In the thirteenth webinar in our industry series, James Martin (Managing Director at Insider Guides) and Rob Lawrence (Principal at Prospect Research and Marketing) were joined by Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia, to discuss the challenges and what the new normal may look like for international education in Australia.
The sector is grappling with what is happening right now, so it is a challenge in itself to consider what the future might look like. However, it is important to take stock of the situation and what the ideal future could look like.
A few of the key takeaways from this webinar include;
- Impact of TNE on the future of the industry
- Recent student visa program changes and the nuances that impact students
- International education is a high-value space investment, demand and desire remains but it is a matter of when we recover and when students can return
- Lobbying efforts for support for the sector and the opportunity to create safe corridors to bring students back to Australia
- What might the landscape look like when borders do reopen?
- Return on investment still has a tangible benefit, education is a vehicle for individual differentiation
- Policy frameworks for regional institutions to encourage student enrolments
- Aggregation of student services with increased vertical integration, and the use of aggregation sites by migration agents
- Affordability will impact choices and highly price-sensitive markets may struggle
- Increased need for in-country representatives and use of multi-language technologies
- Opportunities for regional universities and frameworks required to attract students to the regions
- Positive optimism for the future across all sectors
During the webinar, attendees were invited to vote in our poll, with the majority representing the Higher Education Sector. 48% of voters do not believe that students will return for semester I next year, with a further 33% suggesting it was likely that students would return and they were planning for their return.
- Which sector do you currently work in?
- Do you think there will be regulatory changes for the sector in the near future?
- How confident are you that international students will return in Semester I 2021?
