As November comes to a close, we have seen some major developments that have reinforced the cautious optimism that I noted in our last newsletter. The announcement from the Prime Minister on 22nd November that fully vaccinated international students can travel to Australia from 1st December lifted many spirits across the sector. At last, the news that our sector had been waiting for – the moment when we could finally give students, agents and our networks the definitive date that we needed. Although we have seen a small setback with the date being pushed back two weeks until 15th December at this stage, we still have a starting point for our road to recovery.
Industry advocacy and government liaison
This road will still be a difficult one for a while until we return to capacity, and English Australia was pleased to see the Federal Government recognise our needs with the announcement of further regulatory fee relief, new visa arrangements and the $9.4 million allocation to the Innovation Development Fund. English Australia had been consistently advocating for these measures, and we were delighted to see our advocacy come to fruition.
I am sure that many members are keen to understand the details of the renewed Innovation Fund, and I will provide further announcements as soon as possible. We will also continue to provide as much information as we can on border reopenings and any changes that occur as states and territories review their policies on reopening.
Combined with the regulatory fee relief and Innovation Fund boost, English Australia also secured a ‘no disadvantage test’ decision by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for providers whose Evidence Levels (ELs) have been adversely affected due to the small provider policy while COVID-19 travel restrictions have been in place. This change had negatively affected many of our member colleges and I know it has been a welcomed outcome that will support their recovery efforts.
It is issues like the negative impacts of policy change that I often speak with ELICOS providers about, and I encourage any member colleges who find themselves being adversely affected by policy or processing changes to contact me. As your voice on these issues, and English Australia will continuously advocate in support of its members wherever possible.
Austrade Collaboration plan and Global Agent week 2021
English Australia further strengthened our partnership with Austrade this month via the formal collaboration plan that Melissa Banks, Head of International Centre for Excellence, and I signed off. The plan provides a framework for our cooperative partnership with a focus on insights collaboration and data sharing. English Australia was delighted to record a welcome message for the agents participating in the first-ever Global Agent week 2021, a partnership between Austrade and all State and Territory destination agencies.
Board meeting and farewelling Cynthia Kralik
The English Australia Board met for the final time of 2021 in November. As well as discussing and considering appropriate actions currently affecting our sector, the Board also bid farewell to long-standing Board member, Cynthia Kralik. Cynthia has contributed so much to English Australia as both a Board member and as Chair over the past three years. Her leadership and guidance has overseen English Australia through the phenomenal challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Personally, I would like to thank Cynthia for her insight and expertise and for being an absolute pleasure to work with – thank you.
Welcome to our new member
The English Australia Board endorsed Macquarie Education Group Australia (MEGA) as English Australia’s newest member at the recent Board meeting. It is great to see quality English language colleges like MEGA become members of English Australia and I look forward to working with the CEO, Henry Liu, and the team from MEGA into the future.
Action research 2022 launch
I am excited to note the launch of the 2022 Action Research program with its theme, ‘Current issues in ELICOS teaching and learning’. The Action Research program presents a fantastic opportunity for teachers to explore their own practices while gaining invaluable insight into research. I encourage anyone who is interested to visit our website and find out more. I also want to thank Cambridge Assessment English for their ongoing support of the program and action research more broadly.
Partnering for success: Education led engagement between Australia and Vietnam – virtual industry roundtable
Thank you to all the members that responded to our AVEG project survey and contributed to stakeholder interviews over the past month. The information collected by our research partner, Bonard, is providing great insights into the opportunity for transnational collaboration in English language delivery between Australia and Vietnam. Our Virtual Industry Roundtable will be held on Tuesday 14 December 2021. We have a few final places available for representatives with experience who could contribute to the dialogue on the day. Please contact Svetlana from Bonard if you have any questions regarding joining the event.
Q3 ELICOS Market Insights
I presented the Q3 ELICOS Market Insight webinar with Bonard last week. We had 110 colleges respond to the Q3 survey, which is the highest participation rate for the year. A big thanks to all the member colleges for your support as the response rate reaffirms the validity of the data, which greatly assists with our advocacy on your behalf. The reports and data sets have been distributed to all the participating colleges. Members can view the webinar recording online.
Keep in touch – December Branch meetings
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or require assistance. I look forward to seeing many of you at the final Branch meetings for the year being held in December. Please contact your State/ Territory delegate for details if you would like to attend.
