A Pre-Departure Briefing (PDB) for awardees departing for Australia in January 2025 to commence their studies in Semester I took place on 15-16 November at the Australian Corner, Central Children’s Library. Eight awardees and their dependents attended it. Mr. Andrew Berryman, Deputy Ambassador of the Australian Embassy in Mongolia, Mr. U. Byambasuren, Vice Chief of the Cabinet Secretariat of Mongolia, Australia Awards alumni, Australian volunteers, and representatives of Mozzies Alumni Association and Australian Chamber of Commerce Mongolia attended.

Mr. U. Byambasuren, Vice Chief of the Cabinet Secretariat of Mongolia, made the opening remark. First, he congratulated the awardees on getting the prestigious Australia Awards Scholarship. He encouraged them to make the best of their stay in Australia by meeting new people and enhancing Mongolian and Australian connections. Finally, he wished the awardees success with their studies and reminded them to return to contribute to development in Mongolia in their fields.

On behalf of Australia Awards – Mongolia, Ms. L. Enkhtuvshin, the Country Program Manager, congratulated the awardees on their success before inviting awardees to introduce themselves and their dependents and to talk about where they worked in Mongolia, where they would be studying in Australia and their chosen field of studies.

The first day of the PDB focused on DFAT’s information kit about living and studying in Australia. Australia Awards alumni shared their experiences in areas such as finding accommodation, bringing family, settling into a new environment, studying and working in Australia, and gender and disability inclusion. An additional topic on Australian sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment was introduced to awardees for prevention.

The second day was dedicated to cultural orientation and sharing experiences. Awardees were grouped into three cities where they would be living: Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, and they gained valuable insights from Australia Awards alumni and Australian Volunteers.

Mr. Andrew Berryman, Deputy Ambassador of the Australian Embassy in Mongolia, congratulated the awardees on getting the prestigious Australia Awards Scholarship. He shared some advice with the awardees on Australian cultural differences. He encouraged them to make the best of their stay in Australia by meeting new people and enhancing Mongolian and Australian connections and wished them success with their studies.

The Mongolia-Australia Alumni Association (Mozzies), Australian Chamber of Commerce Mongolia representative, and Women’s Leadership Program alumni shared their personal and professional experiences and discussed how awardees could benefit from maintaining ongoing connections with Australia Awards alumni when they returned to Mongolia. Finally, they wished the awardees good luck with their studies and wished them to enjoy their time with their families in Australia.