LONGERENONG College is hoping to soon enrol overseas students.

The college's chief executive John Ackland leaves Australia this Friday to take part in a Victorian Government trade mission to Dubai and Turkey.

Mr Ackland will be one of about 20 education providers among 171 companies and organisations taking part in the trade mission.

He said they would meet government representatives and education agents in Dubai before attending a two-day international fair in Instanbul organised by the Turkish Government.

"It's exciting to see the next step for Longerenong,'' he said.

The college suffered a low point in its history in 2005 when the University of Melbourne abondoned its 10-year relationship between the two agricultural education providers.

According to Longerenong College general manager John Goldsmith, Horsham-based private not-for-profit organisation Workco Limited stepped in to take over the running of the educational facility after being dumped by the university.

"A lot of people thought we were closed (after the University of Melbourne left),'' Mr Goldsmith said.

"There was a lot of negative publicity.

"It took two or three years to get over that.''

Mr Goldsmith said the college became pro-active in promoting itself and now employed a development officer who travelled to careers nights at schools throughout the state.

"Last year, she went to Tasmania for the first time and we got four Tasmanian students as a result of that,'' he said.

Mr Goldsmith said, in recent years, enrolments had increased year on year.

This year, it had 72 Advanced Diploma of Agriculture students enrolled plus another 14 taking the two-year Certificate IV in Agriculture course.

In addition, another 35 apprentices come in to the college to do trade short courses.

Mr Goldsmith said Longerenong College had been approached by foreign visitors looking to study agriculture in Australia.

He said that was from a couple of Pakistanis and two English girls who were already in Australia on working holiday visas.

But the college discovered they could not offer them courses because they did not have Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students accreditation.

So it was now seeking that accreditation.

"We now see that (international students) as a strategic growth area,'' Mr Goldsmith said.