32,000 Australian students opted to study overseas in 2014. These statistics were compiled by a group named Universities Australia. The study showed that from 2008 to 2014 the number of students who left Australia to study overseas grew from 15,058 students to 31,912 students. Where are they going? The report claims a lot do go to English-speaking countries but China has been a draw card for some.
The main destinations were listed
- The United States
- China
- Britain
- Canada
- Japan
Scott Sheperd, deputy vice-chancellor at the Queensland University of Technology said: “Instead of going for an entire semester, a lot of students are now heading overseas for two to four-week programs. Students also benefit from the exposure to new experiences and increasing their resilience. And that shows to employers that they have a broader perspective.”
The Australian publication further showed students from 34 of the 39 Australian universities took part in “learning abroad” studies. The research showed that 30 percent of the students from these universities went to Asia. One of the researchers, Rob Lawrence, said that out of 6,800 he conducted research on the reasons given for studying abroad was because students didn’t want a “run-of-the-mill degree”.
An electrical engineering student, Matt Rowe, said studying abroad was good for him. He said: “It gives you the confidence to follow your interests, to seek adventure and to be excited by the ocean of experiences just waiting for you.”
Are engineering students studying abroad and then snatching the degrees from the students that were actually born in the country? The Americans say: yes.
“It’s a big concern: We bring a lot of students here, we train them, and then they leave,” said Vince Bertram, President, and CEO of Project Lead The Way. According to research from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, the amount of U.S. citizens getting graduate degrees in science and engineering fell by 5 percent in 2014. The groups drew parallels with how many temporary visas were granted, which spiked by 35 percent in those years.
“We have to continue to expand our domestic pipeline of students going into these areas. We have to continue to grow our own talent, and it doesn’t happen at the graduate level. It’s going to occur at elementary and middle school, not trying to convince students once they’re in high school that these opportunities are available to them,” Bertram said.