The New Colombo Plan Alumni Program has been launched in Victoria and Western Australia.

A strong and vibrant alumni community will be critical to the long-term success of the New Colombo Plan, a signature initiative of the Australian Government to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia by supporting undergraduates to study in the region.

The New Colombo Plan Alumni Program will support alumni to maintain a connection to each other, the New Colombo Plan and the Indo-Pacific region throughout their lives and careers. It will encourage them to continue to promote the value of living, studying and undertaking work placements in the region to the Australian community.

The program will enrich the professional and personal lives of alumni by providing access to a range of benefits including online networking through a dedicated LinkedIn presence, networking events in Australia and across the region, and insights and information on the region and Australia's foreign affairs and trade policies.

The New Colombo Plan Alumni Program offers unique opportunities for businesses to connect to some of Australia's most talented youth, leaders of the future with first-hand experience living, studying and working in the Indo-Pacific, and established professional and personal networks in the region.

In its first three years the New Colombo Plan is supporting 10,000 Australian undergraduates to live, study and undertake work placements in the region.

Over time the growing cohort of NCP alumni will play an increasingly important role in Australia's relationships with our neighbours and become a driving force in the pursuit of Australia's future economic growth.

More photographs from the alumni launches are available on the New Colombo Plan Facebook page

Follow the NCP on Twitter: @NewColomboPlan