Albury Wodonga to host global business education conference

Albury Wodonga and surrounding regions will be on show this weekend as delegates from around the world arrive for the 82nd International Conference for la Société Internationale pour l'Enseignement Commercial - International Society for Business Education (SIEC/ISBE).

The six-day conference will run from 18-23 July 2010 and will attract around 400 delegates from education and training organisations across Australia and internationally. Delegates will come from universities, TAFE institutes, community colleges, schools, government bodies, corporations and private training organisations.

The conference carries the theme 'Sustainability and Ethics in Business' and will be coordinated by a steering committee made up of members from local education institutions including Charles Sturt University, James Fallon High School, La Trobe University, Riverina Institute of TAFE, Wodonga Institute of TAFE and Wodonga Senior Secondary College.

This conference is the first of its kind for the region and business educators in Australia, and will consist of seminars, workshops and presentations from local industry.  The delegates will visit local businesses and education institutions during their six-day stay.

Mr Prashil Singh, a Project Leader-Learning Partnerships for Wodonga TAFE and the Vice President for the Australian Chapter, is looking forward to meeting with his international counterparts.

“This is a great chance to represent the region as well as build strong relationships within industry and education. The conference will also allow delegates to foster intellectual stimulation around the conference theme of ethics and sustainability in business”. 

“The region will be very busy during this time and it has taken plenty of planning to ensure the conference will be a success. The delegates have an eventful itinerary, which will incorporate industry visits, networking events and a tour of the region”.

Global thinking brings business to Albury Wodonga

The economic and social benefits in having this event in Australia and particularly in Albury Wodonga are significant for all of the businesses and industries in the region. These include:

• marketing Australia as a destination
• showcasing leadership for Tourism Victoria and New South Wales
• regional economic stimulation from international tourism spending from an estimated 100 overseas delegates
• tourism benefit to Melbourne and Sydney via pre and post conference tours
• fostering strong links between industry, universities, TAFE and businesses both national and international
• regional business sustainability through tourism – multiplier effect
• encourage and facilitate the sharing of ideas between countries and industries (intellectual stimulation)
• potential investment attraction
• opportunity for tourism infrastructure investment and development (government and private)
• build local business and education partnerships and contacts
• sharing of issues at national level on sustainability and development.

The SIEC/ISBE is an international organisation which aims to:

• promote the internationalisation of business education and training in co-operation with businesses, industries, educators, and private and public registered training organisations
• foster and develop an international multilingual network of national Chapters and individuals with an interest in business education
• encourage and maintain links between education and business, both nationally and internationally.

The Australian Chapter, established in 2007, is based in Albury-Wodonga and is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers.

Countries which are members of the SIEC/ISBE include Austria, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, England, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Germany, Iceland, India, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

For itinerary information and interview and photo/footage images please contact Katie Griggs, Marketing Officer at Wodonga TAFE on 02 6055 6330.