Happy Holidays from Education New Zealand
This is the last edition of E-News for 2009, so I wanted to take the opportunity to personally thank you for your support this year.
I’d also like to wish all of you a very happy holiday season. I hope you have a well deserved break and an opportunity to spend some time with family and friends.
E-News will return in late January with more of the stories that affect education exporters in New Zealand. You’ll also be hearing more from me next year, and from the network of offshore staff in key markets around the world.
Until then, have a safe and relaxing holiday, and a great New Year.
Robert Stevens
Staffing Changes at Education New Zealand
Education New Zealand’s Chief Executive, Robert Stevens, recently commissioned International Education Consultant Tim Rogers to undertake an internal “fit-for-purpose” review of ENZ’s internal structure and operations.
The purpose of the review was to ensure that ENZ is performing optimally against its corporate mission, given its current human and financial resources. As a result of that review a number of changes have been implemented, including:
- disestablishment of the position of receptionist (this is the position previously held by Kimberley Wynbergen. Please note - Kimberley has been redeployed within the new structure as detailed below);
- a number of changes of internal reporting lines;
- creation of the position of “Industry Development Officer”, which will assist Kathy Phillips (ENZ’s Industry Development and Promotions Senior Manager) with the range of industry development functions that Education New Zealand is charged with undertaking. Kimberley Wynbergen has been redeployed to this position - in effect, this takes Kimberley from a backroom support role to a front-line role supporting the industry;
- adding formal responsibility for management and liaison of the Offshore Network to Sarah Cox’s responsibilities (as ENZ’s PACE Events and Offshore Network Senior Manager); and
- creation of the position of “Cluster Events Senior Manager”, which will lead a stream of proactive and reactive cluster events to complement the NZ Inc PACE events. While there is very strong demand for PACE events, there is also a need for ENZ to be responsive to (and indeed, proactive for) non-NZ Inc cluster events offshore. In effect, this position will be a new entrepreneurial events manager to service a number of non-NZ Inc offshore events. This position was recently advertised within the industry and attracted a high calibre of applicants. We are pleased to announce that we have appointed Ms Prabha Ravi to this position, with her taking up the appointment in late January 2010. Prabha is well known within the industry, having worked at senior levels in international marketing roles in both the public and private sector. Prabha is currently International Marketing Manager at Wellington Institute of Technology (Weltec). Once Prabha is embedded within the ENZ team she will communicate more about how her role can assist institutions.
To see an updated list of ENZ staff and their positions click HERE.
ENZ Client Satisfaction Survey Results
ENZ recently commissioned an independent survey of all Code of Practice signatories to solicit feedback on how they feel about the services provided by Education New Zealand. We’d like to thank those of you who took the time to fill out the survey and provide your comments.
The survey results were very positive. Eighty percent of respondents were satisfied with Education New Zealand’s (ENZ) performance this year.
Those respondents who were unsatisfied with some aspects of our services will be contacted again by the researchers shortly for an independent follow-up survey to find out how we can make improvements in the coming year.
Education Minister Meets with ENZ Board
On December 1 the Education Minister, Hon Anne Tolley, met with Education New Zealand’s Board of Directors and Chief Executive at the ENZ head office in Wellington.
The Minister was there to discuss the “NZ Inc” review and its implications for international education, and to gain a fuller understanding of the role Education New Zealand plays in the export education sector.
In this year’s budget, the Ministry announced an additional $2 million to be spent on the promotion of New Zealand’s export education industry. This budget item has recently been finalised in an agreement between the Ministry and Education New Zealand.
In the new year we will be using this additional funding to continue our popular New Zealand Specialist Agent training programme, expand resources for PACE activities, create online campaigns for generic marketing purposes, promote more extensively in our depth markets, support our offshore network, and assist with inbound agent and media visits.
Sector Specific Marketing and Recruitment Workshops
Thank you to those who have expressed an interest in finding out more about the proposed Marketing and Recruitment workshops.
