Welcome
Kia Ora,
Welcome to E-News. Don’t forget that registrations are now open for Conference 2009, to be held in Wellington on August 6-7. You can have a look at the action-packed programme HERE, and register HERE.
Updated Market Profiles
Market Profiles are accessible in the Market Information section of our website and are updated every two years.
Many of the existing profiles were last updated in 2007 and are therefore now undergoing a re-write or review process.
New Market Reports for Thailand, Taiwan and the UK have recently been uploaded.
To view them, please login at www.educationnz.org.nz and go to the Market Information Page from the top menu
ENZ Website gets a Makeover
Many of you will have noticed the new look for Education New Zealand’s corporate website. We have now made it much easier for you to read past issues of E-News, with a brief summary of the key topics covered in each issue.
There are a lot of behind-the-scenes enhancements to the site as well. For example, you can now register for your own individual login to access members-only resources. We have eliminated the generic “educatenz” login.
With your individual login, you will be able to register for Conference and PACE events more easily, with no need to fill out your contact details each time you register. Your login will remember your details for you.
Click HERE to create your login now.
What’s Happening with Waka-Jumping?
Education New Zealand understands that there may have been some progress in the last few weeks on the long-standing issue relating to international students transferring between institutions shortly after arrival. We have been advised that a discussion paper from MoE, NZQA and DoL will be distributed to the industry shortly.
ENZ has made numerous pan-industry submissions to Ministers (both Education and Immigration) on this matter over several years, so it is pleasing to hear that there may be some developments. ENZ, institutions and offshore education agents will eagerly await this discussion paper, and ENZ will coordinate a pan-industry response.
New Zealand Specialist Agent Training – Update
Further to earlier E-news updates about recent agent training, another event for New Zealand based agents is being planned. Following on from the Specialist Agent Training Day in Auckland in late April, a session for southern agents and those who missed out in April has been scheduled for Friday 26 June in Christchurch.
We envisage the Christchurch event being the last New Zealand based training session for 2009, so please be aware that this is the final opportunity for domestic agents to take part in the programme for this year. Agents have already been invited directly. Those who didn't receive the invitation but would like to attend are welcome to register online directly HERE
PACE Update
CCIEE Fairs 2009 and New Zealand Education Fair, China:
The CCIEE fairs are commercial events approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education and sponsored by China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE).
2008 saw over 70,000 visitors attend the Fair series. This year’s theme, “Inspired Horizon”, is set to appeal to a large audience by offering options for high quality, career orientated education programs.
ENZ are coordinating a New Zealand Pavilion presence at the CCIEE Fairs in the key cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu. In addition a New Zealand Education Fair and Agent Seminar will be held in Nanjing. All sectors are welcome to attend, registrations close 1 July. For more information on this fair series, please login at www.educationnz.org.nz and visit the PACE Events page from the top menu or contact Rahael
Other Updates:
Please note that the proposed New Zealand Education Fairs in India (September) and Russia (October) have both been cancelled. New events in Kazakhstan and the Netherlands have recently been added to the PACE Calendar.
As always, we welcome your suggestions for and feedback about the PACE programme, please contact Sarah
UK May Struggle to Maintain its Education “Brand”
(via Not-so-Foreign)
Since the UK's new international student laws came into effect, the number of colleges and universities licensed to register international students in the UK has dropped from 15,000 to 1,500.
Though new regulations will help prevent people from being able to use education visas as a back door into the country, and prevent dodgy institutions from exploiting genuine students, they will also put a dent in the UK's brand power.
Students will only be able to register at institutions that have passed the new stringent regulations, but the fact that the number of legitimate institutions has dropped so dramatically will cast doubt on the legitimacy of all UK colleges and universities.
And genuine institutions--barring those who carry their own brand power like Cambridge and Oxford--may have to fight harder to recruit students who may think that, because of the reduced number of registered colleges, UK institutions may be too competitive to get into.
The fall-out will be impossible to determine before the end of this year's recruitment cycle. However, UK institutions, recruiting agencies, and organizations like the British Council are going to have to band together and strategize if they are going to come through this transition unscathed.
Australia Further Tightens Immigration
After reducing the number of Skilled Migrant places by 18,500 in March, the Australian government has recently announced a further reduction of 6,900 places to help protect local jobs during the recession. Overall, the government has slashed previous planning levels by close to 20 per cent.
This move is likely to make some international students with migration aspirations think twice about choosing Australia for their studies. With many students choosing to stay away from the US because of the poor employment and immigration prospects currently there, Australia had been seen as a good option.
At this point the New Zealand government has not reduced the number of permanent resident places available under the Skilled Migrant category. When compared with the situation in other countries, this may encourage more students who wish to use their education as a step toward migration to consider New Zealand as the best option during the economic downturn.
E-news is a newsletter for the Export Education industry, compiled by Education New Zealand. You can access previous E-news newsletters on our website at www.educationnz.org.nz .
With Regards.
Education New Zealand
www.educationnz.org.nz