MONASH COLLEGE BUYS OUT ISPC

Monash College, a subsidiary of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, has moved into the work placement sector by buying out the work placement company International Student Placement Centre (ISPC) and rebranding it as Monash Professional.

The new company has offices in Sydney and Melbourne and provides work placements for international students studying at Monash University and other institutions around Australia, as well as other young people coming into the country.

Rick Jones, Business Development Manager at Monash Professional, said that the new company’s association with Monash University has been instrumental in expanding business opportunities. “Having the Monash brand has enabled rapid development,” he said, “particularly in terms of attracting quality host companies in which to place interns.” He continued, “Monash University’s global presence enables Monash Professional to leverage opportunities across various continents, developing a network of partners with extensive industry contacts throughout the world.”

The company has also recently turned its attentions to the outgoing work placement market and has developed an outbound programme for Australians to travel abroad to undertake internships. Jones said that they hoped to raise the profile and quality of the internship sector in Australia in the future by offering specialist work placement opportunities in a variety of fields. “Through a workplace based experience, graduates are able to polish their skills and increase their employability.”

GEO VISIONS LINKS UP

The American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) has teamed up with work and volunteer placement provider, GeoVisions in the USA, in order to offer their clients a broader range of travel opportunities. AIFS, which offers study abroad programmes to US students, approached Geo Visions to form a partnership after experiencing requests for volunteer opportunities from their clients.

Randy LeGrant, Executive Director of GeoVisions, said, “AIFS has been around for 44 years, GeoVisions for seven. We are very proud that they chose us over all the other organisations to be their partner. We both hope this partnership will last a long time. Already we have seen it grow in unintended areas and both companies are thrilled.”

As well as providing links to each other’s website, the partnership also involves collaborating on marketing issues and analytics on web visits, clicks and sales. GeoVisions has also developed a special teacher-led introduction of its products for the high school division of AIFS, ACIS.

TWIN EXPANDS WORK OFFER

Twin Group in the UK, which offers work placements for international students through its WorkUK division (both internships and paid placements), has merged WorkUK with an Employment Services division of the company that had previously focused on placing UK citizens in jobs within the country.

Tommi Muttonen, Spokesperson for the company, said the merger of departments meant a far wider selection of internships and paid opportunities for their international clients, as well as “offering employers an extended range of services and candidates”.

He continued, “The new department now benefits from the skills and experience of 14 consultants with expertise in a wide range of vocational sectors.” Twin also offers short-term work trials.

NEWS IN BRIEF

The state of Western Australia has announced that it will invest AUS$590,000 (US$535,870) in developing a marketing campaign to attract more casual workers to work in the tourism industry.
The campaign involves the top 10 biggest industry employers in the state and will target young people on Australian working holiday visas.

US-based agency Amerispan is offering scholarships of between US$250 and US$500 to students embarking on an academic study abroad programme, a volunteer or internship placement and language programmes longer than eight weeks. They are awarded on a needs-based basis and aim to encourage study abroad. The agency, owned by Don Quijote USA, also has a collegiate scholarship fund of US$100,000 that can be awarded in scholarships to university and college study abroad departments.

GapGuru, a company specialising in Gap Year programmes in India, has launched a new volunteer programme that involves spending 14 days tracking tigers in the forests of southern India. Volunteers will work with Indian government rangers on “Project Tiger”, an initiative set up to educate local people about poaching and monitor the jungles to ensure the survival of the endangered Bengal tiger.