Get to know Europe Workshop in Australia – A Milestone for the OCEANS Network

On the morning of 8 April 2011, 60 young Australians from across the country gathered inside the University of Sydney's New Law School Building for the OCEANS “Get-to-know-Europe-Workshop”. OCEANS [Organisation for Cooperation Exchange And Networking among Students] unites like-minded people with diverse academic backgrounds from the EU countries, the USA, Canada, Australia,  New Zealand,  Japan and  South Korea.

The event involved presentations from Mr Bodo Richter, Coordinator for Cooperation with Industrialised Countries at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations; Mr Niclas Jönsson, Director, International Engagement, Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Dr. Brendan Nelson, Australian Ambassador to the European Union, Ms Tammy de Wright, Australian Representative to the Erasmus Mundus Association, and members of the OCEANS network. Intercultural training, provided by Christine Baer of ICUnet.AG, also equipped the students with useful tools for understanding and managing differences between cultures when abroad, while a panel of OCEANS and EMA alumni shared their exchange experiences, provided personal advice and addressed the questions and concerns of student participants. [read more]

EU-Australia Education & Training Policy Dialogue, Brussels (Belgium), 15 December 2010 : JOINT STATEMENT

The second EU-Australia Education & Training Policy Dialogue took place in Brussels (Belgium) on 15 December 2010. The Dialogue was organised by the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) and by the Australian Department for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). It was co-chaired by Mr Jordi Curell, DG EAC, Director for Higher Education and International Affairs, and Ms Margaret Pearce, DEEWR, Minister-Counsellor.

The Policy Dialogue was organised in the framework of the 2007 Joint Declaration on Co-operation in Education and Training and the EU-Australia Partnership Framework, most recently updated in 2009. It was preceded by a two-day International Peer Learning Activity on Qualifications Frameworks aiming at triggering mutual learning from national and transnational developments and exploring how qualifications frameworks can be developed into efficient instruments for international cooperation - in particular facilitating the mobility of learners and workers. [READ MORE]

Education and Mobility for Research: International Policy Coordinator in Australia

Mr Bodo Richter, International Policy Coordinator (International Organisations and Industrialised Countries), Directorate General Education & Culture, European Commission, will be in Australia for meetings with the Australian Government. He will also give presentations around Australia outlining the diverse relationship between the EU and Australia, in terms of Education and mobility for research.

The relationship between the EU and Australia in terms of Education and Research collaboration is rich, varied and very successful.  However not many people know the extent of the collaboration or the background to it.  Mr. Richter will cover all aspects of the relationship including the Bologna Process and the many programs currently open to Australian students and academics such as  Erasmus Mundus, Marie Curie, Jean Monnet and the joint EU-Australia funded bilateral mobility projects.

The presentations were held around Australia as follows:

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Ranking Europe's universities - Australian universities welcome!

Australian universities are sought to take part in an EC funded multi-dimensional university ranking system with global outreach. This initiative builds on earlier EU-funded work on mapping the different strengths and missions of universities and responds to an invitation by the French Presidency of the EU to explore and test the feasibility of a new ranking system for higher education and research institutions in Europe, in comparison with other world regions. The first results of the envisaged pilot project will be available in the first half of 2011. more

Around the world, more than three million students are currently studying outside their home countries and the number is growing year by year. So is the number of countries trying to attract fee-paying foreigners and, with so many fighting for a slice of the international student market, nations are becoming increasingly creative in marketing their education services. Read reports on Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Malta, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom

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Erasmus Mundus - Australian and New Zealand Universities involved in 63 new Masters Courses and Joint Doctorates