The peak body for international student services in Australia, ISANA, has received an Enabling Growth and Innovation grant to update its online National Code training and provide wider access to the broader industry.
Selected as one of 14 EGI grant recipients, which provide $3m per year in government funding for projects created to support 2016’s National Strategy for International Education 2025, ISANA president Bronwyn Gilson said her organisation was excited to raise professional standards across Australia.
“There’s not one training that stretches right across for all those involved in the industry”
“It’s the one set of training that most new professionals in the area get to do,” she said.
“There’s not one that stretches right across for all those involved in the industry that may be in admissions, maybe in services or student welfare.”
The $128,00 grant will go towards updating ISANA’s currently existing online training and will look to make understanding the code more engaging.
The National Code, which was updated at the start of 2018, is the centrepiece of Australia’s regulatory frameworks to support international education, and outlines provider requirements across 11 standards, ranging from marketing requirements to engaging with education agents.
Gilson told The PIE News the new online training would be updated to reflect changes but added the structure would allow professionals to choose to access the information that is only relevant to them.
“If you only touch on international education, you can go through and do the basic tutorial and then there will be modules that sit behind that,” she said.
“If you want more information on the admission side you can go in and do that module.”
As part of creating the training, she said industry-wide consultation would take place and include the student voice to ensure all areas are covered.
A recent Centre for Global Higher Education has argued Australia will likely become the second most popular study destination by 2019.
