From 2010, Sri Lankan students will benefit from a free after-hours hotline catering to their physical, emotional, and professional wellbeing whilst they are studying in Australia.

This nation-wide initiative will give international students quick access to information and services including doctors, legal practitioners and trained counsellors. Swinburne University of Technology, Australia Pro Vice-Chancellor, Mr Jeffery Smart said that the service complements other student wellbeing initiatives currently in place at the university. "From the time international students enrol at Swinburne in their home country, we provide them with significant information and advice to help with the transition to university. Once they arrive at Swinburne, they have access to accommodation assistance, careers and financial advice, counselling, childcare, health services, and extensive study support," Mr Smart said.

According to a recent study by JWT Education, Australia continues to be the country of first choice for international students who come to study here. "Despite recent concern about student safety in Australia, it was pleasing to see that most surveyed students said they felt safe in and around campus and in their local community, and that the majority disagreed that Australia is becoming a more dangerous place for international students to study and live," Mr Smart said.

Swinburne was founded by the Honorable George Swinburne in 1908. Since, it has grown to around 30,000 students and 2,200 staff and has five campuses in Melbourne and one in Sarawak, East Malaysia. Overseas students began studying at Swinburne in the 1950s. Today, the university is home to over 6,000 international students from more than 80 different countries. As such, Swinburne has consistently been ranked as the best university in Melbourne for cultural diversity by the Good Universities Guide. The guide has also named Swinburne as one of the top universities in Australia for teaching quality and graduate satisfaction.

As a dual-sector institution, Swinburne offers both TAFE courses and university degrees in areas including engineering, information technology, design, business and hospitality. Swinburne's programmes are designed to expose students to real world learning situations and prepare them for life after graduation. Swinburne recently entered the prestigious Shanghai Jiaotong university rankings for the first time, making it the first dual-sector university in Australia to be named amongst the top universities in the world. On top of this accolade, Swinburne was listed in the world's top universities according to the Times Higher Education QS World University Rankings.

To increase the university's place within world rankings, Swinburne has committed $250 million over four years to provide state-of-the-art facilities and resources for teaching and research. As part of this initiative, a world-class research and learning hub is currently under construction at the university's Hawthorn campus. Scheduled to be completed in readiness for the 2011 academic year, the Advanced Technologies Centre will offer students new learning opportunities, housing a 24/7 undergraduate learning hub and a lecture theatre designed to seat more than 500 students.

Source: David Samuel, Business Development Manager
Australian Trade Commission David.Samuel@austrade.gov.au