Victoria will continue to be Australia’s number one destination for students, as the Allan Labor Government launches a fund to help more Victorian universities and TAFEs take their education offering to the world.

In Delhi today – following the announcement of an expanded partnership between RMIT University and leading Indian university BITS Pilani – Premier Jacinta Allan announced a new $5 million Yes to International Students Fund to help bring more partnerships like RMIT-BITS to life.

The new fund will focus on transnational education – offering targeted seed funding to Victorian universities and TAFEs so they can kick start and grow partnerships to deliver more education overseas.

Transnational education (TNE) is the delivery of Australian courses to international students outside Australia, where a university may set up a campus offshore or co-deliver dual courses with a reputable international university.

Delivering Victoria’s world-class education overseas brings huge benefits back to the state: growing the economy, strengthening the global reputation of Victoria’s institutions, and giving staff and students in each country mobility and more opportunities for research, career development and further study.

Some Victorian public institutions with a smaller global footprint will benefit from more support to find reputable partners and explore valuable opportunities across the globe.

TNE students are currently proposed to be exempt under Australia’s National Planning Level reforms. Today, the Premier also called on the Federal Government to guarantee TNE students won’t be counted towards the cap.

Victoria is Australia’s leader in transnational education, supported by the largest offshore education network of any state.

The RMIT and BITS partnership is one of Australia’s TNE success stories and is the first Australian–Indian dual degree program where students complete half their undergraduate degree in India and half in Victoria.

TAFEs are a success story, too. Holmesglen operates a TAFE campus in Mongolia and has trained more than 1,000 mine workers, and in 2015, it opened a girls’ senior secondary school in Qatar specialising in business.

Victoria will work with universities and training providers on the design of the fund and confirm further details in the Economic Growth Statement later this year.

International students support Victoria’s economy, generating $14.8 billion in revenue last year and supporting more than 63,000 FTE jobs across the state.

Quotes attributable to Premier Jacinta Allan

“We say yes to international students because they boost our economy and our global reputation, they support our small businesses, and they keep our multicultural state connected with the world.”

“We say no to the Federal Government’s caps. Our new fund is going to help our unis and TAFEs find innovative ways to challenge them, and make our offering to international students even stronger.”

Quote attributable to Minister for Economic Growth Tim Pallas

“We want to axe the caps, but we also want to bring something positive to the table that can grow our economy and keep us innovating.”

Quote attributable to Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney

“We back our universities and TAFEs to deliver world-class training, here and abroad. And we absolutely stand by them against these damaging caps.”