Australia and the UK team up in first-ever joint education exhibition

Singapore, 13 March 2007: Two of the most popular study destinations for Singaporean students – Australia and the United Kingdom – have joined forces to stage the first Australia-UK education fair. Involving more than 60 schools and universities, this collaborative effort is aimed at providing Singaporean students with one-stop access to information about the diverse study opportunities available in these countries.

“Young people are increasingly mobile and have many more choices about where and what to study. UK universities offer a truly international student experience in a country renowned for its tradition of education and its innovative approach. An international education is an important decision in a young person’s journey through life. The exhibition allows young people to get first-hand information from two of the leading education destinations for students from Singapore,” said Eunice Crook, Director, British Council.

“Australia is proud to have played a significant role in educating many successful Singaporeans. Together with their peers from all over the world, Singaporean students have provided their Australian hosts with a cross cultural learning experience that can never be understood by just reading a book or watching documentary series. Austrade is proud to team up with the British Council in organising this inaugural joint study exhibition which will offer prospective students of Australian and UK institutions a chance to learn more about exciting studying opportunities in both countries,” said Maurine Lam, Senior Trade Commissioner of Australian Trade Commission, Singapore.

The Education UK – Study in Australia 2007 fair will be held from 12 noon to 6pm, 17 to 18 March at Hall 401 at Suntec Singapore. Highlights include interactive seminars as well as a display of the winning entries for the art competition organised by the British Council in Singapore last year for the launch of the new EducationUK brand.

The collaborative effort is undertaken by the British Council and Australian Trade Commission. The British Council is the UK’s leading agency for education and cultural relations and as part of its remit, promotes the UK as a study destination as well as a partner for research, course development, faculty or student exchange. The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) is the Australian Government trade facilitation agency that assists Australian organisations in export market development across various industry sectors, including education services.

The UK and Australia collectively attract more than about 12,000 Singaporean students to study at their schools and universities annually. Popular courses include accounting, business and finance, emerging arts and media, engineering, English literature, English language and linguistics, information technology, law, and medicine.

For a full list of participating universities and organisations, please visit www.studyinaustralia.org and www.educationuk.org.sg