Vol.18 18No. No.41 27 Vol.
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Wednesday, January Wednesday, April 13, 20, 2016 2016
WAGGING TO HEALTH: Horsham’s Jenna Young and Tyler McRae prepare to take their maremma sheepdogs Oskar and Molly for their nightly walk on the banks of the Wimmera River. The Heart Foundation is promoting April as the perfect time for people with dogs to get active and healthy by walking their pets or joining walking groups. Picture: MICK SHANNON
International plan L
BY DEAN LAWSON
ongerenong College wants to provide agricultural training for overseas students from as early as next year as part of a long-term expansion plan.
The college will apply to register as an international education provider at the end of this month in a move that, if successful, is likely to significantly bolster student numbers. It also has the potential to dramatically expand the college’s direction and dynamics and open the door for greater tertiary-based investment in the region. The college has provided agricultur-
IN THIS ISSUE
al training for the Australian domestic market for 127 years. The application to win a place on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students, CRICOS, represents one of the biggest and boldest moves in the college’s history. College general manager John Goldsmith confirmed a team was adding final touches to a submission to the Federal Government. “As the world becomes smaller, particularly in agricultural industries, it is logical that we take that next step to bring international students to the Wimmera,” he said. “We have had students from over-
seas inquiring in the past couple of years and it basically got us thinking. “The college board has now listed it as one of the key items to work towards.”
Vocational training
Longerenong College is near Dooen, north of Horsham, and is operated by Skillinvest, formerly Workco. It provides vocational training, offering Advanced Diploma of Agriculture and Certificate IV in Agriculture courses as well as a raft of other agricultural-based educational services. It has 90 students studying for diploma or certificate qualifications full time and it is in this study field the
college wants to open the doors for international arrivals. Mr Goldsmith said the college might have to wait several months before knowing if its application was successful. “In the ideal world we would be looking to have overseas students in 2017,” he said. “For a start we would be looking for a small cohort of about 20. “We want to take small steps to get it right and we don’t want to compromise the quality of training. “We want to get it right and see how things develop from there. “The intake of full-time students on campus would lift to about 110 in
the first year and keep growing from there. But before we reached figures of up to 200, we would have to invest in resources which would include staffing, classrooms and equipment. “It would be another pillar in securing the college as one of the premier agricultural institutions in Australia. “It has the potential to be ground-breaking. There are obviously several institutions offering higher education for international students but very few in the vocational area. We see that as being a niche. “It also opens the potential to draw in more multi-national investment partners.” Contined page 3
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