Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio will welcome up to 500 international students, studying in the Toowoomba region, at the Cooee International Student Welcome this Sunday, March 3, 2019.
The event at Cobb+Co Museum coincides with the new academic year and will include an Indigenous smoking ceremony, student musical performances and local wildlife displays.
Mayor Antonio said the Toowoomba Region is pleased to extend a warm welcome to new international students.
“The student welcome is a Study Toowoomba initiative delivered by Toowoomba Regional Council and the University of Southern Queensland.
“The program for this year’s event has been designed to give them a true taste of what our community has to offer.
“We want Toowoomba Region to be the destination of choice for international students, and one of the key ingredients to enhancing the student experience is providing a warm welcome and supportive environment, Mayor Antonio said.
“Because of the importance of education to our region, Toowoomba Regional Council has partnered with the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), TAFE Queensland, and other regional education and training sector stakeholders to establish one voice for our education and training sector.
“The education sector makes a significant contribution to the Toowoomba Region’s economy, providing almost 9,000 jobs and over $300 million in exports, Mayor Antonio said.
“Our region is serious about being an education hub and the Cooee International Student Welcome is one part of a strategic campaign to become a national and international education destination of choice.
“Education and training is today the second largest industry in the Toowoomba Region and is expected to create an additional 4,391 jobs by 2041.
“Of this, international education and training contribute around $80 million to the local economy (TIQ 2017).
“The word ‘Cooee’ means ‘come here’ and that is exactly what we want the international students to do.
Mayor Antonio said his message to international students is to come to Toowoomba and live work and study in our safe and liveable community.”
