Australian dollars (about 250,000 U.S. Dollars) as part of its Partner Projects grant program. The funded service ranged from conducting research into emerging markets where students come from, helping them transition to local life to advancing entrepreneurial thinking and communication skills.
"Prior to the pandemic, international education was NSW's largest services export, generating more than 14 billion Australian dollars (about 8.8 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue and supporting over 95,000 jobs," NSW Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade Alister Henskens said.
As NSW attracts more than 37 percent of Australia's international student population, the minister said the program will not only assist those already studying within NSW, but also help "promote the state as a destination to prospective students."
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that the export income from international students fell to 22 billion Australian dollars (about 13.7 billion U.S. dollars) in 2021 from 31.7 billion Australian dollars (about 19.8 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020 and 40.3 billion Australian dollars (about 25.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2019, while the country's total services credits of last year declined by 18 percent to 59.1 billion Australian dollars (about 37 billion U.S. dollars). ■