This collaborative space was designed for students to access professional, social and cultural opportunities and employment-based programs to enhance their student experience and career prospects.
Phil Payne, CEO at StudyPerth spoke to us on how their journey began, and what’s next for both the team and their community.
How did the StudyPerth journey begin?
Originally called Perth Education City (PEC), StudyPerth originated in 1987 when education institutions identified a need to meet and discuss issues of common interest in regards to international education. Over time, more institutions expressed an interest in the group, and in 1996 a registered association was launched.
Over time, StudyPerth has grown in scale and influence: Over 95 per cent of the international students in Perth are enrolled in programs offered by one of our members. These members include all Perth’s universities, vocational education and training (VET) colleges, English language (ELICOS) providers, and public and private schools.
StudyPerth has three objectives, designed to ensure international students have the chance to discover Western Australia and the opportunity to live, learn and launch their careers from Perth.
Our three, clear objectives are to: 1. coordinate the marketing of the Western Australian brand of international education; 2. implement initiatives that focus on enhancing the experience of international students studying in Perth; and 3. promote collaboration and cooperation between international education providers.
What is the StudyPerth value proposition?
Critical to the recent success of the international education sector in WA has been the development of a value proposition emphasising employability and entrepreneurship. This is supported by two central initiatives:
- ProsPER is a unique online platform that was launched by StudyPerth in February 2020. Through the integration of interactive modules, ProsPER aims to equip international students with the skills, experience, networks, confidence and knowledge needed to prosper in their study, lives and careers. ProsPER spans the entire student lifecycle, offering a platform for engagement with other students, employers, mentors and other valuable networks. No other state or territory has such an asset.
- The StudyPerth Student Hub is integrated closely with the online platform, so ProsPER’s virtual activities will be completed and supported by physical events and activities within a purpose-designed space.
The Hub also supports the City of Perth’s community strategic priority – to build a vibrant, liveable and inclusive city, by attracting international students, overseas delegations, entrepreneurs and employers to the CBD with greater frequency.
What is the vision for the study hub?
The Hub will provide a collaborative space for students to access professional, social and cultural opportunities and employment-based programs to enhance their student experience and career prospects.
The Hub will also provide services designed to improve students’ wellness and wellbeing.
By focusing on employability and entrepreneurship, the StudyPerth Student Hub will attract new employers to engage with international students and provide employers with a pool of diverse global talent.
Hub services will complement, not compete with or duplicate, existing services provided by education institutions, government and others.
The geographic distribution of tertiary educational institutions in Perth means students can sometimes feel isolated and struggle to access social, practical and professional services. This can affect their overall experience as an international student and contribute to attrition rates. A centrally located Hub is a great asset in this regard.
What drew StudyPerth towards the Spacecubed community as a home for their hub?
Embedding with Spacecubed reduces barriers between employers, entrepreneurs and students and facilitates organic and planned engagement between these different groups.
Spacecubed offers an extensive physical and virtual community, and also allows StudyPerth to access its program of community events, services and connection channels, numbering over 150 per year.
What's next for StudyPerth?
StudyPerth plans to extend the range of services and support available via the Hub, expanding a program of specialist international student entrepreneurship, employability and social events augmenting what is available from SpaceCubed.
Already planned is a legal support service and a financial/budgeting management service, both of which will be provided online, within ProsPER and in the Hub.
The Hub has already generated a great deal of interest among StudyPerth members and students, and bookings for the available spaces are already strong.
To discover more about StudyPerth, you can visit their website here or to learn more on how Spacecubed activates spaces across Perth, reach out to info@spacecubed.com to get started.
