Ms Alexander is studying the Diploma of Business and Leadership and will depart for Chile in January.

She said she was excited to be given such an amazing opportunity and hopes to adopt learnings from the tour into her south-west roles.

Ms Alexander is the Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre (WRAD) day rehabilitation service co-ordinator. She has worked in community services for the past 20 years in ares including mental health, disability and drug and alcohol addiction.

The Warrnambool resident hopes to learn from her Chilean counterparts, including the government and its equivalent of Australia’s health and human services department.

She said Chile had recently moved from a punitive to a therapeutic approach to youth with addiction issues and the tour was “an opportunity to get in there on the ground floor”.

“It will give me a great chance to see what they are doing in Chile and spend time gaining ideas from others on the study tour and building valuable contacts,” Ms Alexander said.

She said the tour would also benefit a new community project she is working on to deliver peer support to youth affected by addiction issues in rural areas.

“I’m really excited and so grateful for the opportunity,” she said. “It’s just fantastic and hopefully I can use the learning to develop more projects and enhance community services here.”

The Victorian Government launched its new trade and investment strategy for Latin America in May which included the announcement of a new outbound mobility program for Victorian TAFE students to study in Chile.

Ms Alexander is one of 20 student ambassadors who will undertake the two-week course. Of this group, 10 students will undertake a business studies program focusing on doing business in Latin America and looking at emerging markets. The other 10 students will undertake Chilean wine and food studies.

South West TAFE (SW TAFE) business, design and personal services manager Marcia McCarthy said students would develop a business plan related to entrepreneurship in Chile, according to market needs, trade and institutional regulations.

She said it was a wonderful opportunity for Ms Alexander who could apply her project management and leadership skills and knowledge in an international setting.

SW TAFE chief executive Mark Fidge said he was excited that students were being given these opportunities as part of their studies.

He said SW TAFE and the Victorian Government was continuing to make every effort to offer students extra experiences that would benefit their studies and improve their skills for the workforce.

“This will give Angela and the other students an invaluable opportunity to build relationships and enhance their studies,” he said.

The group will leave for Chile on January 11 and return on January 27.

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