20 Australian students visit PH for workplace study program

Manila, Philippines—Twenty students from the Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Australia are in the country for a workplace study program that will help them learn more about Philippine history and culture, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Tuesday.

“CSU considers the program as a great opportunity for the students to broaden their horizons, to experience a multilingual work environment, and to successfully engage with persons from other countries,” said Anthony Chan, program coordinator and lecturer in Information Technology (IT) of CSU, in a statement.

The statement noted that the program, which would be held from July 3 to July 16, was organized by the CSU School of Computing and Mathematics in partnership with the Philippines-Australia Business Council (PABC).

The CSU-PABC collaboration was facilitated by the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, Australia, the statement added.

It said the students, including Filipino-Australian Kimberly Bernadette Parker and two CSU program coordinators accompanying them, were visiting the Philippines for the first time and were from varied backgrounds and courses such as computer science, IT, accounting, business, and human resource management.

“The students will be exposed to various companies and institutions in Manila in fields such as education, management, IT, telecommunications, real estate, and product design,” it said.

It said Philippine Consul General to Sydney Anne Jalando-on Luis gave the students a briefing at the Consulate on July 2, and showed them a video on the Philippines’ business environment, culture, and tourism before their departure to Manila.

“The workplace study program is an excellent example of people-to-people contact which promotes closer ties, lasting bonds of friendships and a deeper appreciation and understanding of each others cultures and ways of life,” Luis said in a statement.