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The paper draws on research of 110 international fee-paying students studying science and engineering courses in the schools, vocational education and training, and higher education sectors in nine institutions in five Australian states and territories. The research identified that 68 per cent of the sample had not had career advice before coming to Australia. This has implications for students' understandings of Australian education and training, especially entry procedures into courses and the students' likely success in undertaking courses of study. When onshore in Australia 58 per cent of the sample had sought careers advice. Males more than females, were more likely to seek such advice from their institution. Of those accessing careers advice 21 per cent indicated that there was room for improvement of service provision. Research by the students into the recognition of their Australian course in their home country was undertaken by 53 per cent of the sample. Issues associated with existing career provision are discussed and mapped against the draft Australian Blueprint for Career Development strands of personal management, learning and work exploration, and career building. there are implications for staff working in admissions, marketing, international and careers offices as well as those professional bodies that support existing career provision. The findings also have implications for students and the way they develop their career management skills to avail themselves of appropriate programs. The paper explores how students can best be empowered to take responsibility for their career planning.

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International education and training (IET) is one of Queensland's most valuable industries. The industry encompasses research, higher education, vocational education and training (VET), schools and English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS). IET has been identified as one of the fastest-growing industries in the global economy and Australia is expected to be a major beneficiary of that growth. Growth of the middle class of key markets is likely to increase demand for a 'global' education. The 'International education and training strategy to advance Queensland 2016-2026', launched on 9 November 2016, details 36 specific initiatives aimed at supporting international education and training in Queensland. The strategy is supported by $25.3 million over the next five years.

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Asia-born New Zealand-educated business students and graduates involved in [the authors'] ongoing longitudinal study identified community engagement as a key factor facilitating successful study to work transitions in New Zealand and elsewhere. Graduates noted the strategic value of social engagement for developing contacts that may know of work opportunities and/or provide positive recommendations to prospective employers. They also highlighted the value of work-related community engagement (for example, volunteer, temporary and part-time work opportunities) for providing experience, social connection, and employment-related links. Some graduates in the study had as yet been unable to gain employment. These emphasised the protective function of community engagement in facilitating a sense of wellbeing; and providing a chance to 'prove oneself', learn new skills, and gain experience. Conversely, other graduates identified a lack of community engagement as limiting their work prospects and resulting in a sense of isolation or despair.

In this paper [the authors] use 'community engagement' as a framework for outlining results from phase two of the study (conducted during 2009-2010). After reviewing some academic literature on community engagement and higher education, [the authors] describe the study to date, and discuss how community engagement (or a lack of community engagement) emerged in graduates' accounts of their study to work pathways. To conclude, [the authors] outline graduates' suggestions as to how immigration policy, higher education institutions, and business schools might more effectively foster students' community engagement both pre and post-graduation, thereby facilitating their successful study to work transitions.

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The coronavirus, or [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19, has radically transformed sectors across the globe, and higher education is no exception. From closing campuses to investing in online learning and supporting isolating students and staff, universities have quickly responded and adapted to this new normal. Looking towards the next academic year, many institutions are concerned about their international student recruitment in this restricted global climate. To address this uncertainty, QS established an ongoing survey of prospective international students to understand their response to the global health emergency and how it's impacted their decision making. In this white paper, we reveal exclusive QS survey findings that detail the priorities and concerns of prospective international students from China, India, the European Union, and North America.

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The aim of the study is to quantify the economic costs and benefits of international students - those who come from outside of the European Union [EU] - at London's universities to both the London and wider UK economy. The intention is to get a clear, evidence based view of the net impact of these students and, in so doing, help politicians and policymakers in their development of the UK's immigration policy. The study looks at non-EU students only, since EU students are governed by the principle of freedom of movement and not subject to immigration controls. The study measures the economic costs and benefits of international students both in the short term while studying in London - through their spending and that of visiting friends and relatives, their participation in the labour market and their use of public services including public transport - and the long term after they graduate, for example as they join the labour market in the UK.

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Repeated opinion polls show the breadth of public concern about immigration: about the pace of change in some towns and cities; about impacts on jobs and wages; about cultural issues and the failures of some migrants to successfully integrate. As the [UK] General Election draws nearer, politicians will be required to engage in the debate and to address these views. [This] research finds that, despite these debates around immigration, the public is not concerned about international students - students from outside the [European Union] EU - coming to study at British universities. This report proves that there is strong public support for international student migration, and that people seem to understand the economic and educational benefits brought to Britain by those who come to study.

