USC Fraser Coast has officially welcomed hundreds of new students today with a packed Orientation program.

An upward trend in young people choosing to study locally has contributed to a boost in numbers at USC Fraser Coast, with more than 270 people expected to start studying at the campus this semester, bringing total enrolments to almost 600.

The new students enjoyed a program of information sessions, campus tours, live music, games, activities and market stalls to provide them with the skills for tertiary study and to introduce them to the social side of campus life.

USC Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill said the trend to studying locally – including a 37 percent increase in school leavers enrolments at USC Fraser Coast this year – indicated a changing face of higher education in the region.

“The Fraser Coast has experienced an increase in the take-up rate of school leavers choosing to engage in tertiary study, which is a fantastic result for the region that has one of lowest participation rates in Queensland,” he said.

Professor Hill said that many had elected to study locally, and to retain youth and knowledge in the Fraser Coast was a wonderful economic and social boost for the region.

“They will live and spend in the Fraser Coast, many will work part-time and contribute to the local economy, and hopefully many will stay and work in the region when they graduate.

“These young people will bolster local sporting clubs, community organisations and cultural events, and importantly they will be ambassadors for higher education for students still in school.”

The Orientation activities included the launch of USC’s new Reconciliation Action Plan, a three-year strategy that sets out the University’s commitments to helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students achieve success.

The strategy includes a framework for embedding Indigenous perspectives and knowledge into the curriculum at USC.

— Clare McKay