Welcome Latin American Manager

ICMS is pleased to welcome LATAM Regional Manager Santiago Uscátegui to the team. Uscátegui brings a wealth of international experience to his role in supporting Latin American students wishing to study in Australia at the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS).

Uscátegui previously worked with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission at the Australian Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, and before that he worked with a Study Abroad agency in the same city.

“International business and education have been a major focus in my career and, most of all, I’ve developed a deep connection to Australia after living here for over five years,” Uscátegui said.

“Promoting world class education and a top end destination such as Australia has brought passion into my work and I am glad to be a part of the ICMS family. I look forward to continuing to bring Latin America and Australia closer together every day.”

Uscátegui believes that choosing to study in Australia will present Latin American students with the opportunity to network with a global community, with connections made at university becoming lifelong friendships and contacts in future career prospects.

“Latin American students have been on the rise in Australia and at ICMS as every day more of them have become aware of all the benefits that this top-end education destination has to offer,” Uscátegui said.

The fact that ICMS’ main campus in Manly overlooks a beach rated by Trip Advisor as being the Best Beach in Australia for 2018 and 2019* is something Uscátegui reckons is a drawcard on its own. Besides Manly Beach, a short ferry ride from Sydney, there are eight other stunning beaches within walking distance of ICMS.

Students can choose between the gorgeous natural setting of the main ICMS campus located in Northern Beaches, Sydney, NSW, or attend specified under-graduate and post-graduate courses in the state-of-the-art ICMS City Campus located in the heart of Sydney, Australia’s financial capital.

Wherever ICMS students choose to complete their degrees or diplomas, ICMS graduates, whether domestic or international, have this in common: they all graduate with industry experience and nine out of ten will graduate with a job in their field. This is thanks to work experience built into every degree or diploma, due to ICMS’ relationship with over 1000 industry partners; and thanks to the career-focused higher education institute’s 90% graduate employability rate (2018 Internal Graduate Survey).

ICMS offers a broad range of bachelor degree and diploma courses at under-graduate and post-graduate level, in areas ranging from hospitality, events, business and accounting to sports management, property development and even fashion and global branding.

“Australia in general, and ICMS in particular, has a strong focus on educating high quality professionals with first-hand industry experience to be the best. Not only are Latin American students legally able to work while completing their degree while on a student visa, but they are also encouraged and guided by ICMS staff to ensure they have the best opportunities to reach their goals,” Uscátegui said.

With its international mix of students from over 30 countries around the world, ICMS has support structures in place such as the Student Success Centre (SCC) and the Peer Assisted Learning Services (PALS) to assist students as they find their feet in a foreign country with a language different to their mother tongue.

“It is common for students to think about the global environment when making their study plans overseas, and Latin Americans sometimes consider that Australia may be a bit far from home,” Uscátegui said, adding that North America or Europe may seem attractive because of their closer proximity to home.

“As it turns out, LATAM and Australia are becoming closer than ever before; in the last year an MOU between the Bogota and Sydney Airport was signed and United Airlines, alongside Avianca Airlines, are developing a direct flight that will allow the northern region of South America to be a fast route into Australia.”

Another pull factor towards studying further in Australia could be the relative value that students gain from the Australian currency compared to that used in other countries.

“The Australian dollar, historically, is consistently one of the most stable currencies in the world, and is also more affordable compared to America or Europe for international students. This is reassuring for future students considering future career opportunities,” Uscátegui said.

Added to this is the reality that Australia currently has one of the highest minimum wage salaries globally, a great advantage to students looking to supplement their income through part-time work.

Choosing to study in Australia will present Latin American students with the opportunity to network with a global community, with connections made at university becoming lifelong friendships and contacts in future career prospects.

*TripAdvisor 2018 & 2019

For more information on ICMS, click here: https://www.icms.edu.au