Melbourne is home to the largest Sri Lankan community in Australia. It ranks highest on the liveability scale which is known both to students and to an increasing number of Sri Lankans who have made Melbourne their home. The rapidly increasing Sri Lankan diaspora, which is nearly 56,000 forms an important part of the rich multinational community in Victoria.

During his visit to Colombo, Minister Dalidakis visited several private and government institutions that share education partnerships with Victorian universities such as Monash College at Universal College Lanka (UCL), Colombo Academy of Hospitality Management and National School of Business Management (NSBM). He interacted with Hon Chandima Weerakkody, Minister for Skill Development and Vocational Education at NSBM. The Minister also hosted an event for the Victorian alumni, businesses, government and academia and chaired a roundtable with the ICT Agency members to understand the opportunities and to profile Victorian capabilities in this sector.

Over the years, Victorian universities and institutes have enjoyed successful partnerships with Sri Lankan education providers both in Victoria and in Sri Lanka. Victoria is a major player in the relatively new Sri Lankan international education market, with enrolments of Sri Lankan students in onshore courses in Victoria hitting a high of 7600 as of November 2017. Today, Victoria commands 70% market share of the students travelling from Sri Lanka to Australia.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to Melbourne in February 2017 and this visit by the Victorian Minister Dalidakis reaffirms the engagement to partnership commitment between Sri Lanka and Victoria.