As tens of thousands of young people risk missing out on a university place this autumn, combined with grim employment statistics, we could see a dramatic increase in the number of young Brits heading Down Under on an Australian Working Holiday visa.
According to new figures from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, more than 200,000 would-be students in the UK are expected to be unable to obtain a university place this year, and new graduates face a challenging jobs market.
Last year, similar circumstances in the Republic of Ireland saw a 33 per cent increase in young Irish taking a Australian working holiday, 22,788 for the year ending June 30, 2009 from 17,120 the previous year.
The UK is the largest country of origin for Australian Working Holiday visas, and last year a record-breaking 40,182 young people from the UK were granted this visa - a 15 per cent increase on the previous year.
The Australian Visa Bureau expects this trend to continue in 2010 as more UK young people seek to escape the recession at home.
Australian Visa Bureau Director Guy Bradley said: “Anecdotally we have seen an increase in Britons seeking to improve their employability and life skills through work experience overseas, specifically through the Australian Working Holiday programme”.
“We believe this will continue and that the year ending 2010 will be another record breaking year."
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