I would like to start this month’s CEO report by extending my well wishes for member colleges and everyone in Victoria. I am sure that I am not alone in offering any support that we can give during this period.
This past month, we have seen the extension of JobKeeper, providing many members continued support, and visa changes to help international students. These initiatives have been critical advocacy pieces that English Australia continually raised with the government and will provide some relief for our members.
I recognise that the JobKeeper is not accessible to everyone and that visa developments alone will not provide the relief that our sector needs. We are future-focused and committed to seeking dedicated sector support and welcoming new students to our member colleges as soon as feasible.
Preparing a pilot program to return ELICOS students to Australia
As I highlighted at our member forums, we have been working hard behind the scenes on pilot programs for member colleges to support the return of our students. The current challenges of safeguarding Australian citizens against the pandemic have undoubtedly delayed any planned pilot start dates. However, we are working in partnership with the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) on our GoPassport solution to show that we can successfully bring international students into Australia and protect our public health. I will contact members shortly with more detailed information.
Government and regulator dialogue
We continue to engage in meaningful discussions with colleagues in federal and state/ territory governments on issues facing our sector. I participated in a virtual roundtable with ASQA last week where I raised concerns on recent advice from the Overseas Student Ombudsman. I am pursuing this matter further at present.
I would like to commend ASQA for establishing the ASQA Stakeholder Liaison Group (SLG). This is a positive step towards engaging with the sector and it was great to see Jo Kwai from our member college, Shafston House College, appointed on the SLG. Her depth of ELICOS knowledge and vast experience will ensure the interests of our sector are well represented.
Continuing professional development with our Ed-Tech Symposium
Professional development has never been more important, particularly with online teaching and learning becoming the new normal. Our recent Ed-Tech Symposium brought talented speakers from across the globe to showcase best practice in online teaching and learning. As well as looking at unique ways that we can teach and learn online, the Symposium highlighted the importance of community and well-being in supporting students and teachers, something perhaps even more valuable in these trying times.
I would like to thank all the presenters and participants for joining the Symposium. I particularly want to thank Henno Kotze, and Paul Forster from ICTE-UQ, our SIG convenors, and Sophie O’Keefe, English Australia’s PD Manager, for the incredible work they put into the Symposium.
Understanding the true impact of the pandemic on the ELICOS sector
Thank you again to all our members that participated in the first wave of our new Quarterly Market Insight survey. We had 108 colleges participate and the data from the first quarter of 2020 shows how heavily the pandemic has impacted our sector. Q1 in 2020 revealed the sector’s decline was almost double that which was reported in the student visa commencement data. Our research partners, BONARD, are currently working with colleges on their Q2 data collection. Thank you to the colleges that have already responded. I am looking forward to presenting the Q1 results with some additional market insights at today’s webinar, supported by Allianz Global Assistance. I would also like to thank the Department of Education, Skills and Employment for supporting this program.
Engaging with the global agent network
Next week, English Australia will participate in the Australia New Zealand Agent (ANZA) workshop. This year’s workshop is being conducted in a virtual format by our long-standing partner, ICEF. Our education agent community remains a critical friend as we work through the present challenges. It is great to see the event proceed and will contribute to helping us rebound when travel restrictions are raised.
Always available
With the continuing challenges that this year is giving us, I would like to again say that I am always available should you wish to raise any issues with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to help.
