International Placement Program to Asia-Pacific
Region for Community Services Students
CASE FOR SUPPORT
Organisation
Victoria University
Vice-Chancellor and President
Professor Peter Dawkins, Vice-Chancellor
Address
PO Box 14428, Melbourne Vic 8001
Telephone
03 9919 4000
Website
www.vu.edu.au
Project Contact
Marianne Hobson, Development Coordinator
Telephone
03 9919 1129
Email
Marianne.hobson@vu.edu.au
Tax deductibility status
ATO Tax Concession Charity
ATO Deductible Gift Recipient (Item 1)
Project Leads
Dr Glenys Adams
Field Education Coordinator, Community Services
Victoria University Institute of Technology
Ms Emily Barter
Manager Community Services, Youth & AOD
Victoria University Institute of Technology
Ms Josephine Grima
Teacher – Community Work
Victoria University Institute of Technology
Background
VU was originally founded in 1916 as Footscray Technical School. After successive mergers with TAFE colleges
in Melbourne's western region Victoria University, as it is today, was formed in 1990. It is the only University
based in Melbourne's west and is now one of the largest, most culturally diverse education institutions in
Australia.
VU delivers courses, research and engagement activities that are locally relevant and globally significant, and
which emphasise practical and applied learning. The University maintains a strong, dynamic presence in the
western suburbs of Melbourne, and its ability to identify and successfully meet the specific educational needs of
this region is based on its long history, its close ties and its commitment to the communities of this area.
VU works in partnership with a broad range of educational organisations and community groups. The University’s
commitment to community encompasses a variety of succesful partnerships including Western Bulldogs,
Western Jets, Real Madrid Graduate School Universidad Europea, Footscray Community Arts Centre,
Melbourne Writer’s Festival, the Malthouse Theatre and Western Health.
VU recognises the importance of preparing students to be successful global citizens and supports the
development of partnerships particularly in the Asia-Pacific region where it already operates transnationally. VU
aims to become well-known for knowledge exchange between Australia and countries in the Asia-Pacific such as
China, India and Malaysia.
Project Costs
Total project cost: $52,662 (for 6 students + 1 staff member)
Funding Required $17,514
Project
The Community Services Department within Victoria University (VU) are piloting the establishment of an
international placement program in the Asia-Pacific region. Six VU TAFE students studying community service
courses are to be selected to undertake a 5 week fieldwork placement in Malaysia for this pilot program.
Community service courses often pathway students into varying careers and further study that relate to the
principles of social justice and human rights, and the development of welfare programs and community
development projects. Graduates work with individuals, groups and communities that are grappling with issues of
homelessness, mental health, drug and alcohol issues and the impact of newly-arrived migrant and asylumseeker groups on communities.
The international field education program is being developed for TAFE Diploma students who traditionally have
had limited access to international opportunities. It is believed that such an experience will also assist Diploma
students in their career development and job prospects locally and/or internationally.
The Asia-Pacific region was chosen to pilot an international field education program for Diploma students
because of Australia’s geographical closeness and its relevance to Australia’s commitment to this region.
Malaysia in particular was selected to commence this program for a number of reasons. The use of the English
language is widespread; the infrastructure is in place to support the development of this program, for example an
established student mobility organisation based in Kuala Lumpur is able to introduce staff and students to a
number of relevant services and networks; and the Malaysian government continues to encourage the
development of collaborative partnerships with foreign universities, many of whom have established branch
campuses (including VU).
Project Timeline
Stages of Development
Recruitment of Program
Coordinator
Scoping Visit
Program Development
Program Development
Recruitment of Program Coordinator for the
establishment and duration of the Pilot Program.
The Program Coordinator to undertake a scoping visit
prior to the field education program’s full development to
meet with potential host organisations and ensure the
practical placement opportunities are suitable for Diploma
students.
The mobility organisation would use their extensive
networks on the ground to identify potential placement
options. The mobility organisation will:
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determine suitable host organisations for a 5 week
placement, including one week of orientation in the
host country;
advise VU of suitability of host organisation in
terms of size, structure, language use and ability to
provide a valuable learning experience for students;
Prepare the host organisation about their
responsibilities in providing a fulfilling and risk
averse experience for students;
Engage with the host organisation to come up with
a project that meets the needs of students and the
Diploma course requirements;
Consult with VU Field Education Coordinator to
ensure the program meets course requirements;
Liaise with the VU Field Education Coordinator and
host organisation in order to match suitable
candidates to the projects being proposed.
The mobility organisation will also potentially be
responsible for the following:
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Arrangement of suitable accommodation
Arrangement of airport transfers
Assistance with pre-departure briefing to be
delivered in Melbourne by the Field Education
Coordinator or their representative
Orientation to the host city that includes an
introduction to the local culture;
Welcome and farewell events
Welcome pack
Mid-program follow-up meeting
24 hour emergency support for students during the
course of the placement
Post-placement feedback from host
organisation in relation to the fieldwork
placement program.
