Australian Embassy opens new Australia Awards office

City Desk :
The Australian High Commission in Dhaka has penned the new Australia Awards office in Dhaka.
Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Jeremy Bruer formally opened the new office on the fifth instant reflecting their commitment to provide world-class facilities to assist alumni, maintain links with Australian experts and institutions and contribute to Bangladesh’s development.
In inaugurating the office, High Commissioner Jeremy Bruer highlighted the strong relationship between Bangladesh and Australia over the last 50 years.
He emphasised that the Australia Awards is committed to support the contribution of alumni to the development of Bangladesh, reports UNB.
Representatives of the Bangladesh government, business, civil society and media attended the opening ceremony.
The new office space will help alumni maintain linkages and build networks of leaders, changemakers and ambassadors for Australian education.
Since the early 1950s, Australia has supported the capacity development needs of Bangladesh through its various funded scholarships and training programs, starting with the Colombo Plan.
To date, more than 3,000 Bangladeshis have completed technical training, short courses and tertiary qualifications from world-class Australian Universities, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade [DFAT] Australia, according to the High Commission.
Australia Awards scholarships are prestigious international awards offered by the Australian government to the next generation of global leaders in developing countries.
Australia Awards Scholarships offer the opportunity to undertake full-time postgraduate study in Australia in priority fields relating to Bangladesh’s development.
The Australia Awards application process is transparent and competitive, providing equal opportunity to all eligible applicants, regardless of gender, ethnicity or disability.
Australia Awards are open to qualified professionals and focus on the empowerment of women and the inclusion of people with disability and disadvantaged social groups. Scholarship awardees are supported throughout the period of their studies in Australia.
The study and research opportunities provided by Australia Awards Scholarships, help the awardees to develop skills and knowledge and build networks to drive change and contribute to the development of Bangladesh.
On return home, the alumni make vital contributions to the social and economic development of Bangladesh.
Australian Professional Opportunities (APOs) are an addition to the Australia Awards South Asia & Mongolia Program, introduced in 2021. In Bangladesh, APOs are delivered as short?term, flexible mechanisms to support DFAT’s strategic priorities.
Bonded by their shared experience and affinity for Australia, Australia Awards alumni have established social and professional networks and through these groups, Australian alumni remain connected with fellow alumni from all over the world.
As experts in their fields, Australia Awards alumni contribute to Bangladesh’s economic growth and sustainable development, said the High Commission.
They also build and strengthen people-to-people and institutional links between Australia and Bangladesh.
The alumni have made significant development contributions in their communities, sectors, and organisations.