Australia and Indonesia research collaboration to promote skills and knowledge exchange in nursing

The Australia-Indonesia Centre has been awarded a project under Katalis to assess nursing education standards across the two countries and how they may be harmonised to allow Indonesian nurses to work in Australia.

The project will examine nursing qualifications across both countries to further lay the groundwork for possible future bilateral cooperation between Australia and Indonesia. Such cooperation could involve Indonesian nurses receiving specialist training that would enable them to fill skills gaps in Australia and develop nursing skills they can apply in their own country.

Australia’s Monash University is the co-leader of the research project with two of Indonesia’s leading higher education institutions, Universitas Indonesia and Universitas Gadjah Mada. Over the next six months Monash will bring its considerable expertise in nursing to assess market gaps and the relevant equivalence of nursing qualifications. Universitas Indonesia will contribute its expertise on the nursing workforce and migration. And UGM will bring its leading knowledge in health economics and human resources.

The project, worth nearly $475,000, has been awarded by Katalis, an Australian and Indonesian government business development agency that promotes two-way trade.

The project will generate understanding of possible training and investment opportunities for Australian providers and guide Indonesian professional nurses and relevant health educators to understand demand in Australia.

According to AIC executive director Eugene Sebastian, the project shows the kind of action the centre takes to bring Australia and Indonesia closer together and share in mutual benefits.

“By leveraging our network of health and nursing experts and industry connections across both countries we will identify ways to address workforce gaps and create opportunities for individuals which can lead to better health systems for all,” said Dr Sebastian.

A market assessment report will outline market demand and supply in Indonesia and Australia and identify opportunities for cross-country exchange and frameworks for bilateral economic cooperation.

The qualification equivalence assessment report will look at the extent to which Indonesian nurses’ qualifications meet the Australian qualification criteria for Internationally Qualified Nurses (IQNs), so they are seen as suitably trained for registration in Australia.

Katalis director Paul Bartlett said it was exciting for the two organisations to be working together with the full support of both national governments, to better align health professional standards.

“The opportunities for Australian and Indonesian nurses, and healthcare sectors, are significant, if the right foundations are in place to support stronger mobility and cooperation.”

The Australia-Indonesia Centre has brought together health experts and industry representatives from both countries and the recommendations will be provided later this year. The research team will be guided by a research advisory panel of academics and industry experts from both countries.

ABOUT THE AIC

The Australia-Indonesia Centre is a consortium of 11 leading research universities in both countries. Its mission is to advance people-to-people links in science, technology, education, innovation and culture.