Twenty Australian students of economics, business administration, and marketing visited Spain this week to experience the Spanish business and institutional environment firsthand, invited by the Spain-Australia Council Foundation, which collaborated with RMIT University to expand the ‘Study Tour’ that the Australian university organizes annually at its Barcelona campus.
The RMIT University (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) regularly organizes an international academic program at its Barcelona campus aimed at students in fields related to business, economics, and marketing who are interested in experiencing the Spanish business environment firsthand.
To ensure that the students could gain the maximum knowledge of Spain, in addition to their usual stay in Barcelona, the Spain-Australia Council Foundation planned a two-day extension of the program in Madrid.
The group consisted of twenty students from degrees in economics, business administration, marketing, and master’s programs in related fields. Over the two days in Madrid, the agenda included visits to leading organizations in the fields of educational innovation, higher education, business sustainability, and bilateral diplomacy.
School 42, funded in Spain by the Telefónica Foundation, was the first stop of the program. The group was welcomed at the campus, located within the Telefónica District, where they were introduced to the revolutionary methodology of the institution, based on peer learning, without teachers or fixed schedules, emphasizing that all profiles are welcome at the institution.
IE University hosted the group that same day at its Madrid campus. The students were welcomed at the campus and attended a master class taught by Professor Juan Manuel Alonso, focused on current marketing through a real and present case, which also allowed them to learn about the facilities and resources of the institution.
The next day, the group visited the headquarters of Acciona, where Emma Reiners, International Marketing Director, and Mariola Domenech, Sustainability Director of ACCIONA Energy, provided them with insight into the company’s deep commitment to sustainability as a central axis of its strategy, reviewed its main business areas, and highlighted the importance of Australia as a strategic market for the company.
To close the program, the students were welcomed at the Australian Embassy in Madrid by Ambassador Rosemary Morris-Castico. The meeting allowed the students to share their impressions of the visits made and to learn firsthand about the current state of Spain-Australia relations and the existing opportunities between both countries, especially in areas related to their academic and professional profiles.
