2019 WA International Education Program of the Year

The SOAR Program (Support, Opportunities, Advice, Resources) is a peer-to-peer support service created by Edith Cowan University (ECU) in 2009. ECU Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students are employed to run the service, providing them with casual work which is relevant to, and that complements, their studies. Called SOAR Ambassadors, the HDR students provide their peers with the opportunity to have one-on-one consultations in various skill areas relevant to research design, methodology, software and general skills necessary to succeed and cope as an HDR candidate. SOAR Ambassadors themselves learn and develop their leadership, interpersonal and communication skills along the way. Developing these attributes means they will be better placed for employment in the future, and this is one of the program’s main aims.