2018 WA International Education Program of the Year

2018 WINNER: Experiencing Australia Program, Edith Cowan University

The Experiencing Australia Program as part of the Tokyo City University Australia Program provides students with an orientation, four off-campus and five on-campus events, a language exchange program and a buddy program.

The Buddy Program promotes interaction between TAP students and ECU’s Australian students and international students and is designed to provide support, friendship and encouragement to TAP students for the duration of their study-abroad program at ECU. As the majority of classes in which the TAP students participate do not include other ECU students, the Buddy Program fullfils an important role within the overarching program. The mutually-beneficial program facilitates friendships between the TAP participants and ECU students, both domestic and international, with international students accounting for 37% of our buddies. The program provides all parties with the opportunity to meet their counterparts from other countries and ECU students from alternative disciplinary fields, broadening both their academic and cultural outlook. Buddies maximise the opportunities to develop their leadership, communication, problem-solving and team-building skills, all of which will give them a competitive edge in the employment market.