Plans to move away from family and friends in pursuit of further education in Australia met an unexpected change of direction for 25-year-old Ananday (Andy) Khandelwal from India.
After missing an admissions deadline in Perth for a Bachelor of Nursing, Andy discovered the Gold Coast, a city that has provided him with an exceptional education and lifestyle experience with many employment and career opportunities.
For the first time in its history the City of Gold Coast has launched a program which aims to attract more university graduates to help shape the city’s future. There are 25 positions available across a wide variety of streams, including engineering; digital and data; business and management; environment; sustainability; and planning.
The City’s Graduate Academy is a 12-month structured early career development initiative providing professional development training and on-the-job experience opportunities for enthusiastic university graduates.
With over 20 years’ experience in construction, Amanda Bulow is a pioneer in that industry and is now helping other women to follow in her footsteps through her not-for-profit organisation Awesome Women in Construction.
“I grew up on 80 acres of farmland near Ipswich where there were no ‘boy or girl jobs' – just jobs, and you had to do them. It was my first experience of equality, without knowing what that was at the time,” Amanda says.
“I was lucky to have many great female role models as leaders when I was growing up. I was taught that I could do whatever I wanted and be whoever I wanted to be, and if that door’s not open, we can kick it open.”
In 2021 the Pakistan Government launched the National Amateur Short Film Festival to find their best emerging film makers and offer them a scholarship to study abroad, enhancing their knowledge and skills to bring back new ideas and ignite Pakistan’s film industry.
The NASFF received more than 1100 entries from 72 universities across the country and while the students may have entered not knowing what to expect it was certainly an opportunity to be part of something special, possibly even transformational.
Study Gold Coast’s Careers Alliance Network connects professional career influencers with industry to leverage and optimise career pathways for students. The program widens the scope of employment options for students and graduates through the creation of professional networking and partnership development opportunities.
The most recent Careers Alliance event focused on the Gold Coast’s advanced manufacturing sector and was held at the Australian Industry Trade College, an industry established institution that helps young people to pursue their chosen careers through apprenticeships and traineeships.
Representatives from three Gold Coast based advanced manufacturers were guest speakers at the event, all shedding light on their businesses and the career opportunities in their industries.
This week the 2022 Mayor’s Student Ambassadors met in the Gold Coast Student Hub one last time with the official close of this year’s program. There were lots of smiles, laughs and a few tears as the Ambassadors and the Study Gold Coast team reflected on the accomplishments of the group and the individual achievements of this exceptional cohort of students.
Every student who has participated in this program knows all too well the extraordinary bonds that are forged through the shared experience and the responsibilities that are part of being a Mayor’s Student Ambassador. This year presented its own particular challenges, with several students arriving just after our international borders reopened before taking the plunge into the unknown as an Ambassador, often finding themselves out of their comfort zone.
One of the most enlightening and rewarding experiences through the Mayor’s Student Ambassador Program is with OzHarvest. Students begin the day with an overview of the charity and its origins, and that includes some cold hard facts about food waste and its cost to the community.
The first real eye opener is the amount of food wasted in this country. One in every five grocery bags purchased in Australia ultimately ends up in the bin. That equates to $3,800 worth of groceries wasted per household every year, but not all waste can be solely attributed to consumers. For example, 40% of all bananas grown in Australia are thrown away. Some are discarded at the farm due to cosmetic imperfections and the demands from supermarkets for superior fruit, while others that make it to households are left to become overripe and are then tossed away.
Perhaps the most shocking aspect about food waste is the realisation that it is a major contributor to climate change. It’s estimated that waste is responsible for eight percent of global emissions.
Developing an understanding of local culture, particularly indigenous culture, is one of the primary interests for international students when they come to study here, so it’s no surprise that the opportunity to visit the Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre was a keenly anticipated experience for our new cohort of Mayor’s Student Ambassadors.
The 2022 Ambassadors are like a microcosm of the wider Gold Coast student community, reflecting a broad base of cultural backgrounds, including German, Filipino, Czech, Chinese, French, Colombian, Greek, Swedish, South African, Brazilian, Korean, Mauritian, and of course Australian. For many of these students this is their first encounter with indigenous Australian culture, so there were many questions for their aboriginal hosts.
For Perth filmmaker Mia Erskine, the long journey to Bond University on the Gold Coast began with a single step. That step was entering the Bond University Film & Television Awards (BUFTA), ending with the talented teen taking out top prize at last year’s awards, receiving a full scholarship to study a Bachelor of Film and Television at Bond.
