In 2021, despite the extraordinary challenges of the pandemic, international students around the world pushed on towards their academic goals.

At Canning College, we saw first-hand how students, both on campus and online, adapted to their circumstances with great success. The year has been more difficult for some students but almost without exception they have shown resilience, flexibility and a determination to reach the finish line.

Success

A success rate of 96% across all programs included more than 30 students progressing to The University of Western Australia and Curtin University from our Diploma of Commerce. In the WA Universities’ Foundation Program, 84% of students achieved a score equivalent to a 70 Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, generally considered minimum university entrance standard. We were delighted also that 21% of the Foundation Program group ranked in the top 5% of all students in Australia.

It’s personal

While the numbers are important, success can be measured across a number of things, including the personal development of the young people we educate. This year, as in all others since we started teaching international students in 1982, we helped students grow in confidence through the support of our teachers and other staff. This will serve students well as they transition into tertiary studies.

We were also impressed by the contribution of our student leaders. The Student Representative on the Board, Khaasyiyah, who is from Singapore, and our Student Ambassadors, Risto (Hong Kong) and Linda (Vietnam), stepped out of their comfort zones and represented the College commendably. We hope that our leaders in 2022 will be just as inquisitive, interested and polite.

A different year

Things will be different in 2022 and news that the Western Australian border will open to visitors from February 5 was very well received by the international education industry. But we need only to reflect on events elsewhere in the world to expect new challenges to emerge in the new year.

We cannot predict exactly how the new year will unfold but we can promise to deliver the same level of care and support that has been key to Canning College’s success for almost 40 years.

We wish past, present and prospective students, their parents, our partner agents and our good friends at Western Australia’s excellent universities the very best over the Festive Season and into 2022.

It was very rewarding to see our on-campus and online students graduate recently. The event marked a significant milestone in the students’ journey towards a university education, one which was not delayed despite worldwide disruptions to everyday life. It was wonderful that students, parents and guests who were overseas could be included via livestreaming.

Guest speakers spoke insightfully about the challenges of 2021, Hannah Wilkinson, from Curtin University, and Dr Fang Liu, from the University of Western Australia, congratulated graduates on their achievement in such uncertain times. Students were reminded that their experience had resulted in a desirable skill set that future employers would value – being agile, adaptable and resilient.

The three valedictory speakers – two from our online programs – highlighted the welcoming environment provided by their teachers and the positive benefits of connecting with fellow students during the live and interactive lessons. All stressed the importance of the friendships that had been formed.

I thank our teachers for their level of professionalism and readiness to adapt. Their ability to create engaging lessons that met the needs of students, both online and on-campus, was fundamental to the success experienced by our students.

The recent government announcement that international students will return to Perth in 2022 has been warmly received and we look forward to seeing new faces on campus next year.

We will continue to offer our live and interactive online learning programs next year. This is necessary to assist during the transition period, allowing students to start their pathway studies without delay even if they are not ready to travel. Students who are enrolled at Canning in 2022 are encouraged to contact their education agents, who will be able to provide specific advice regarding visas and other requirements, or contact our office.

To those who have completed their studies with us, we wish you well in the future and hope the lessons you have learned will be invaluable as you negotiate the next stage of your academic journey. If you are moving on to a Western Australian university and you intend to be in Perth next year, please take the time to visit Canning College – we would love to see you.

The end of the academic year allows us all to reflect on our collective achievements – as staff, students and parents – and to be optimistic about the year ahead.

I hope you all have time to contemplate the past 12 months, celebrate your successes and enjoy a break before work or study calls again.

Happy holidays from all of us at Canning College.

Wayne Axford – Principal

Canning College has launched a new initiative that provides students with volunteer opportunities that engage them in community activities.

Award-winning WA Universities’ Foundation Program student Lee Dayoon was the first to take part in the program when she visited West Leeming Primary School this week.

Science teachers Tony Herbert and Simon Maddy attended with Dayoon to introduce the young students to microscopy.

In the 90-minute session, students learnt how to identify and describe the different parts of a microscope before using it to observe things such as crystals of sugar, onion cells, pollen grains, human hair and ants.

Dayoon, who was a joint winner of the 2022 Doug Russell Award as Canning’s outstanding WAUFP students, along with Micayla Han Qi Yi, was a great contributor to the session, helping the groups of students to conduct their tasks.

“It was nice to be able to help out and to show the young students some interesting science activities,” said Dayoon, who is from South Korea.

“I like the idea of being able to interact with members of the community and to be involved in something that feels important to the students.”

Canning College is looking forward to welcoming new students on to campus in early 2022 following an announcement from the Western Australian State Government. 

After maintaining tight border controls that have successfully contained COVID-19 and limited its impact on the people of Western Australia, the State Government is preparing to start welcoming new international arrivals as part of a Safe Transition Plan. 

The transition, which is based on expert health advice, will occur when WA reaches a double dose vaccination rate of 90% of the eligible population (12 years and over). This is expected to be achieved in late January/early February 2022. 

