Ms Nicole Patterson1
1Trade And Investment Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
The Queensland international education and training sector is working together to bring local and regional level student experience projects to life, solving local problems identified by the sector with both project management and funding support. An ELICOS student choir, LGBTIQ Rainbow Student Hub, international hackathons, jungle surfing in the Daintree rainforest and a student innovation challenge are all projects currently underway. Institutions, peak bodies, student groups and government are all involved in designing and delivering projects that make a real difference to international students in the areas of improved employability, enhanced student support and new student experiences that welcome international students and value the contribution they make to Queensland. This presentation will outline how project teams are co-designing and co-funding projects for maximum benefit and how you can apply these strategies to build great student experiences. We will showcase the benefits of a co-design approach across the International Education and Training sector, provide examples of current projects and how these projects are making a tangible difference to international students. Here we provide practical methods for collaboration across the sector to achieve project outcomes
Biography:
Nicole is the Principal Partnerships Officer, within IETU, and in this role, Nicole heads up the team managing the IET Partnership Fund one of the key enabling initiatives of the IET Strategy. Nicole has a particular focus on Strengthening the regions and Enhancing the student experience within the portfolio. Nicole has enjoyed the work in specific markets and sectors however now enjoys working across all sectors towards the goals of the IET Strategy to Advance Queensland.
Nicole has held significant roles in tourism marketing, international business development, international student mobility, international relations and industry engagement in both Japan and Australia. During 17 years based in Japan, Nicole started her career in Sendai teaching International Business at the YMCA college of Business, then as an Assistant Language Teacher at Shibukawa and Gunma Boards of Education, and also later as a Research Assistant at Gunma Women’s University. Nicole also accidently launched a start-up – Liquid Energy Ink, a boutique design and printing business. It is one of the first online businesses that has proved to be a sustainable model and continues today.
Following a move to Tokyo, Nicole worked as Tourism Marketing Manager at Sanyo Japan Marketing International, with key clients in Singapore, Myanmar, Australia, Philippines and Thailand and then Business Development Officer looking after the Education Portfolio at TIQ Tokyo Office. Upon return to Australia, Nicole has held positions at Queensland Department of Education and Training, VET Export Office and QUT. Until her current appointment at TIQ IETU, Nicole held a management position within QUT International Student Mobility for 7 years where she worked with the team to grow inbound and outbound numbers and funding significantly. Nicole is also a qualified teacher in special needs and LOTE (Japanese) and is a strong advocate for international student mobility.