IT in Australia - Outstanding Opportunities

Why study IT in Australia? Because Australia's IT programs are high quality, and widely recognised throughout the world. Moreover, the cost of studying and living in Australia is low, and the security, cleanliness and quality of lifestyle makes it an outstanding study option.

Australia is one of the world's leading providers of training and education. An analysis of the higher education sector conducted by the Australian International Education Foundation shows that in terms of overseas student numbers, Australia - with 64,188 students - is ranked third in the English-speaking world, behind the USA and the UK.

Australians have had an involvement with IT from its infancy. For example, Dr Trevor Pearcey, a foundation Dean of the Chisholm Institute at Monash University, was credited with the development of one of the earliest computing machines. Australians are amongst the world's most rapid appliers of information technology and are leaders in software and system development. Australian universities also have an excellent reputation for the quality of their educational programs, attracting large numbers of students from countries in the Asia Pacific region. It is notable that in Singapore, with a labour force that is one of the most highly educated, productive and articulate in the world, Australia is the number one provider of education, ahead of both the USA and UK, as well as an important provider of education for overseas students from other developed economies in the region - in Hong Kong and Japan, it is the number two and three provider of education respectively. Most overseas students in Australia are studying vocational courses, with the top two areas being:

• Business, Administration and Economics
  
• Science (with the overwhelming majority studying Computer Science)

Perhaps the best indication of a university's international standing is the demand for its places amongst overseas students, particularly full-fee paying students open to a wide choice of study options. Australian universities are highly regarded, and their qualifications are valued - competition for places is tough, and academic standards are high. There appears to be a tendency for overseas students to pursue courses at better-known and larger universities. For example, while overseas students are found in most Australian universities that conduct IT programs, the four largest institutions educate almost 54% of overseas IT students in Australia. What's more, in the largest five institutions, overseas IT students comprised approximately 25% of total undergraduate IT students in 1997, compared with an average of 15% for all institutions. This reflects overseas students' preferences for IT degrees from large and well-known institutions with prestigious reputations.

Diversity of Course Offerings
One strong aspect of Australian IT institutions is the diversity of programs available. These vary from specialised courses targeted at fast-growing areas of IT, such as Networking Computing, Multimedia and Electronic Commerce, to more general degrees which allow graduates to pursue a wide range of careers in computing, and to target a broad range of opportunities. In addition to undergraduate degrees, most Australian universities offer a range of programs that allow students who have completed their studies in other areas to undertake IT studies at graduate level. Many of these programs do not require students to have completed previous studies in computing.

The Cost and Value
With a level of quality in the provision of education equal to universities in the USA, UK and other European economies, Australian institutions offer outstanding value. Not only has the cost of tuition been historically low in comparison to courses in the Northern Hemisphere, but right now the costs have been further deflated by the drop of the Australian dollar. Likewise, living costs in Australia are low compared to those in Europe.

Studying in Australia has other advantages:

• Even in the final year of a course, the fees will be fixed to the level of the student's enrolment
• Australian rental and transport costs are extremely low compared to those in Europe and the States
• Australia has an excellent healthcare system. An international student has only to pay a yearly Medibank fee of $275 to access it.

Security and Quality of Life
There are few large cities in the world that can match the cleanliness and environmental quality of Australian cities. Melbourne was voted the most liveable city in the world in 1997, with Sydney close behind at number three. Australians enjoy and seek cultural diversity. Not only will you find them to be warm and friendly, you'll also find that they are fascinated by you and your background. Few people realise that over 40% of Australians were born overseas, or are only second-generation Australians.

So Which Courses Should You Select?
Look for the prestige of the institution. Is it large and well known? What standing does IT have within the university - does it have its own faculty, or fall within another, such as science or engineering? Look at the diversity of the courses offered. Does the university offer little more than traditional computer science courses, or does it offer a wider variety of programs? You will need to have regard to your career aspirations in deciding which course is best for you. Are you interested in specific areas, such as multimedia applications or information systems - or do you wish to pursue a generalist computing program that will allow you to target a range of IT career opportunities? Also consider the subject areas available - for example, the universities that offer the largest range of course programs will generally offer the greatest choice in terms of programming languages and specialisations.

Examine the courses offered to see whether they offer the chance to study languages that you want to specialise in, or the latest languages, such as JAVA. Look at the university's commitment to overseas students. Most Australian universities have a range of support systems to cater for international students, and can help you with such matters as accommodation, VISA requirements and day-to-day living problems. Generally, all Australian institutions offer very high quality and credible programs. That, however, doesn't mean that they will all suit you - the final choice must be yours!

UK Journalism - Training Opportunities for overseas students

An increasingly large number of young people, as well as many others long established in occupations as diverse as medicine, the law, the armed services and numerous trades and craft industries, are being attracted to careers in the media.

