51²è¹Ý

June 5, 2019

Employable graduates, diverse cohort

NSW Audit reveals pleasing growth in UOW’s Indigenous student base

There is an increasing demand for a university education among Indigenous Australians in NSW.

A newly-released state government report has revealed Indigenous student enrolments increased by 484 to 6256 from 2016 to 2017.

51²è¹Ý (UOW) has surpassed the state growth rate of 8.4 per cent. The Indigenous student base at UOW grew by more than 10 per cent from 2016 to 2017 – double the enrolment growth rate for non-Indigenous students at UOW.

The figures were released on 31 May by the NSW Audit Office in a .

Meanwhile, the report showed pleasing employment outcomes for UOW.

The proportion of Australian university graduates in full-time employment increased from 71.8 per cent to 72.9 per cent from 2017 to 2018.

51²è¹Ý alumni outperformed the national average.

Just under 90 per cent of UOW graduates who had completed postgraduate studies were employed in full-time work, and more than 75 per cent of those who completed undergraduate studies at UOW were working full time.

UOW Vice-Chancellor, Paul Wellings CBE, said equity and employability were critical to the University.

“We are proud to offer a valuable tertiary experience, especially to our Indigenous students,” Mr Wellings said.

“The more bright minds you bring together, the greater the problems you can solve.

“Our graduates can expect a secure future. We strive to anticipate the nature of emergent industries and future jobs, as graduates need to be ethical, mobile, technologically literate and ready for multicultural workplaces.”

Caption: Torres Strait Islander dancers entertain the crowd at a Reconciliation Week event at 51²è¹Ý on 29 May.