Asian Engagement Minister Peter Tinley will participate in roundtable talks today aimed at improving Western Australia's offering of vocational education and training (VET) in the mining and tourism sector for Indonesia.
The roundtable was jointly organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Canberra; the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Perth; the Indonesian Investment Promotion Centre, Sydney; the Indonesian Trade Promotion Centre, Sydney; and the Australia Indonesia Business Council.
Western Australia already contributes up to 40 per cent of Australia's total exports to Indonesia. Events such as the Indonesia-Australia Roundtable are key drivers to supporting the upskilling of Indonesia's workforce through the promotion of VET opportunities.
It is anticipated that the March signing of the long-awaited Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) will come under the spotlight during the roundtable.
The IA-CEPA offers new opportunities for Indonesians to receive training from Australian training providers in both Indonesia and Australia, and to grow the number of Indonesian students seeking to study in Australia.
Indonesian students made up 2.2 per cent (1,121) of WA's international student population in 2018 - the 16th biggest student population by nationality in the State.
Increasing the number of Indonesian students will help boost the local economy, create jobs and add to the social and cultural vibrancy of the broader community in WA.
As stated by Asian Engagement Minister Peter Tinley:
"Roundtables such as these are vitally important for WA's VET ties with Indonesia which is already a key regional and global player and forecast to become the world's fourth biggest economy by 2050.
"Given our special relationship with our nearest Asian neighbour, we need to work harder to improve its current ranking of 16th place in the rankings by nationality of students in WA and encourage more Indonesian students to live and study in Perth."
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
"These roundtable discussions help develop important networks and increase VET opportunities in neighbouring countries.
"Encouraging Indonesian students to engage with WA's education service providers will help boost our economy and create jobs."