Once an 80% vaccination rate is achieved, the WA State Government will announce the transition date. 

International arrivals in Western Australian will be required to: 

• be double-dose vaccinated
• return a negative PCR test 72 hours before departure 
• undertake a test on arrival

During the pandemic, Canning College successfully developed, launched and delivered interactive online programs, which allowed international students to continue on their pathway to university from their own homes. We will continue to offer interactive online program delivery in 2022, until further notice. 

The Safe Transition Plan is a significant step forward for Western Australia and we hope that students enrolled to start with us in first semester will be able to join us in Perth at some stage of their education. We anticipate that new students may not be in Perth for the start of Semester One 2022 and that they will begin their Canning College studies through online delivery. However, we encourage agents to assist students in taking the necessary steps to be able to join us in Perth where they can fully immerse themselves in the international student experience. 

We understand that the processing of visas may be delayed in some countries and that some students may be required to spend more time studying online. Canning College will work with international education agents to ensure the best outcome for students enrolled in our programs. 

Canning College is committed to providing international students with excellent pathway programs that take them into their chosen university. More than that, we will continue to assist in their personal development so they are ready for the transition into university life. 

After almost two years of adjustment and caution around the world, we are delighted to be able to offer safety and stability here in Perth, Western Australia. Our State has the strongest economy in Australia, our city is clean, modern and conducive to a healthy lifestyle and our education system is among the best in the world – just three reasons for students to consider joining us at Canning College. 

Should you require any information about Canning College and how our programs can help international students achieve entry into leading universities, please do not hesitate to contact our admissions team at canning.col.admissions@education.wa.edu.au. 

For the latest information regarding the safe return of international students to WA visit the StudyPerth page here or for more about Western Australia’s Safe Transition Plan visit the Government website here. 

Students seeking to join us at Canning College do not have to wait for their final academic results to submit an application.

Preliminary and/or forecast results can be assessed during the application process to help ease student anxieties and allow them to focus on current school studies.

Students can also use forecast results to apply for Canning College scholarships, which are available across all programs. Scholarship applications must also include a student’s most recent semester school results.

Our experienced admissions team can quickly assess student capabilities and provide the security of an offer of place, often within 24 hours of receiving the application.

Our commitment to student success comes with an expectation that those granted an offer of place will continue to work hard on their current school studies.

Canning College also offers students course packaging arrangements with Western Australian universities, saving time and money on visa applications.

Most importantly, a packaged offer can secure student places in some quota-restricted university degree courses, subject to meeting minimum requirements.

Canning College celebrated the achievements of more than 130 students across three programs in 2020 and 2021 during a Presentation Evening ceremony held at Technology Park on Friday, October 22.

Students completing the WA Universities’ Foundation Program this year, and those who finished the Diploma of Commerce and Certificate IV in University Access Program at the end of 2020 or in the middle of 2021 were acknowledged during a presentation that was livestreamed to an international audience. Thank you to students from around the world, who watched the livestream despite technical difficulties during the night.

SCROLL DOWN FOR AWARD WINNERS AND FOR KEY VIDEO TIMINGS.

Singapore students Bob and Carina dropped in to say hello to Canning College staff recently.

The pair were among Canning College’s best performing WA Universities’ Foundation Program students last year and are both now studying a Bachelor of Science (Physiotherapy) at Curtin University.

After catching up with Human Biology teacher Simon, we asked if they had any tips for students approaching important exams.
Carina’s response was typically honest and extremely helpful.

Pictured above: Carina (right) with Bob (centre) and Human Biology teacher Simon.

“I think one of the major factors that helped me in my final exam was having revision/study sessions with friends,” Carina said. “During the final lap of the study period, Bob and I would just have a list of questions on the content and test each other on our knowledge. I think that really helped me to gain confidence in the knowledge that I’ve built up, and to really engage with the materials that we were tested on.

“Studying together with other friends has also helped me to consistently revise and relook at the content as well. The group of friends provided encouragement to push on towards the end of exams and a sense of comfort when I was kind of struggling with homesickness as well.”

As many 2021 students are studying online, students can connect with each other using Webex or other video conferencing tools to adopt a similar shared-learning approach.

Carina’s advice also came with a warning about the potential for students to overfocus on school work.
“One thing that I would do differently would probably be to take breaks more often (or when I needed to),” she said.

“I think it is quite easy to get caught up in the pace of things – trying to get as much revision/work done. But I should have gotten out of my study space for some exercise or doing things that I like doing, just to get my mind off studying for a short bit. I think it seems so counterintuitive to do so but breaks and taking care of oneself are so important.”

Wherever our students are in the world, we encourage them to make sure they are balancing hard work with some time away from the rigours of study.

A final word from Carina:

“Wishing the students all the best in their exams, and I hope they’ll learn to just trust the process, and all the hard work that they’ve put into it so far.”

Thank you to Carina for the tips, and good luck to all our students.