Go Regional

Moving to the city has become a rite of passage for many school leavers from regional areas. Heading off to the big smoke can be a very exciting time for a young person, fresh out of high school.

For many years city universities have lured students because of their great facilities, activities and program offerings. There has also been a long held assumption that there are more career opportunities available in metro areas upon completion of study.

Recently, however, regional universities have begun to notice a shift in this trend, with many new school leavers from regional areas choosing to remain at home to attend their local university. 

In fact in the past few weeks I have heard about a number of new students who have not only decided to stay local to study but have migrated from capital cities to attend university at one of our regional campuses.

I firmly believe that in the years to come we will continue to see this trend grow as the cost of living in cities rises. Essentially, cost pressures mean students who also have to work to support their studies will find it increasingly difficult to find a balance between the two.

Along with being able to save money and focus more on study, students who stay local or migrate from cities will also benefit from smaller class sizes and better interaction with academic staff.

Here at CQUniversity we are also working to expand our program offerings, which will help us to attract new students, especially to in demand programs such as physiotherapy, paramedic science and medical imaging.

A strong focus has also been put on the delivery of programs via distance education. In fact CQUniversity offers one of the most diverse ranges of programs, delivered by distance education and is establishing study centres around the country to further support our students.

In terms of career opportunities, right now and in the years to come, our graduates will be able to benefit from a number of job opportunities that are becoming available in regional centres, as a result of the resources boom and the diversification of industries including tourism and agriculture. More people moving to regional areas will also mean more opportunities in service areas such as health.

Congratulations to those students who have made the decision to go with a regional university to obtain their university qualification. Life in a regional area is different to life in the city but is certainly just as good.