Based on public opinion, the report makes the following recommendations: the government removes international students from any net migration target; the government launches an international student growth strategy, backed by investment, to promote British universities overseas, build new international partnerships and attract more international students to Britain; the government makes a renewed effort - through its words, actions and policies - to communicate a consistent message that Britain welcomes international students; and the government enhances opportunities for qualified international graduates to stay in the UK to work and contribute to the economy.

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Fieldwork experiences can be particularly challenging for international, higher education students, as they face language and cultural difficulties, which can affect their academic progress and their fieldwork interactions with supervisors and clients. This review synthesised findings from 27 studies referring to higher education courses that employed fieldwork placements. The aims were to examine the effectiveness of placement support programs and to collate strategies that international students and/or placement supervisors felt might improve placement outcomes. Results identified a large number of activities that could be used to improve placement outcomes. However, due to the lack of comparison or observational data, it is recommended that future studies be better controlled and include longitudinal studies to better identify the effective aspects of support programs. In this way, program and policy-making will be better informed.

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Understanding factors influencing international students’ decision to engage in international education is essential for education providers to better cater for students’ educational expectations and enhance their attractiveness to international students. Whilst there has been extensive research on the reasons why international students undertake cross-border higher education, international students’ motivations for enrolling in vocational education and associate degree programmes are still under-researched. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 30 international students from China, this research found that pathway to higher education appears to be the most important factor motivating international students to undertake vocational education and associate degree programmes. In addition, prospect of immigration, English language proficiency, previous academic performance, agent’s recommendations and relatives’ and friends’ advice are amongst the important factors that students take into account in their decision to choose vocational education and associate degree programmes. This research also examines why Chinese international students have chosen vocational education programmes in a dual-sector university over vocational education colleges. It found that the flexibility to articulate to higher education, international reputation of the programme, practical training and favourable location are key issues that these students draw on when making their decision to study in a dual-sector university.

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The integration of work experience and learning in tertiary education is a complex issue for different stakeholders, including students, institutions, and employers. The provision of course-related work experience for international students is far more challenging as it involves issues of visa status, different cultural expectations, recognition/misrecognition of skills and experiences across cultures, English language competency, and local employers' attitudes toward international students. Even though there is a significant body of scholarly research on work-integrated learning in tertiary education, empirical research on this issue related to international students remains scarce. This article responds to a critical gap in the literature by examining the provision of course-related work experience for international students from both the teachers' and students' perspectives. It is derived from a 4-year research project funded by the Australian Research Council that includes 155 interviews with staff and international students and fieldwork from the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector. Drawing on Bourdieu's notions of habitus and field as conceptual tools to interpret the empirical data, the research found work-integrated learning is unevenly distributed and inconsistently implemented across institutions. The article addresses the complex interplay between the student habitus and the habitus within the institutional field and the workplace field in shaping international students' work-integrated learning access and experience. Practical implications for institutions on how to improve access and experience to course-related work experience for international students are discussed in light of the findings of this research.

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This publication provides a summary of the outcomes of international students who completed their vocational education and training (VET) qualification in Australia in 2017. These students were surveyed as an additional component to the 2018 National Student Outcomes Survey. The international component comprised international onshore graduates undertaking VET qualifications delivered by: TAFE (technical and further education) institutes; universities; community education providers; and private training providers. The survey excludes international graduates who completed their training with an Australian training provider offshore and international graduates under 18 years of age. There were 52,198 international onshore graduates in scope for the international component, of which 47,635 received an invitation to complete the survey. Of these, 11,265 responded to the survey.

Key highlights about reasons for training include: 68.3 per cent of international onshore VET graduates undertook training for employment-related reasons, 25.9 per cent for personal reasons and 5.8 per cent for further study reasons; and 87.9 per cent fully or partly achieved their main reason for training, down 1.3 percentage points from 2017. Key highlights about employment and further study outcomes include: 56.2 per cent of international onshore VET graduates improved their employment status after training, up 2.0 percentage points from 2017; and 38.8 per cent were enrolled in further study after training in Australia, down 6.6 percentage points from 2017. Satisfaction with training key highlights include: 84.5 per cent of international onshore VET graduates were satisfied with the overall quality of the training, similar to 2017; and 87.5 per cent would recommend the training, down 1.3 percentage points from 2017.

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