The Northern Territory government is looking to accelerate plans to attract more international students as a key part of diversifying the Territory economy.
The latest government figures show that there was a 25 per cent increase in the number of overall students enrolled at Northern Territory education institutions between October 2018 and October 2019. This means that there are over 3,300 international students studying in the NT.
In the past few years, there has been a 62 per cent in the number of overseas students studying in the Territory – an increase of 1,270 international students.
However, in early 2019, the Northern Territory government announced plans to boost the number of overseas students studying in the Northern Territory to 10,000 by 2025. It is estimated that this would bring in more than AUS$300 million in to the NT economy.
As part of the strategy, trade delegations have been led to India, Nepal and Indonesia to build relationships with those countries and promote the benefits of studying in the NT.
The territory’s Chief Minister, Michael Gunner, said: “Attracting international students to the Territory to study not only supports permanent local jobs in the education sector, but across the wide variety of sectors, from hospitality and tourism to our service industries, which is good for the Territory economy as a whole.”
He continued: “Currently there are 3,300 international students studying in the NT with the industry contributing an estimated $113 million in export revenue and supporting 484 ongoing jobs.
“The Territory provides high quality education for everyone who studies here. In return, International students strengthen cultural, social and economic ties, and contribute to creating vibrant economic, social and cultural precincts.”
The international student sector was worth AUS$32 billion to the Australian economy in 2018, and analysis undertaken by Deloitte in 2019 shows each student contributes an average $40,693 to the economy each year.
Article published 15th January 2020