• Agribusiness & Markets
  • Agribusiness
  • Agricultural Economics
• Animal Health
  • Chemicals
  • Diseases
  • Parasites
• Animal Welfare
• Crops
  • Barley production in Western Australia
  • Bridging the Yield Gap in higher rainfall environments
  • Canola and Oilseeds
  • Engineering
  • Genetically Modified (GM) Crops in Western Australia
  • Lupins and Pulses
  • Nutrition
  • Oats
  • Speciality Crops
  • Storage
  • Wheat
• Environment & Climate
  • Climate Change
  • Climate weather and crops
  • Land Use Sustainability
  • Rangeland Management
  • Regional Resources and Support
  • Resource Planning and Management
  • Salinity
  • Salinity Case studies
  • Soil Land & Water Regulations
  • Soil and Landscapes
  • Sustainability
  • Vegetation
  • Water
• Farm Systems
  • Drought Reform Pilot 2011-12
  • Organic Food & Farming
  • Seasonal Update
  • Sensitive Sites WA Map
  • Small Landholder Information Service
• Food
• Gardens & Households
• Horticulture
  • Floriculture + Nursery
  • Fruit and Nuts
  • Infrastructure and Irrigation
  • Vegetables
  • Viticulture
• Invasive Species
  • Invertebrate Pests
  • Vertebrate Animal Pests
• Livestock
  • Beef Cattle
  • Dairy Cattle
  • Engineering
  • Goats
  • Honey Bees
  • Livestock identification and brands
  • Other Livestock
  • Pork Group
  • Poultry
  • Sheep Updates
  • Sheep and Lambs
  • Whole Farm Nutrient Mapping
• Pastures
  • Annual pastures management
  • Annual pastures species
  • Australian Trifolium Genetic Resource Centre
  • Forage crops / Fodder conservation
  • Perennial pastures
  • Saltland pastures
• Plant Health
  • Parasites and Nematodes
  • Post-border biosecurity
• Quarantine WA
  • Export requirements
  • Freight and cargo
  • Import requirements
  • Intrastate requirements
• Weeds
  • Declared plants in Western Australia
  • Herbicides
  • Integrated Weed Management
  • Major Weeds
  • Research Projects
  • Weed Publications and Links
  • Weed Watcher

Visiting Libyan students master English

9 December 2009

After six months of intensive training in Western Australia, a group of 40 Libyan agriculture students have completed their study of English as a Second Language in Agriculture.

Department of Agriculture and Food Assistant Director General Simon Johnson presented the students with their certificates at a graduation celebration in Perth last night.

The course was coordinated by the Department of Agriculture and Food’s AGWEST International in partnership with Curtin University of Technology and TAFE Centres in WA.  It was funded by the National Economic Development Board in the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

Mr Johnson said the department had a long standing relationship with Libya and had been assisting with technical and professional agricultural advice for more than 35 years.

“Agricultural assistance to Libya over the past few years has helped to increase opportunities for Western Australian exports of goods and services,” Mr Johnson said.

“This contract to provide training for Libya’s young agricultural scientists is another example of our ongoing cooperation.”

Mr Johnson said the customised course comprised basic English training in Libya for three months followed by a further six months of English studies related to agriculture, and training in information technology in Western Australia.

The English studies were conducted at Curtin University and work placements were offered in Perth and regional Western Australia in accordance with areas of student specialisation.

The course was offered to 2008 graduates from agriculture science campuses in Libya - Al Fateh University and Omar Mukhtar University.

“The graduates require English as a Second Language (ESL) training to help them utilise information from international sources, develop international networks and to effectively apply computer technology,” Mr Johnson said.

“The students arrived with very limited English language skills and have worked hard to develop their English and agricultural knowledge.

“This course was run as a pilot project this year, and we anticipate more students to undertake this course in the future.”

Photo caption: Highbury farmer Stuart Moyses shows Libyan agricultural training students Saeed Abdlsalam and Khairy Helayel his header.

Media contacts:

Jodie Thomson/Lisa Bertram, media liaison                          9368 3937/9368 3325