More than 130 Macquarie students recently attended a panel discussion on “Skills for Success in the Asia-Pacific”. The event, co-hosted by Macquarie International and the Global Leadership Program and featuring speakers from government and industry, was designed to promote the opportunities and benefits offered by the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan (NCP). The NCP encourages Australian students to live, study and work in the Asia-Pacific region.

To date, Macquarie has received more than $1.1 million in NCP funding to support student mobility to countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including internship programs. In addition, in 2016 four Macquarie students received prestigious NCP scholarships to study at leading institutions in the Indo-Pacific. Macquarie is among the top 10 of Australian universities in terms of number of NCP scholarships received.

The recent event provided students with an opportunity for learning and meaningful discussion on issues of international trade, cooperation and engagement in the Asia-Pacific.

At the event, Tim Beresford, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, highlighted the importance of the NCP in linking government, industry and universities.

“I encourage students to explore NCP opportunities at Macquarie, which go beyond study to include internships and work experience with leading companies in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region,” says Beresford.

The panel featured Rhonda Piggott, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) NSW state office; Bruce Gosper, CEO Austrade (and former Australian Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation); and Doug Ferguson, Head of Asia and International Markets, KPMG (Chair of Asia Society Australia and an NCP Business Champion).

Macquarie student Sharfah Mohamed moderated the panel and provided an overview of her own experience as an NCP Scholar. As a recipient of this prestigious scholarship, Sharfah spent a semester at the National University of Singapore and also completed internships at Telstra International and BHP Billiton.

“My New Colombo Plan experience has been a truly transformative one – it provided me with the opportunity to become immersed in a rich culture, study in the top-ranked university in Asia, gain international work experience and form lasting personal and professional connections in Singapore. I strongly encourage students interested in deepening their understanding of the Indo-Pacific region to apply,” says Sharfah.