After a surge in overseas interest at the end of 2012, English schools in Australia could get a further boost thanks to a major campaign to promote tourism in the country. The AUS$4 million "Best Job in the World" campaign from Tourism Australia will communicate the attractions of working in Australia via the working holiday visa – also a popular route for language students.
A "megatrend" of rising international undergraduate mobility has been identified in a new study from research body World Education Services (WES). It suggests more students are studying abroad at a younger age and are able to pay for longer courses. It also offers institutions practical recommendations on how to tap the evolving market.
An overwhelming majority of the Australian public and business community have a positive view of international students attending Australian universities, according to a study commissioned by Universities Australia. The research found that 69% of representatives of businesses and 72% of the public are supportive of providing education for international students.
International student enrollments in Australia continued to fall for the fourth year in a row in every sector except English language teaching, according to the latest end-of-year statistics from the Australian government (AEI). The top five markets remained the same despite a 24.5% fall in enrollments to 53,396 from India.
English Australia, a peak body for English language providers, is looking to ramp up engagement with education agents worldwide after a survey revealed that 37% of respondents were unaware of the organisation.
The Australian Council for Private Education and Training has called for student visa reforms to be extended beyond the university sector, after a damning report showed Australia’s $2billion education export industry fell sharply in the two years to FY2011-12—with the brunt borne by ELICOS and VET.
Navitas, one of Australia’s biggest education providers, says it is on the road to growth as revenue and enrolment climbed in the first half of FY2013. The firm, which has large English language and pathway divisions, saw total group revenue climb 4% to AUS$355.4million with profits down just 1%.
A new report from New Zealand has found a very high correlation between overall international student satisfaction and the quality of a student’s learning experience—and that “living and support” services play a much smaller role. University students who were “very satisfied” with their teachers, facilities and course were 27 times more likely to report higher overall satisfaction than those “very dissatisfied”.
