1

ICEF Berlin 2013

Sue BlundellEnglish Australia

3 November 2013

Overview – the English language sector

2

• English Australia & the English language sector

• How Australia meets student/family/agent expectations– Quality, Support, Assurance

• Importance of agents

• Global market for English language teaching (ELT)

• Profile of the English language sector in Australia

• English Australia & English Australia member colleges

• Recent developments/opportunities

- English Australia & the English language sector

- How Australia meets student/family/agent expectations- Quality, Support, Assurance

- Importance of agents

English Australia – who we are

4

• English Australia is the national association for English language colleges in Australia

• English Australia represents over 100 of the leading English language colleges

• over 80% of international students learning English in Australia choose to study with an English Australia member college

• English Australia:– supports quality standards in English language colleges– promotes the quality of English language colleges– provides a professional network for English language colleges

• English Australia is the ‘voice’ for the English language sector in Australia and is consulted by government, the media and other professional associations for advice

• English Australia member colleges are located throughout Australia in large vibrant capital cities and quieter regional towns – there is a variety of lifestyles and cultures to suit all students

English Australia member colleges

5

wide variety of options - destinations

6

large city vs smaller city

city vs country / regional

city vs beach

large vs small “boutique”

university campus vs city centre

tropical climate vs temperate climate

Quality, Support, Assurance

7

How Australia meets student/family/agent expectations

8

• all students are different – motivation, course type, goals

• what are students & their families looking for?– quality (of education)– support (welfare outside the classroom)– assurance (consumer protection)– ?? the lifestyle factor – the “experience”

• all destination countries try to address these criteria

• Australia takes it seriously

Quality (of education)

9

• globally recognised qualifications

• consistent national standards

• national legislation specific to international education

• registration of all education providers

• focus on student satisfaction, feedback and continuous improvement

eg. English Language Barometer Project

10

• student feedback important to English language sector (ref: English Australia Best Practice Guide in Monitoring Student Satisfaction)

• students in English language centres – national satisfaction surveys undertaken in 2009, 2011 and 2013–2009 - 57 colleges, 10,716 students – 28% of all English language students in Australia–2011 - 49 colleges, 8,722 students – 26% of all English language students in Australia–2013 - currently underway

• focus on continuous improvement

• results overwhelmingly positive–high levels of satisfaction on almost all aspects of their experience–2011 results showed significant improvement compared to 2009–NEW 2013 survey in Sept/Oct – results currently being collated & analysed

Learning (ELT student satisfaction survey)

11

Support (welfare outside the classroom)

12

• welfare arrangements specified in legislationhttp://www.aei.gov.au/Regulatory-Information/Education-Services-for-Overseas-Students-ESOS-Legislative-Framework/ESOSQuickInformation/ESOSEasyGuide/Pages/ESOSEasyGuide.aspx

• includes requirement for all colleges to provide orientation and access to support services to help students with their study and adjust to life in Australia

• national Overseas Students Ombudsman to deal with complaintswww.oso.gov.au

Living (ELT student satisfaction survey)

13

Assurance (consumer protection)

14

• consumer protection built into legislation for all student visa holderswww.tps.gov.au

• English Australia also provides tuition assurance for non-student visa holders studying with English Australia member colleges

• English Australia mediates any issues between agents/students/parents and member colleges

Importance of agents

15

• Australia places high importance on students getting the best advice

• agents are key allies

• agent contracts

• Guide for providers on working with agentshttp://www.aei.gov.au/Regulatory-Information/Education-Services-for-Overseas-Students-ESOS-Legislative-Framework/ESOSQuickInformation/Documents/Using_Education_Agents_pdf.pdf

• agent training & agent recognitionhttp://eatc.pieronline.org/

- Global market for English language teaching (ELT)

Global ELT market

17

• number of students travelling to an English speaking country to learn English = more than 1,500,000 in 2011

• total value of the ELT market = estimated US$11.6 billion in 2011

• UK has greatest market share (50% of students & 32% of weeks)

• Australia #4 after UK, US and Canada – 9% of students & 13% of weeks

• top 4 countries = 85% of all English language students and 91% of all weeks

- Profile of the English language sector in Australia

- English Australia & English Australia member colleges

Profile of the English language sector in Australia

19

• over 124,000 English language students in 2012…..

