Case Studies

Background

Geelong, Victoria’s second largest city, is home to a broad range of educational institutions, providing a variety of study opportunities for international secondary and post-secondary students.

There are fourteen educational institutions within Geelong registered with the Government to offer courses to international students, thirteen of these are registered members of Study Geelong.

These educational opportunities, combined with an enviable lifestyle and proximity to Melbourne, make Greater Geelong a desirable international study location attracting thousands of students enrolling in courses in any given year.

Project Goals

This study aimed to provide both a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the contributions made by international students to the Geelong region, with the primary objectives being to:

• Provide estimates of the annual economic benefit of international student expenditure within the Greater Geelong region (Output, Employment, Value added, Wages & Salaries),
• Define the economic benefit of international visitors to the region who are drawn to Geelong because their friend or relative is studying locally,
• Summarise key social capital measures for international students studying in Geelong.

REMPLAN’s Involvement

REMPLAN utilised primary data collected from educational institutions and current international students to model and report on the social and economic impact of international students in the region. REMPLAN worked closely with Study Geelong who facilitated collection of the data using customised templates and surveys developed by REMPLAN.

Economic modelling was then prepared using REMPLAN Economy and social capital assessment completed based on an accepted framework.

In addition to a complete report, a snapshot of the results was prepared in a one-page infographic for easy dissemination and use in marketing.

Results

Results of the project provided Study Geelong with an excellent tool for advocacy as well as a basis for future analysis.

Economic analysis indicated that the current number of international students support more than 700 jobs in the local economy, in addition to any direct employment of course educators.

Additionally, the results estimated that a single secondary student generated over $30,000 of economic activity in the region each year and a post-secondary student generated more than $40,000 of activity, excluding payment of course fees.

The social capital assessment provided more qualitative information, supplying Study Geelong and their partners with details on the strengths of the region as well as areas which could be worked on to improve the experience for international students in the future.