This year’s up-and-coming high school filmmakers have the opportunity to follow in Ms Erskine’s footsteps, with entries for this year’s BUFTA awards now open.
Ms Erskine’s winning film, Funhouse! With Ditzy the Clown and Friends, was a comedy set behind the scenes of a children’s entertainment television show. It won both the comedy and screenwriting categories, as well as the main prize, at last year’s awards.
It’s National Student Volunteer Week, an event that recognises the significant skills, ideas, enthusiasm, creativity, and time that students contribute through volunteering. There are many reasons why students choose to volunteer – some do it for experience in a sector where they may want to pursue a career, others do it because they want to connect with a wider group of people, and others do it simply because they love it! Regardless of the reasons why students choose to do it, all volunteers agree that it is an immensely rewarding experience.
Volunteering is proving to be increasingly popular among international students, which on the surface may seem unusual, given that they didn’t grow up in Australia and generally have no vested interests here apart from gaining an education. Yet many are so grateful for the opportunity to study here and are keen to volunteer because they want to give back to their adopted communities. It’s also a great way to meet a wider cross section of people outside of their academic institutions and student groups.
Australia’s first sustainable vocational education and training campus has just opened at Robina on the Gold Coast. Contemporary environmental design and construction practices were utilised throughout the building, including 250 solar panels, sensor activated lighting, a rainwater-fed automated irrigation system, as well as recycled materials and ecological finishes.
Speaking at the launch of their fourth Gold Coast campus TAFE Queensland’s Karen Dickenson said the facility was designed from the ground up to be sustainable, including the suppliers and contractors who worked on the project.
“We’ve embedded sustainability into the building, in the construction, in the fit-out and into everything you see around you… even the course curriculum - they all have a story of sustainability. This will be a very memorable and rewarding journey for all the students who choose to study here,” the TAFE Gold Coast General Manager said.
The Gold Coast’s central business district is about to receive a technological facelift courtesy of a new festival of light, design, installation and performance. Big City Lights* is the latest creation by Placemakers, the same people responsible for Bleach* Festival.
Essentially the buildings in the Southport CBD will become a giant digital canvas with large scale projections, laneway activations and amazing installations reinterpret the city landscape. Artistic Director Rosie Dennis says that when she moved back to the Gold Coast she began to think about how the city had changed and wanted to create a festival to reflect that.
“When I came back three years ago you see the city with fresh eyes. The city sees itself in an entrepreneurial and when you consider the creative potential. I was thinking I wanted to create something that had a direct relationship with place and how the Gold Coast is developing and changing. Big City Lights* lets us do all of those kinds of things by having a conversation with architecture and design in a playful way.”
Griffith University’s Majed Abuseif has won the People's Choice Award for his Smart Planter Box at the Design Innovation Competition in the United Kingdom.
The design competition is open to both concept projects, as well as realised projects by young design and tech professionals worldwide with the aim of facilitating innovation by challenging the traditional set up of an industry or business through a new method, creative solution or strategy.
The PhD student has been developing his superior green technology concept over the past 2 years and thanked his supervisors Professor Karine Dupre and green infrastructure specialist Ruby Michael, both of Griffith University, for their support of the project.
Mudgeeraba Creek State School’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) specialist and primary teacher, Megan Hayes has received the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools, in the 2021 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. Mrs Hayes is recognised for her outstanding work in championing the importance of STEM education for primary children, both in her community and at a national level.
As an innovative educator with more than 30 years’ teaching experience, Megan Hayes philosophy is to build the connection between science and its application in the real world for her students. She inspires students to think critically, take risks and become ‘agents of change’ for the future.
Bond University has recruited one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs to help its students forge their own path to business success.
Stuart Giles, who alongside wife Cathie Reid co-founded Icon Cancer Group, Epic Pharmacy Group and the Epic Good Foundation, has been named as the inaugural Founder in Residence for Bond University’s Transformer entrepreneurship program.
Mr Giles said he was thrilled at the opportunity to contribute to Transformer, a fee-free extracurricular option for all Bond University undergraduate and postgraduate students.
“I’m really excited by the idea of being able to go back to where it all starts and not just give a little back, but maybe play a role in helping younger entrepreneurs at the start of their journey by sharing what I’ve learnt along the way,” he said.
