UAE Study Tour in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane
For six weeks in July/August 2007 Embassy CES Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane hosted three study tour groups, each consisting of fifty 16/17-year old male students from the UAE.
The 150 students were all sponsored by the UAE government with the aim of improving their English and giving them experience of studying and living in a different (western) cultural setting. Many of the students had not been out of their hometowns before, let alone on a plane or in a foreign country so it was with much trepidation that many of them approached their arrival and first day on campus! All students stayed in individual Homestays around Melbourne and learnt to commute!
The tour program involved integration into the Certificate of English classes at levels appropriate to their proficiency, plus participation in closed classes in IT Skills and Leadership in the afternoons. Several social and cultural events were organised each week with a mix of visits to local and more distant tourist attractions featuring. Presentations on the range of Taylors and Charles Sturt University Study Centre also featured.
The Victorian Government Business Office in the UAE contacted the Department of Education to arrange hosting of visits by the group to leading Melbourne tertiary institutions with future study interest (and scholarships) in mind.
By the end of the six weeks students had settled confidently in to their new lives, made considerable gains in their communication skills in English, improved their table tennis skills and learnt a great deal - as had we - about other ways of being!
Embassy CES Melbourne student wins prize
SON, Young Min (Shown) won second place in an international competition by designing the logo - featured below - for Top Creatives a website company. Congratulations, Shown!
Embassy CES Melbourne wins excellence award
Congratulations to Embassy CES Melbourne for winning the 2007 Excellence Award, given by languagecourse.net to those language schools which receive the highest customer satisfaction ratings worldwide. These evaluations are based on results from interviews with more than a thousand language students worldwide. Hats off to the staff !
Access all areas at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Each year in March, Melbourne hosts a Welcome to International Students event. The Director of Studies for Embassy CES Melbourne, Margot Tucker, attended with ten students.
They joined more than 400 students from all types of schools and colleges in the state of Victoria. The event this year was held in the hallowed halls of the Members Dining Room at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), an experience most Australians can only dream about!
Ms Jacinta Allen, Minister for Skills, Education Services and Employment officiated with the assistance of Gary Singer, Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne. The official part of the reception was interspersed with entertainment and snacks, and enjoyed by all.
New Work Placement Assistance Service at Embassy CES Melbourne
Embassy CES now offers a work placement assistance service to all students of Intermediate level and above.
The new Work Placement Assistance Co-ordinator Jane Purchase will run weekly seminars in which students can learn skills such as how to write a resumé or a letter of application. She'll also explain how to perform well in an interview, where to look for work, and other work-related topics such as tax, working visas and so on. Students can also book an appointment with Jane to assist them with any of the above areas.
At the first seminar, about 40 students turned up, and the interest looks set to continue.
While Jane does not find a job for students, she hopes to help them learn the necessary skills to do so themselves. Many students are interested in getting a job to support them while studying in Melbourne, and working can also help greatly with fluency and vocabulary acquisition. Others seeks jobs after they graduate, hoping to gain valuable experience for their future careers.