IELTS AS A SUPPLEMENTARY UQ GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
The University of Queensland has announced that it has introduced an initiative to provide a funded IELTS test to provide graduating international students from non-English speaking backgrounds with the opportunity to gain documentary evidence of their English language proficiency as a supplementary graduate attribute.
According to Professor Trevor Grigg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International and Development), the decision to provide the funded IELTS test for international graduating students has been taken to give students evidence of their English language proficiency skills to support their efforts to find suitable professional employment on completion of their degree programs and return to their home countries. 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 stated, “We have confidence in the English language proficiency entry policy and concurrent support procedures implemented by UQ over 20 years ago and 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 3 months before or 3 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.