RMIT Deputy Vice-Chancellor International and Engagement Saskia Loer Hansen has expressed the importance of international and transnational education in fostering regional prosperity, in a wide-ranging interview on the ATN Perspectives podcast.
Ms Loer Hansen said RMIT's unique partnerships and learning pathways prepared students for the globalised workforce.
"A global classroom is a classroom where you have students of different backgrounds, different experiences, brought together, learning about one another," she said.
"That's the richness that comes from working with diversity, we all grow from having those experiences."
Fostering regional collaboration
She said RMIT's transnational education programs, in key locations like India, Vietnam and Singapore, provided reciprocal benefit.
"It's something that complements and adds to [international onshore and domestic delivery] and creates opportunities for learners who often aren't able to come and study with us," she said.
"Some of our partners, they are incredibly industry connected, they do fabulous activities, they are very advanced in their pedagogy and their ability to use technology.
"We should make sure we also take the time to learn from them to enhance and improve, and at times change, our practise at home in Melbourne."
Deputy Vice-Chancellor International and Engagement Saskia Loer Hansen
Addressing skills demands
Ms Loer Hansen said international education, and cross-sector collaboration, would help address Australia's skills demands.
"[RMIT is] very much working collaboratively with government to figure out how best to do this in a way that retains Australia's brand as a high quality and welcoming international education destination.
"It's about how we equip learners, irrespective of background, to work either in Australia or somewhere else in the world."
"At RMIT, we support the notion of managed growth [with regards to international education] … I think we can only address [skills demands] if we find a productive, positive way of addressing that balance between the talent we bring in, the talent we grow and the talent we like for the long term for.
You can listen to the full interview on the ATN Perspectives podcast here.
