The Australia India Business Exchange 2022 Business Mission held from 25-30 September, concluded in Bengaluru with the signing of numerous education partnerships.
The Bengaluru event series kickstarted with a formal dinner with education sector leaders of South India, field visits to education institutions of edtech start-ups, followed by an engaging discussion on education investment.
This session had industry experts speak on the ways to raise edtech investments through private equity and venture capital. Attracting investors to support ambitious plans like establishing for profit campus at GIFT City was also discussed.
Next was the Future Skills, Technology and Education Showcase organised at the vibrant Atlassian office. The CEO of Austrade, Mr Xavier Simonet was also present at this showcase where Austrade had eight remarkable announcements to make in addition to the launch of the Future Skills Initiative, the Australia-India Innovation Network (AIIN) and Australia-India Cybersecurity Hackathon Challenge. The showcase also hosted a panel discussion on 'Deepening Education, Technology & Skills Partnerships between Australia & India'.
The first launch at the showcase was of an exciting 10-year program - the UniSA–Accenture partnership. UniSA will offer a Bachelor of Digital Business based on the content provided by Accenture. It also includes opportunities for Accenture scholarships and internships for students.
An agreement was also formalised between Griffith University, UpGrad (an Indian unicorn) and its constituent companies Insofe and UpGrad Atlas. A 3+2 transfer arrangement materialised for UpGrad students to study a Master of Information Technology at Griffith University.
The Australian College of Disability & Community Studies also signed an agreement on curriculum design with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in social work. This agreement, which aligns with Austrade's skilling and transnational education agenda, provided students at TISS with an articulation pathway to Australia.
The showcase also had a formal signing of Curtin University's partnership with the Indian School of Mines - a collaboration on the Technology Innovation in Exploration and Mining (TEXMiN) Initiative.
Additionally, Austrade announced initiatives that aim to extend understanding of the Indian market and to grow the presence of the Study Australia brand in South Asia.
The initiatives include:
- Study Australia's India Student Hub (Digital Education Hub) which provides Indian students access to digital tools and resources to inform and inspire their choices for study in Australia.
- The Study Australia Guide – set to be released before the February intake in 2023. The guide will be a one-stop-shop for Indian students considering studying in Australia with information on Australian universities, living and study options.
- The South Asian Forum of Australian Education Providers (SAFAEP) which positions the Australian education brand in South Asia and provides a platform to discuss market insights and build shared industry literacy.
- Release of the Brand Perceptions and Marketing Insights Report which shared the insights from Austrade's omni-channel campaigns run for the Digital Education Hub and enlisted marketing strategies for Australian institutions to position Australia's education brand in India.
These announcements highlight the passion and hard work of our sector and government colleagues to raise the profile of Australian education and the exploration of new business models in India and South Asia.
