The University of Queensland will fund IELTS testing to provide graduating international students from non-English speaking backgrounds with documentary evidence of their English language proficiency as a supplementary graduate attribute.
UQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International and Development), Professor Trevor Grigg said the initiative to fund International English Language Testing System (IELTS) testing would help graduating international students in the market place.
"It gives students evidence of their English language proficiency skills to support their efforts to find suitable professional employment on completing their degree programs and returning to their home countries," he said.
"The IELTS certification will supplement the students’ UQ degree testamur and Statement of Graduate Attributes as an indication of their achievement levels in Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing in English."
Professor Grigg said UQ had confidence in the English language proficiency entry policy and concurrent support procedures implemented by UQ over 20 years ago.
"We believe that our adherence to these published policies and procedures, together with the significant opportunities for language proficiency consolidation throughout our degree programs, produces graduates with competent English proficiency to supplement their broader discipline-specific knowledge and skills.
"The introduction of a UQ-funded IELTS test for each of our international student graduates is a further initiative in support of this confidence."
International students will be able to register without charge to take an IELTS test at the University’s Institute of Continuing & TESOL Education (ICTE-UQ) within a period of three months before, or three months after, their graduation from UQ.
The new IELTS initiative will be introduced immediately to be available to students completing their programs at UQ at the end of semester one 2008.
Details of IELTS testing: www.icte.uq.edu.au.
Media: For further information please contact:
Professor Trevor Grigg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International & Development), The University of Queensland Tel: +61 7 33657366 Email: t.grigg@uq.edu.au
