Sreng Mao; ACE/IDP

Cambodian students have been sitting their final high school exams. Most will hope to go on to further education before embarking on their career paths. After completing high school, what options are available?

Some high school graduates choose to immediately enter the job market, either directly or through an apprenticeship or vocational training. Some gain employment or work experience, while others enter their family businesses.

Many Cambodian high-school graduates enrol at Cambodian universities such as the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), the Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), and the University of Health Sciences (USC). Afterwards, university graduates often move on to employment in the public, private or NGO sectors, while others continue their education at a higher level or at overseas universities.

On top of their full-time studies or work, a lot of Cambodian students enrol at private English language schools, such as the Australian Centre for Education (ACE). They recognise that strong English language capacity is an important part of their career toolbox for overseas study, or employment at organisations or companies with international staff or clients.

An ever-increasing number of Cambodians are choosing to include a component of overseas study in their education plans believing this to ensure the competitive edge for their future careers. As well as the option of applying for scholarships such as the Australian Awards and New Zealand ASEAN Scholars Awards, Cambodian students with private funding also apply and attend vocational training and universities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK and the USA. For students planning to study abroad on a scholarship or on their own funding, achieving the IELTS scores for university admission is very important.

To achieve the required IELTS score students normally work very hard to improve their English language proficiency or undertake an IELTS preparation course along with many times of IELTS test practices. Test taking tips and IELTS practice resources are available at the Australian Centre for Education (ACE) free of charge for those preparing to study abroad. Visa and enrolment assistance can also be obtained from the IDP Study Abroad Resource Centre, the centre that assists students going to study in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK and the USA.

Student graduating from high school this year are especially encouraged to come to the IDP Study in Canberra Seminar at ACE Samdech Pan campus from 4pm to 7pm on Wednesday 14 August. Admission is free.