Timeline
5 days, including travel
time
6-8 weeks
Partnerships
The Global Student
Victoria University has strong links with The Global Student which is an organisation that offers student
placements with a focus in South East Asia. As an existing supplier to VU, this relationship can be leveraged so
that The Global Student can provide individual internships for VU students within South East Asia across a range
of disciplines. In addition to the internships The Global Student is also able to provide short term student
experiences in countries such as Malaysia for the duration of 5 weeks.
The Global Student is also able to provide an individual package tailored to the needs of the fieldwork
requirements for Diploma of Community Services and Community Development students through their extensive
network of relevant non-government organisations, government agencies and research institutes in Malaysia.
Some of these organisations work with refugees and migrants, women, community education and health
programs focused on issues such as HIV/AIDS, sexual health and the protection of worker’s rights. The Global
Student is also able to support introductions to social work programs operating within the university sector in
Malaysia and to the Malaysian Association of Social Workers where an appropriate model of supervision for the
fieldwork placements could be explored.
Need
The multicultural nature of Australian society continues to develop and grow significantly and currently Victoria is
amongst the fastest-growing and most diverse in Australia. This trend will create a demand for practitioners in
the community services sector and community development fields of practice in Victoria who are culturally aware
and can engage individuals, groups and communities from diverse cultural backgrounds. The Ethnic
Communities Council of Victoria (ECCV) highlight how the 2015 - 2016 Victorian State Budget contains
significant gains for multicultural Victoria including commitments for $74 million to bolster multicultural affairs and
social cohesion with cultural diversity acknowledged as making the economy and society stronger.
The Community Services & Health Industry is projecting that one in every four new jobs created between 2013
and 2018 will be in this industry. Some of the trends identified by the industry stakeholders refer to an increased
scope of support worker roles, demand for care coordination roles, leadership, management and administration
skills and greater emphasis on technological knowledge and skills. This will translate into an increased demand
for these specific skills and changing roles and produce a continuing demand for workers to develop existing
skills as well as the acquisition of new skills. The allocation of $350 million to the TAFE system in the 2015 2016 Victorian State Budget has the potential to make a difference in relation to educational outcomes that
address these changing industry needs.
In order for VU to develop quality practitioners in this space, a full rounded learning experience that integrates
theory and practice would be highly enhanced with involvement in an international fieldwork placement. A
fieldwork placement in the Asia-Pacific region would expose the next generation of community service workers
and community development practitioners to global issues that can be translated back into the local Victorian
community. A global perspective is a desirable attribute for working in the community services industry and
community development field of practice within an Australian multicultural society.
Historically, Footscray has been a major location for the resettlement of migrants and refugees. The most recent
demographics for the City of Maribyrnong, for example, reveal that 40% of residents were born overseas from
135 different countries with the most recent arrivals from Burma. The City of Wyndham on the western fringe of
Melbourne for example, is one of the fastest growing municipalities with 34% of their population born overseas,
and a population growth of approximately 10,604 persons from 2013 to 2014. Twenty-six religions are
represented in Wyndham, made up of people of Christian and non-Christian faiths, with the fastest growth from
followers of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and followers of the Sikh tradition.
Outcomes and Measures
Educational Outcomes
An enhanced learning environment will be gained by students who participate in the fieldwork placement,
similarly to those students who participate in apprenticeships, internships and simulated learning environments.
Fieldwork placements allow students to recognise connections between their individual problems, and the
experiences of the social contexts in which they find themselves, so that the student can develop a critical
awareness of one’s social reality through reflection and action. This is central to the method of teaching practice
and facilitation of fieldwork practices connected to the community services and community development
outcomes. Experiential learning theories are at the core of fieldwork placement experiences as they enable
students to build practitioner skills and facilitate the integration of theory and practice. One of the most powerful
learning outcomes that arise from this type of learning is the opportunity for feedback and reflection. Supervision
from the host country and the home country (via Skype) and the use of journal entries as one of the assessment
tools provide the student with the opportunity to develop reflective practice skills.
Students will also undertake pre and post evaluations of the placement experience. The aim is to document if
there was any change in expectations, knowledge, attitudes, skills, motivations and behaviours to determine the
effectiveness of the program for the future development of an international fieldwork placement program. The
small number of students undertaking this pilot program lends itself to including the collection of narrative stories
for promotion of any future program.
