With Summer nearly over, the ACAA is busily preparing for our biggest event of the year, the Australia China Alumni Awards. IELTS have signed on once again as the Title Sponsor, and we thank the IELTS team for their continued support of this great event, along with other ongoing sponsors including CPA Australia and Qantas. The gala awards ceremony will be held in Beijing on Saturday, November 2.

 

Event Highlights

 

Some highlights from our active events program over recent months include:

• A loud and passionate supporter group travelled to Tianjin in June to watch the Australian Boomers take on Team China for the Sino-Australia Basketball Challenge.

• An Emerging Leaders Focus Group event together with the First Murdoch Commission in Beijing. It was great to hear some of our best and brightest young alumni providing suggestions on how to strengthen ties between Australia and China (with a focus on W.A.)

• A combined Qld Universities alumni event in Guangzhou with the Queensland Minister for Education, Training and Employment.

• The University of Technology, Sydney also hosted celebrations in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai for its 25th Anniversary (pictured right: UTS Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ross Milbourne & Deputy Vice-Chancellor International and Development, William Purcell Growth and Development).

 

At the halfway point of the year the ACAA had organized or supported an amazing 72 events in eight cities across China and Australia, offering alumni an opportunity to reconnect with old friends while developing and broadening their personal and professional networks. The ACAA network also expanded to engage more than 9,000 alumni members. We remain on track to reach our target of 10,000 members before year end, and at current growth rates, will expand to engage 20,000 alumni by the end of 2017.

 

Public Policy Contributions

 

In the last 12 months the ACAA has purposefully stepped up its contribution to public policy, including:

• Making a submission to the DFAT China Country Strategy

• Making a submission to the First Murdoch Commission

• Completing a survey of alumni job outcomes and employer attitudes (with AEI)

• Publishing a list of the Top 25 Employers of Alumni in China

• Conducting the first survey of alumni travel habits and publishing the results together with Victoria University

• Contributing to the Henry “Australia in the Asian Century” white paper (via discussions with Ken Henry and his team).

• Contributing to the drafting of the AustCham “2013 Australia-China Education White Paper” (forthcoming)

 

In coming years, we look forward to making further contributions regarding the many roles and contributions alumni play in two-way trade. ■

 

For further information, or to get involved, please visit our website at: www.austchinaalumni.org or E: info@AustChinaAlumni.org