EU and Australia step up education and training co-operation

Citation

(2006), "EU and Australia step up education and training co-operation", Education + Training, Vol. 48 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2006.00448aab.012

EU and Australia step up education and training co-operation

The EU and Australia are stepping up their efforts to promote co-operation between their universities and vocational-training institutions. After a three-year pilot phase, the European Commission and the Australian Government have each tripled their commitment, to €1 million, to stimulate innovative curriculum development and student-exchange projects. The new programme seeks to promote better understanding and more structured collaboration and exchanges between higher-education and vocational-training institutions in the EU and Australia.

Ján Figel, European Commissioner for Education and Training, said: “After three years of pilot projects we are now upgrading our education co-operation with Australia by tripling the funding to support a range of projects that will promote academic excellence and mutual understanding between the people of the EU and Australia, including broader knowledge of their languages, cultures and institutions, in order to meet the challenges of the global, knowledge-based society.”

Up to 300 EU and Australian students will participate in a new round of projects by spending an academic term in Australia and in Europe respectively. Their study period abroad will be fully recognized by their home institutions.