Educating regional people in regional locations is the best way to meet the professional needs of inland Australia, according to the latest research from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Western Research Institute (WRI).

 

The CSU graduates destination report shows that 60 percent of CSU’s on campus graduates between 2003 and 2005 took up their first employment in regional Australia.

 

This latest study also shows that 20 per cent of CSU graduates originally from metropolitan areas take up initial employment in regional areas, a gain of two percentage points on an earlier study.

 

Of the CSU graduates who came from regional locations, 73 per cent took up their first employment in regional areas, in keeping with the earlier study by WRI which covered CSU graduates from 1995 to 2002.

 

Overall, there has been a significant increase in regional students being initially employed in regional area, increasing by 1.3 per cent per year from 1995. Professions that particularly showed an increase of regional graduates over this time were involved in commerce, health and science.

 

“The WRI report confirms that the University’s strategy of providing comprehensive education for professions vital for the growth of inland Australia is helping satisfy a real demand,” said CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter.

 

“It also confirms Charles Sturt University’s position as the University for inland Australia.”

 

Agricultural and environmental professions had the highest levels of initial employment in regional Australia, with 88 per cent of regional students employed in regional areas, followed by 82 per cent in the area of education, particularly teachers. The creative arts area was lowest with 57 per cent initially employed in regional areas.

 

“However, the research also showed that overall regional graduates are continuing the drift to metropolitan areas. We must continue to address this worrying trend at all levels – government, education, business and community – as it does have a very real potential to adversely affect the continued economic and social development of both inland Australia and Australia as a whole,” Professor Goulter said.

 

The results of the 2006 survey are drawn from various sources, including offical surveys of University graduates conducted by Graduate Careers Australia and information collected for the Federal Department of Education, Science and Training.