Confucius Institute is ‘open for business’ at Melbourne
[ UniNews Vol. 16, No. 3
5 - 19 March 2007 ]
The University of Melbourne’s new Confucius Institute has launched its first public education programs with a range of language, business and academic short courses beginning this month.
Institute Co-director (Academic), Professor David Holm, says the Institute is a very welcome educational initiative. It has a strong cross-cultural focus with courses on Chinese language and culture for the public, and specialist advice and cross-cultural training for government, business, and the higher education and research community.
Language and academic programs include introductory Chinese language, Chinese painting, Chinese calligraphy and an acting workshop for advanced speakers of Chinese. These courses will be taught for the most part by teachers in the University’s Chinese Program.
Business-focused programs include Business Chinese, enabling participants to learn to communicate in Chinese in a business setting, and a series of weekly Executive Training Programs on working in the Chinese market.
The Executive Training Programs cover building cross-cultural awareness, communicating with Chinese, negotiating with Chinese, managing an Australian-Chinese team, human resource management across boundaries, managing a joint venture with Chinese partners and how to market products in China.
Course descriptions are available at www.confuciusinstitute.unimelb.edu.au and bookings can be made online. For course enquiries call Vicki Zhang on 9347 8462 or email vzhang@unimelb.edu.au
Corporate Director of the Institute, Ms Barbara Hilder, a former Australian Trade Commissioner to Beijing and Shanghai, says the Institute has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Austrade and the Victorian Government to hold ‘exporting to China’ seminars. In May, jointly with the City of Melbourne, it will run a professional development visit to China for business people.
The Confucius Institute at Melbourne is supported by the Ministry of Education in Beijing, the Commonwealth and Victorian governments, and the University. It is a partnership with Nanjing University, the premier university of Jiangsu province, Victoria’s sister province in China.
The Institute is at 172 Bouverie Street, Carlton. Its reading room is open to the general public.
The Australia-China Business Council is also located there.
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