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Overseas students to jump by
Rapid growth in the international education sector will offer many new challenges. By Antonia Maiolo
30 %
The number of international students coming to Australia will rise 30 per cent by 2020, a new report forecasts.
The report estimates that the country will host about 520,000 students in the next seven years, worth $ 19.2 billion to the economy, with an estimated growth of 5 per cent per year.
The International Education Advisory Council proposed 35 recommendations, including addressing affordable student accommodation, access to transport concession and work opportunities to aid overseas students.
The report, Australia – Educating Globally, noted that whilst the international education sector is in good shape, Australia cannot become“ complacent”.
Australia’ s international education activities generate more than $ 15 billion of export income annually. This revenue supports more than 100,000 jobs, said International Education Advisory Council chairman Michael Chaney.
International education and training was Victoria’ s top export earner, generating $ 4.82 billion in the 2010-2011 financial year. In New South Wales, international education and training was the second largest export earner, earning $ 5.82 billion in the same period.
“ We cannot presume the sustainability of the sector is assured,” Chaney said, calling for“ national leadership” in order to sustain one of Australia’ s largest export industries.
The report, released by former tertiary education minister Chris Bowen on the opening day of a Universities Australia conference in Canberra, detailed the need to focus on ensuring Australia can manage the influx of students.
It recommended setting up a Ministerial Coordinating Council on International Education.
The ministerial council would tackle the major long-term issues facing the sector as spelt out in the report, and oversee a fiveyear strategy for international education.
The council calls for improved access to
4 | March 2013 work opportunities for overseas students involving stricter regulations on providers who would be required to establish processes to ensure international students maintain adequate English throughout the course of their study.
A review of off-campus accommodation is also recommended to investigate safer and more affordable living options.
To market Australia as a high-quality supplier of education, the council also called for the development of a communications campaign to articulate“ the many economic and cultural benefits that international education and students bring to Australia”.
The chief executive of Universities Australia, Belinda Robinson, said UA supported the establishment of a ministerial council to coordinate government policy on international education.
“ At around $ 15 billion each year, international education is Australia’ s largest export earner after resources. It is crucial we get the policy settings right,” Robinson said.
TAFE Directors Australia also welcomed the report’ s proposals and noted the council’ s reluctance to“ make many significant recommendations on the VET sector, as the sector is currently undergoing significant change and institutional structures are in the process of adjustment”.
However, TDA’ s director of international engagement, Peter Holden, said the report did in fact make some significant recommendations for the VET sector. These recommendations included the extension of student visa streamlining to
low immigration risk providers.
Holden said Chaney and the council highlighted the“ fractured” nature of the sector in governance arrangements for VET which made it difficult to develop a national marketing strategy.
He said that VET had government policies and programs in the international education arena from at least four portfolios( immigration, tertiary education and skills, trade and investment, aid and development) plus two national regulators and a range of other programs.
“ Many of these programs work either in isolation from each other or at crosspurposes, so a whole-of-government five-year plan under the auspices of such a council is an absolute priority,” Holden said.
He added the sector would like to see some financial investment aligned to the recommendations.
In a separate survey conducted for Universities Australia, researchers found more than 71 per cent of the public and 69 per cent of business representatives were positive about providing education for international students.
In addition, 80 per cent of business representatives surveyed and 72 per cent of the public said that international students should be encouraged to stay in Australia on completion of their studies, particularly if sponsored by an employer.
The government is now considering the council’ s report, which will help inform the development of a five-year strategy to ensure the sustainability and quality of the international education sector in Australia. n
See Devil in the detail, page 22