Fieldwork placements have always been an integral part of the Diploma of Community Services and Diploma of
Community Development courses and are founded on the value of experiential learning. The existing literature
on international fieldwork placements for higher education students affirm that such placements are an effective
method of establishing a learning environment in which respect for all peoples and an understanding of diversity
and difference is developed or enhanced as a result of these experiences. It is also apparent that reciprocal
programs for the host country flow from such relationships benefiting both the home and host countries.
It is anticipated that professionally, students studying a Diploma of Community Services Work or a Diploma of
Community Development will benefit from an international fieldwork placement program by:
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Developing tolerance and understanding of another’s culture and their mores by immersing themselves
in a particular community within the host country
Developing confidence in cross-cultural communication
Gaining insight into their own cultural assumptions
Becoming sensitised to the social issues that impact on individuals, groups and communities that
migrate or seek asylum in Australia
Strengthening communication and community engagement skills
Learning about different models of community in operation in another country
Gaining a broader understanding of social justice and global framework
Enhancing their employability skills for future work opportunities locally or internationally.
It is also anticipated that the host country, VU and the wider local communities (in the home country) will benefit
from the development of the international fieldwork program for Diploma students in the following ways –
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The acquisition of specialist knowledge about the host country is able to be disseminated throughout the
university community and with wider VU partners that serve local communities in Melbourne and in
particular, the west of Melbourne;
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The development of a network which includes the universities, agencies, groups and communities that
engage with welfare concerns and community development programs with both the host and home
countries;
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The establishment of relationships between the two countries to support the development of reciprocal
programs, for example staff and student exchange programs;
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The opportunity for reciprocal dialogue and learning.
Upon completing an international placement and returning to Melbourne, students will have the opportunity for
furthering their professional development in the form of public speaking to students and staff within the university
community and to smaller community groups as appropriate.
Employment Outcomes
Graduates can be employed as community/youth/aged care/disability workers, case managers or case worker,
community services worker, program coordinator, support worker, welfare worker or community development
practitioner. Types of service provision where graduates seek employment vary widely and can include housing
and homelessness, child protection, youth services, aged care, mental health, disability, and alcohol and other
drugs services, community health, services and resource centres related specifically to migrants and asylumseekers or more generally community hubs, and centres and neighbourhood houses catering for the needs of
particular communities and community development projects utilising the arts, music, drama and sports to
engage disadvantaged individuals and communities.
As Victoria University has a long history of commitment to the west of Melbourne, a region associated with
disadvantage due to an increasing migrant population and high unemployment rates, students who participate in
such a fieldwork placement experience are more than likely to progress in a field of practice related to social
justice and human rights.
Budget
The following budget pertains to 6 students and 1 supervising VU staff participating in the international field
placement and a scoping visit for 2 staff prior to the commencement of the program.
EXPENDITURE ITEMS
PER STUDENT
Salaries and Wages
$2,704
TOTAL COST
(6 STUDENTS)
$16,222
Travel Insurance
$130
$780
Scoping visit – 2 staff for one week in Malaysia,
November 2015
$1,000
$6,000
Logistical costs i.e. coordinating bookings, orientation,
24 hour support, mid-program review, final debrief
[through Global Student]
$1,333
$8,000
Program Costs [through Global Student] including
accommodation, airport transfers, welcome and farewell
dinner and welcome pack
$1,560
$9,360
Airfares
$1,000
$6,000
Spending money for basic meals and transport
($30/day/student for 5 weeks)
$1,050
$6,300
TOTAL COSTS
$8,777
$52,662
INCOME
Salaries and Wages
CONFIRMED
Victoria University
UNCONFIRMED
Endeavour Mobility
Grant
$1,500
Other Philanthropic
Sources
Travel Insurance
Scoping visit – 2 staff for one
week in Malaysia, November
2015
Logistical costs i.e. coordinating
bookings, orientation, 24 hour
support, mid-program review,
final debrief [through Global
Student]
Program Costs [through Global
Student] including
accommodation, airport
transfers, welcome and farewell
dinner and welcome pack
Student
Contribution
Victoria University
$8,654
$780
$6,000
Other Philanthropic
Sources
Victoria University
AMOUNT
$6,068
$8,000
$2,500
Endeavour Mobility
Grant
$6,000
Other Philanthropic
Sources
$860
Airfares
Endeavour Mobility
Grant
$6,000
Spending money for basic
meals and transport
($30/day/student for 5 weeks)
Student
Contribution
$6,300
TOTAL INCOME
$35,148
$17,514
The cost of the program for an individual student is approximately $8,777 depending on the location (excluding
staffing costs, scoping visit, and student spending money for meals and transport). Through the services of The
Global Student, the cost includes host matching, pre-departure information, a local orientation, 24 hour
emergency support, welcome and farewell dinner, and a final debrief. Students would also need to access funds
for visa applications if applicable, and immunisations.