Categories: News

Welcome event kicks off new international student programme

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-1359" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2015&sol;03&sol;SND13-wk3-International&lowbar;Students&lowbar;1&lowbar;300x225&period;jpg" alt&equals;"SND13-wk3-International Students 1 300x225" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"225" &sol;>More than 2000 international students experienced a powhiri and got to interact with some of the city&&num;8217&semi;s sports stars at a special Auckland welcome last Thursday&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The day-long International Student Welcome event at The Cloud on Queens Wharf launched a pilot programme called INAKL&comma; which is focused on improving the experience of international students while studying in Auckland&comma; and creating a stronger engagement between international students and the region&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Study Auckland&comma; council&&num;8217&semi;s specialist industry growth team within Auckland Tourism&comma; Events and Economic Development &lpar;ATEED&rpar;&comma; developed the pilot programme&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>ATEED chief executive&comma; Brett O&&num;8217&semi;Riley&comma; says international education is a priority target sector for Auckland&comma; and highly competitive globally&period; In the most recent Education New Zealand figures &lpar;August 2014&rpar; the industry was estimated to be worth about &dollar;1&period;6 billion a year to Auckland&&num;8217&semi;s regional economy&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Aside from the direct spending on fees&comma; accommodation and living costs&comma; students are often visited by family and friends&comma; and they take part in tourist experiences&period; The students can be great ambassadors for Auckland – particularly with global access to social media&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Mr O&&num;8217&semi;Riley says&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Talented students are also potentially a major solution for Auckland&&num;8217&semi;s current shortage of skilled workers&period; ATEED is working with our partners to ensure the right pathways are put in place to keep talented students in the region after their studies&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Auckland hosts about 60 per cent of the international students in New Zealand&period; The number grew 15 per cent last year to reach about 60&comma;000&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The students who attended the welcome event take courses at a diverse range of providers&comma; from primary school to tertiary and private training establishments&period; They originate from numerous countries including China&comma; India&comma; South Korea&comma; Pakistan&comma; Germany and the US&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Aside from the welcome event&comma; the INAKL programme will incorporate a mixture of targeted activities and communication strategies&comma; including&colon; digital communications&comma; an International Student Ambassador project&comma; and ongoing events&comma; activities and initiatives&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>A key part of INAKL will be to explain to students the pathways to further education&comma; employment and business <a class&equals;"wpil&lowbar;keyword&lowbar;link" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;schoolnews&period;co&period;nz&sol;2015&sol;10&sol;developing-opportunities-at-school-with-a-view&sol;" title&equals;"opportunities" data-wpil-keyword-link&equals;"linked" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">opportunities<&sol;a> in Auckland&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>Targeted Digital Strategy<&sol;strong><br &sol;>ATEED partners with Auckland businesses and organisations&comma; regional partners&comma; stakeholders and supporting agencies for this programme&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Via targeted website&comma; email and social media channels&comma; INAKL will update students of activities&comma; events and exclusive international student offers from partners&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>International Student Ambassador projec<&sol;strong>t<br &sol;>Four international students will be invited to participate in a series of event and attraction-based activities as guests of Auckland&period; The group will be selected by recommendation from their education providers&period; The chosen ambassadors will be required to blog about their experiences in Auckland&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>Ongoing events&comma; activities and initiatives<&sol;strong><br &sol;>A programme is to be developed that will include a mixture of tourism experiences&comma; group attendance at sports matches&comma; information evenings&comma; group trips&comma; and other services&period;<&sol;p><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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