Plans to move away from family and friends in pursuit of further education in Australia met an unexpected change of direction for 25-year-old Ananday (Andy) Khandelwal from India.
After missing an admissions deadline in Perth for a Bachelor of Nursing, Andy discovered the Gold Coast, a city that has provided him with an exceptional education and lifestyle experience with many employment and career opportunities.
In 2021 the Pakistan Government launched the National Amateur Short Film Festival to find their best emerging film makers and offer them a scholarship to study abroad, enhancing their knowledge and skills to bring back new ideas and ignite Pakistan’s film industry.
The NASFF received more than 1100 entries from 72 universities across the country and while the students may have entered not knowing what to expect it was certainly an opportunity to be part of something special, possibly even transformational.
Laura Caballero is a qualified graphic designer from Bogota, but never had the opportunity to work as a designer because she wasn’t able to gain the essential work experience to get a job in what is a highly competitive employment market there. She ended up working in a call centre for a communications company instead.
With very few prospects in Colombia Laura began to consider study options overseas and the Gold Coast was recommended as an ideal destination by a number of education agents who talked about the city’s opportunities and great lifestyle.
Laura began researching the Gold Coast on the internet was impressed with what she discovered. Then when she heard about Study Gold Coast’s travel grant for international students Laura applied in the hope that she would be successful.
October 28 is World Teachers’ Day so we’re taking this opportunity to celebrate and thank our teachers for the vital role they play in our communities and for the positive impact they have on the lives of students. Here’s a glimpse of some of our amazing teachers on the Gold Coast
A “good vibe” while she was meditating at home in Brazil motivated Bruna to seek out the Gold Coast as the ideal place to study.
Having decided that Australia would match her dream international destination, it didn’t take her long to narrow that down to the Gold Coast.
After waiting for the borders to open and her visa to be issued, Bruna arrived mid year and enrolled at The Language Academy in Broadbeach. She’s now enjoying the Gold Coast’s special allure, or “energy vibe” as she calls it, and when she’s not studying you’ll most likely find her at the beach.
For the first time in its history the City of Gold Coast has launched a program which aims to attract more university graduates to help shape the city’s future. There are 25 positions available across a wide variety of streams, including engineering; digital and data; business and management; environment; sustainability; and planning.
The City’s Graduate Academy is a 12-month structured early career development initiative providing professional development training and on-the-job experience opportunities for enthusiastic university graduates.
With over 20 years’ experience in construction, Amanda Bulow is a pioneer in that industry and is now helping other women to follow in her footsteps through her not-for-profit organisation Awesome Women in Construction.
“I grew up on 80 acres of farmland near Ipswich where there were no ‘boy or girl jobs' – just jobs, and you had to do them. It was my first experience of equality, without knowing what that was at the time,” Amanda says.
“I was lucky to have many great female role models as leaders when I was growing up. I was taught that I could do whatever I wanted and be whoever I wanted to be, and if that door’s not open, we can kick it open.”
Study Gold Coast’s Careers Alliance Network connects professional career influencers with industry to leverage and optimise career pathways for students. The program widens the scope of employment options for students and graduates through the creation of professional networking and partnership development opportunities.
The most recent Careers Alliance event focused on the Gold Coast’s advanced manufacturing sector and was held at the Australian Industry Trade College, an industry established institution that helps young people to pursue their chosen careers through apprenticeships and traineeships.
Representatives from three Gold Coast based advanced manufacturers were guest speakers at the event, all shedding light on their businesses and the career opportunities in their industries.
If Pico Play’s newest interns learn only one thing during their three-month, paid work placement, it is that work can be fun. But the 14 second-year Malaysian university students who started their internships with the Gold Coast company are learning so much more.
They are gaining a richer understanding of how their skills and knowledge can be put into practice after graduation and with their boosted confidence they’re experiencing what teamwork feels like. Some may even be rethinking where their degree can take them.
The one goal that every student wants to achieve is a career once they’ve attained their qualification, which is why educational institutions are increasingly investing in experienced professionals to support and guide students with the essential knowledge to find the right career education and employment pathways.
And while the job titles of these professionals may vary from guidance officers to department heads and industry liaison officers, all have the same objective - helping students to make informed choices in reaching their goals.
In recognising the vital role these professionals play in the education sector Study Gold Coast created the Careers Alliance Network, providing opportunities to discuss career and employment related topics, share best practice knowledge and facilitate networking connections with likeminded professionals.