10 May 2019
Liverpool City Council partnered with Western Sydney University in their inaugural Global Leadership Experience program, where students tackled the challenge of making smart cities inclusive.
Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller said she was proud to be involved in the project, which was delivered by global leadership organisation Common Purpose and offers participants insights from leading experts, organisations and businesses from across Western Sydney.
“Students from Harvard and Oxford have undertaken this program. It’s great to see Western Sydney University bring this opportunity to South West Sydney,” Mayor Waller said.
“Liverpool is the perfect city to explore ideas around cultural intelligence – our residents come from 150 different backgrounds and speak 140 different languages.
“Liverpool is a city of learning. We have three major universities expanding their presence in our CBD and a memorandum of understanding signed by four of Australia’s leading institutions to establish a joint campus in the Aerotropolis.
“We are also working with TAFE NSW to provide opportunities for local students in Council’s major construction projects.
“Any city that wants to call itself ‘smart’ must be inclusive. Providing access to education is one of the fundamental ways we can ensure residents are able to benefit from the opportunities in our region, especially those associated with Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI).
“Students taking part in the program had an immersive experience with staff from across Council – from those planning the future of our city and how it connects to WSI to those who work directly with grassroots community organisations to meet the needs of our residents.”
According to Western Sydney University’s Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Scott Holmes, the Global Leader Experience allows students to develop their cultural intelligence while creating innovative ways to deal with the smart cities challenge from a Western Sydney context.
“Our students are connected with their local communities and businesses and are powerful agents for change. Innovative experiences like these transform the principles students learn in the classroom into the building blocks of our future cities,” Professor Holmes said.
The four-day program involves the Greater Sydney Commission, Liverpool City Council, Mission Australia, Western Sydney Airport, built environment firm ARUP, infrastructure asset firm AECOM, the Community Migrant Resource Centre and Western Sydney Parklands Trust.
