Bill Tweddell, the Australian Ambassador to Manila has invited more Filipinos to study in his country.
“Education is a key of of our development assistance,” he said, adding that the foundation of Australia’s relationship with the Philippines was the support it provides for the education sector.
“I can’t think of a better way to support a friend than with the education of the young people of their country,” the ambassador said.
Currently there are 6,300 Filipino students in Australia taking up fully-funded undergraduate and graduate courses in various fields such as information technology, business-related courses and engineering.
“We are happy with that number. We want that to keep going. Why? We think education means a lot. In Australian education, your future is unlimited. And we really believe that,” he said.
Each year, Australia welcomes an increasing number of international students to its universities and colleges. It ranks third in the English-speaking world behind the United States and Britain as an international student destination.
In the Philippines, the Australian Trade Commission promotes education through initiatives such as the “Study in Australia” campaign.
Today there are over 250,000 migrant workers in Australia with Filipinos making up approximately 65,000 of those working within the country.
In tourism, the envoy also noted an increase in Australian arrivals in the Philippines in recent years mainly because of wondrous diving spots.