Liz Thompson Mayo (second from right) and Linda Armstrong (far right) with college delegates and Sicona Battery Technologies team members last March. Photo: Supplied.
Most have never left their state, let alone the US, but on Saturday (7 March) 12 West Tennessee advanced maintenance technician students will arrive in Wollongong for an immersive study abroad program.
Over four days, the students from Jackson State Community College will explore the region’s clean energy industries and Australian culture as part of a new exchange showcasing Wollongong’s growing reputation as a global hub for clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
Liz Thompson Mayo and Ben Lawrence, who are professors at the college, designed the program to allow students to complete requirements to earn credit towards their engineering course, with the students studying their degree part-time alongside working in West Tennessee factories.
“In light of the current cultural climate in America, my ultimate objective was to get rural – mostly male – students in manufacturing to have a broader global view,” Liz said.
“I wanted them out of their small towns and experiencing the grander landscape to see that the world is so much bigger than their small communities.
“Most of these students have never been on a plane before, so this will be a true full immersion experience.
“Our hope is that the students return to West Tennessee as international ambassadors to their rural communities and that we continue this friendly partnership for many years to come.”
Linda Armstrong, from Wollongong’s Sicona Battery Technologies and co-organiser of the exchange, said the program would involve site tours and in-depth explanations of the technology at Sicona, Green Gravity and BlueScope to get an understanding of what advanced manufacturing looked like in a different country.
Linda said it would also sit alongside a cultural program to allow them exposure to different activities such as Symbio Wildlife Park, Gadhungal Marring, and Nan Tien Temple.
She said the relationship was first formed when the professors visited Wollongong in March last year and toured Sicona’s facilities.
“They were basically doing a scouting tour for the students and they hadn’t actually locked in a program at that stage, but they were creating a feasibility study to take back home,” she said.
“We really bought into what they were trying to do and the fact they were trying to create a cultural exchange program, not just around manufacturing and industry, but bringing in elements of the uniqueness of Wollongong in particular, and Australia in general, and taking that back overseas.”
Nine of the 12 Jackson State Community College students. Photo: Supplied.
From there, the concept for a short-term study abroad program steadily took shape.
Linda said Wollongong offered students the combination of advanced manufacturing and clean energy technology, and coastal beauty and iconic Australian cultural experiences.
“They are widely recognised for this strong, advanced manufacturing program, integrating academic learning with hands-on industry experience,” she said.
“For these students, we provide exposure to the growing clean energy manufacturing sector within Australia..
“Wollongong offers a rare combination of advanced manufacturing capability but with natural beauty.
“We’re in an area that’s one of the most scenic coastal regions in Australia, while still being a globally competitive industrial operation.”
Linda said businesses had sponsored the cultural experiences, which were designed to “create some diversity in thoughts and what they do in their career and in manufacturing”.
She said alongside patting a koala at Symbio and exploring Nan Tien Temple, Gadhungal Marring would host a First Nations experience, providing students with a deeper understanding of the land they were visiting and Australia’s Indigenous heritage.
For Sicona, Green Gravity, BlueScope and other Illawarra partners, she said the visit was an important chance to tell Wollongong’s evolving story on the global stage.
“It gives us the ability to showcase that Wollongong is an advanced manufacturing hub and that we have the potential to grow commercially here for export globally,” she said.
Linda said the visit was a one-off program, supported by sponsorship from Jackson and Wollongong and facilitation from John Kerr from iAccelerate, but she believed there was strong potential for it to grow.