It is not surprising, therefore, that degrees and diplomas in media studies are now the most sought-after in Britain and the US.

Student enrollment numbers in the UK have rocketed from about 3000 10 years ago to well in excess of 40,000 for currrent courses.

The courses have had a mixed reception by the media industry. Generally they have been critcised for being too academic and theoretical, rather than vocational and preparing people for the workplace with relevant practical skills.

Journalism, in particular, is mostly learnt and “fine-tuned” on the job, although increasingly there is a mass of underpinning knowledge like law and the structures of central and local government, as well as learning shorthand for speech reporting, which are best ideally taught before employment on an industry approved pre-entry course.

The National Council for ther Training of Journalists undertakes all training on behalf of the newspaper indusstry in Britain, and accredits nearly 30 univeresities and colleges in Britain which teach its syllabuses and whose students sit various NCTJ qualifying preliminary exams.

The particular strength of the NCTJ system, and therefore advantage to students, is that it is a system based oin current indstry need and practise which is run by the industry for the industry

.Editors and other senior journalists throughout the country make input as subject board members ensuring up-to-date relevance and also act as assessors and interviewees for the final National Certificate Exam, usually taken about 18 months to two years after beginning employment and which is a test of all-round basic competence.

The Council’s management body - it is a registered charity - comprises representatives from all side of the industry (employers, editors and unions) as well as Higher and Further Educational institutions.

The NCTJ has a deservedly high reputation for excellence, and its system of training has been copied overseas, in particular in Australia and New Zealand.

In fact the NCTJ celebrates the 50th anniversary of its foundation in 2001 and appropriately has recently been awarded the Government’s coveted “Investor in People” award for high standards of excellence and service.

Whilst most of the NCTJ UK courses are preparing young people for careers on English speaking newspapers and magazines in the UK by teaching basic skills and underpinning knowledge, the Council’s trading arm, NCTJ Training Ltd, is now responding to a growing demand from overseas for suitable training opportunities.

Its internet web site - http://www.nctj.com - is now being carefully monitored for overseas useage, and a significant number of “hits” are from abroad.

In one day recently there were 8098 vits, and apart from requests for general information, a growing number of overseas colleges requested teaching syllabuses, and individuals sought information on distance-learning courses and textbooks.

Like all NCTJ taining, the distance-learning coursea are regularly revised and updated to ensure they reflect current practise and incorporate new legislation

There are three distance-learning courses suitable for oversea study - Newspaper Journalism, Periodical Journalism and a new sub-editiong course.

These courses are also used in the UK, and the Newspaper Journalismk course forms part of in-company direct-entry training to help non pre-entry trainees catch up on basis skills and knowledg

.It is recommended that students also buy copies of the three standard text books used in training - Essential Law for Journalists, Essential Local Government and Essential Central Government.

They cost £55 for the set, plus overseas postage & package, and they can be ordered separately.

The Foundation Course in Newspaper Journalism consists of 15 units for self-assessment, including a video on interviewing technioques, eight audio tapes and a style booklet, and costs £250.

The units provide an introduction to UK law, as well as local and central goverment structure.These will, of course be different in overseas countries, and be worth learning separately from suitable text books.

The Foundation couse usually takes between three and six months of home study to complete, and once finished students may apply to sit some of the NCTJ preliminary exams.

These internationally recognised qualifications may be sat by arrangement at a centre local to students, ie British Council offices, local newspaper offices etc.Each exam costs £25.96 and past exam papers may be purchased for practice.

Writing for the Periodical Press is a 10 module tutor-assessed course and costs £415, plus £72.68 VAT in EC countries.

Considerable effort and discipline will be needed to complete this in three months, but it is worth remembering that journalism is a very disciplined craft which involves meeting specific and often tight deadlines, or risk being unpublished.

Apart from writing and collating news and features, there are modules on sub-editing, layout and design.

Basics of Sub-editing is a new course in response to the growing demand from well-trained subs and journalists able to direct-input by subbing their own copy.

It, too, costs £415 plus VAT where appropriate, and consists of nine tutor-assessed modules.

Each introduces a new skill, beginning with basics,and includse typography, making copy “fit”, writing headlines and standfirsts, picture sizing and working with grids. A self-test pack prior to purchase is also available for this course.

The NCTJ’s mission statement is dedicated to ensuring all its journalism training activities are in response to industry and public demand.

With nearly 50 years experience, and an evolving system which throughout has been heartily endorsed by industry bosses and practioners, it is little wonder that aspirant overseas journalism students wish to be part of a training system which puts vocational needs above all else.

Several NCTJ accredited colleges in the UK run one-year full-time post graduate and other courses for overseas students.

These include Darlington College in the north east, Sheffeield University, as well as City University, London, although the latter is no longer a NCTJ accredited centre.