A Pre-Departure Briefing (PDB) for awardees departing for Australia in June 2025 to commence their studies in Semester II took place on 25 – 26 April at the Australia Awards—Mongolia office. Nine awardees and their dependents attended. HE Leo Zeng, Australia’s Ambassador-Designate to Mongolia, Mr. D. Baatarsaikhan, Member of the Civil Service Council of Mongolia (CSC), Australia Awards alumni, Australian volunteers, and representatives of Mozzies Alumni Association and Australian Chamber of Commerce Mongolia attended.

HE Leo Zeng, Australia’s Ambassador-Designate to Mongolia, Mr. D. Baatarsaikhan, Member of the Civil Service Council of Mongolia, made opening remarks. First, they congratulated the awardees on receiving the prestigious Australia Awards Scholarship through hard work and the support of their families. They highlighted the importance of the awardee’s role in contributing to the development of Mongolia with the skills and knowledge obtained from the studies in Australia and the linkages developed through the network in Australia. Both the Ambassador-Designate and the CSC Member encouraged the awardees to study hard and explore Australia’s rich culture, history, and beautiful nature.

On behalf of Australia Awards—Mongolia, Ms. L. Enkhtuvshin, the Country Program Manager, congratulated the awardees on their success before inviting them to introduce themselves and their dependents and explained the two days program before the actual presentation started.

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 four cities where they would be living: Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, and they gained valuable insights from Australia Awards alumni and Australian Volunteers.

Mr. Andrew Berryman, Deputy Head of Mission of the Australian Embassy in Mongolia, congratulated the awardees on receiving the prestigious Australia Awards Scholarship at the beginning of the second day. 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.