Sydney:
Trade and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said Thursday that the trade pact between India and Australia would help expand the economies of both countries, providing students with huge opportunities.
Mr Goyal is currently on an official tour of Australia, just days after both countries signed a free trade agreement.
He said education is an important element in both current and future agreements with Australia.
“So of course as trade and economy grow the opportunities for students also increase and that is what we have been aiming for,” said Mr Goyal while interacting with students from the University of New South Wales.
He called for India-Australia to take education to the next level and invited the university to expand its presence in India.
“While we are expanding our range of services towards each other. As we expand the trade of goods, in startups, there will clearly be a greater need for you (Indian students in Australia),” Goyal added.
Australia has over a lakh students from India.
Speaking at the event, Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan said the question of whether Indian students studying in Australia should also have opportunities to work here is a “very popular” issue and they are working to address it.
“So as part of the agreement we’ve reached that “if a student is STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) or works in IT as part of their degree and if “you get a first-class honor then you get after your study extra work (visa) so that you can stay, work and work here longer.”
“We need to ensure that our education leads to employment outcomes… We hope that in the next 6 months you will have many more opportunities than you currently have,” he added.