ATMC Profiles

English graduate has high hopes for the future

For many international students improving their English skills is the first step to achieving their career goals in Australia.

Chirag Patel, originally from Rasikpura, a small town in Gujarat, India, recently graduated from ATMC’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course and now plans to take on a higher education degree.

Arriving in Australia with only limited English skills, Chirag says after completing the 15 week EAP course he now feels confident to commence a Masters in Information Technology (IT) with Federation University.

“In India we don’t use English much, that’s why I wanted to come to Australia to improve my English,” he says.

“I now feel better communicating with people, which is important for my future studies and career.”

ATMC’s EAP course is specifically designed for international students who want to continue further study in Australia. Chirag says the interactive and focused lessons, particularly the group discussions, really helped to improve his overall English skills and understanding of Australian education.

“I had to do exams and write essays in my own words. The teachers assisted me with writing skills and if I made a mistake they help me on how to improve that,” he says.

“I did exams where we covered the major English skills including writing, reading, listening and speaking. I also learnt how to reference, how to write essays, and about plagiarism.

“The group discussion is one of the most beneficial parts of the course. We had a discussion almost every class and it was also a good way to interact with classmates,” Chirag says.

With an engineering degree already under his belt, Chirag says he is pursuing a career in IT because he dreams of working for a major IT and electronics company.

“In India I studied a Bachelor of Engineering in electronics and communications from Gujarat technological university,” he says.

“Big companies consider international knowledge and English skills very beneficial. An international certificate is highly regarded and will help me stand out from other candidates when I start applying for jobs. An Australian certificate is considered all over the world.”

Chirag says the best part of the course was making new friends from all over the world and learning English together.

“The class sizes are small so every student gets to know each other and can practice communicating, so we all become good friends.”