• …..from over 140 countries

• approximately 250 accredited English language colleges in Australia

• over 100 English Australia member colleges deliver courses to over 80% of all English language students

What is the main reason that you chose to study an English language course (Aus ELB 2011)?

20

Visas for English language study

21

study work travel

student visa any periodmust be full-time

yes – maximum 40 hours per fortnight

up to 4 weeks at the end of the course

working holiday visa up to 17 weekspart-time or full-time

yes – maximum of 6 months with one employer

1 year

visitor visa up to 13 weekspart-time or full-time

no 6 months to 1 year

2012 – Visa type by region

22

Top 10 source countries for ELT students 2012

23

Why choose Australia?

24

• Quality – a focus on the learner

• Variety & innovation

• Consumer protection

• Established expertise

• Lifestyle

• The whole experience

• Study, Work & Travel – flexibility

• Strong focus on supporting student advisors/agents

• Diversity of cultures

• Technologically competitive

Why choose an English Australia member college?

25

• highest quality learning experience for your students– choice of quality colleges all around Australia– from beachside college, to university campus to city centre

• comprehensive support services for your students – including accommodation, social program and welfare support

• support for you as an agent– online resources– mediation of complaints

• assurance that tuition is protected – on any visa– your students are protected– your reputation as an agent is protected

Agent resources – English Australia website

26

Agent resources – English Australia website

27

Agent resources – English Australia website

28

www.englishaustralia.com.au

www.facebook.com/EnglishAustralia

@English_Aus

www.linkedin.com/company/english-australia

Australia – the year ahead

FUTURE UNLIMITED BRAND INDUCTION 30

“We will deliver a clear strategy, one that lays out a path to growing a world-class education and research industry, that realises our economic potential, reduces barriers and frees the sector to be more productive and globally competitive.”

The Hon Christopher Pyne MPMinister for Education9 October 2013

Australia – the year ahead

• a year of opportunity• attractive destination with a unique profile• a new government – strong support for international

education• recent announcement of positive changes to student visa

program:– expansion of streamlined visa processing– simplification of Assessment Level framework– reduced financial requirements for AL3http://www.immi.gov.au/students/whats_new.htm

• return to growth in new commencements

FUTURE UNLIMITED BRAND INDUCTION 31

New commencements YTD August 2013

FUTURE UNLIMITED BRAND INDUCTION 32

Australia – the year ahead

• work opportunities available to add value to study eg.– all student visa holders can work 40 hours per

fortnight– post study work visas (2-4 years) available to

students with visas issued after 5 November 2011(Graduates of an Australian Bachelor degree, Masters by coursework degree, Masters (extended) degree, Masters by research degree or Doctoral degree)

• a range of new state government initiatives (NSW & Victoria) –internships/scholarships etc.

• watch this space!

FUTURE UNLIMITED BRAND INDUCTION 33

meet with Australian providers at the ANZA Workshop

FUTURE UNLIMITED BRAND INDUCTION 34

Other useful resources

• Study in Australiawww.studyinaustralia.gov.au/

• Brand Australia – Future Unlimited

www.austrade.gov.au/futureunlimited

• CRICOS – registered institutions & courseshttp://cricos.deewr.gov.au/

• International Student statisticswww.austrade.gov.au/Export/Export-Markets/Industries/Education/International-Student-Data

• Student visa statistics

www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/study/

FUTURE UNLIMITED BRAND INDUCTION 35

Other useful resources

• Student Visaswww.immi.gov.au/students/

• Student visas – what’s newwww.immi.gov.au/students/whats_new.htm

• Tourist visaswww.immi.gov.au/visitors/tourist/

• Working Holiday Visaswww.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/

FUTURE UNLIMITED BRAND INDUCTION 36