Based on the feedback received to date, and depending on demand, we will be offering the following:
Auckland:
Schools sector - one day workshop covering 3 topics
PTE sector - one day workshop covering 3 topics
Wellington:
Schools sector - one day workshop covering 3 topics
PTE sector - one day workshop covering 3 topics
Tertiary sector - one day workshop covering 3 topics targeted at operational staff;
and one two day high level strategy workshop covering 5 topics
Christchurch:
Schools sector - one day workshop covering 3 topics
PTE sector - one day workshop covering 3 topics
More detail can be found HERE
If you would like to attend please ensure you complete your registration by 11 December 2009. Venues will be booked according to the number of registrations received as of that date. Please note the workshops are open to Code of Practice Signatories only.
Familiarisation Visits
Further to earlier E-News about the 2010 inbound agent and media familiarisation visits, a new section of our website has been created to announce the opportunities to host visitors.
Fourteen groups of visitors from Japan, US, Hong Kong, Brazil, China, Germany and Korea are scheduled to visit New Zealand during 2010. This programme is designed to increase awareness of New Zealand as a study destination in our key markets.
Click HERE for details and to submit your online registrations.
PACE 2010 Update
From July 2008 to June 2009 there were 541 institutional participations in the PACE Programme, this number was a significant increase on 417 participations in the 07/08 year.
We look forward to further growth in 09/10 and working with many of you to promote a professional, collaborative profile for New Zealand Education offshore.
The 2010 PACE Wall Planners were dispatched on Wednesday 2 December to those who had submitted an online request. There are a few copies left so if you missed out, just send an email to Laurette by Friday 11 December.
New Zealand Education Fairs, Malaysia, 28 February – 7 March
Registrations for the first round of New Zealand Education Fairs in Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Penang and Petaling Jaya will close on Friday 11 December.
Marketing in Malaysia is particularly relevant for the tertiary sector. Universities, ITPs, Foundation Providers and Private Training Establishments are encouraged to participate. Almost 1,650 visitors attended the New Zealand Education Fairs held in March 2009 across three locations; we expect to attract a similar number again. The number of Malaysian students coming to study in NZ is on the rise with November 2009 Immigration New Zealand statistics showing approximately 2,000 student visas issued.
For each event to go ahead a minimum number of registrations is required, the minimum is 10 for Petaling Jaya and 8 for the other cities. Please note that a late fee of $300 + GST will be applied to registrations received after the deadline of Friday 11 December. More information can be found HERE or by contacting Laurette.
CIEET Fairs, China, 13 March – 28 March
The CIEET China Fairs are another early set of events. CIEET are commercial fairs approved by the Chinese Government, the fairs offer New Zealand an opportunity to showcase and promote our country, education system and institutions alongside our competitors. The fair cities are Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Qingdao and Guangzhou although New Zealand is unlikely to participate at all 5 locations. A New Zealand only Agent Seminar is being planned for Chongqing in conjunction with the CIEET Fair.
The New Zealand space allocation will be booked with the organisers on Friday 11 December, please register prior to Friday if you wish to participate. For further information or to register online, please click HERE or contact Rahael.
North Asian Mission, 22 March – 1 April
Education New Zealand is leading a Mission to North Asia early next year. This is an ideal opportunity to promote your school in Asia to New Zealand’s top-performing education agents. Made up of six Agent Seminars and two Student Workshops in four key markets for international students, the full trip will run for eleven days. The complete itinerary includes Hong Kong, Tokyo, the Taiwanese cities of Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung, and Seoul. A shorter trip is an option for those who wish to select fewer cities.
This is an ideal event for those new to International Education Marketing or looking to update their agent contacts. There’s no better way to establish new agent relationships than with face to face meetings. The group will be led by an Education New Zealand staff member, and will receive marketing advice in advance to aid preparation and further market briefings and assistance along the way.
Ideally we would like registrations to be submitted by Friday 18 December to enable us to make decisions, especially regarding venue size. Many of the cities were filled to capacity this year, meaning some institutes missed out, so register early to avoid disappointment. For more information about the North Asian Mission, please click HERE or for the 2009 Event Reports and other information please click HERE - you will need to be logged in to the site to view this page.
For further queries, please contact Rahael.
South American Mission, 9 April – 17 April
Education New Zealand is organising a Mission to South America early next year. This is an ideal opportunity to promote your school to our top-performing education agents in South America. Made up of Agent Seminars in São Paulo and Bogotá and the two day Expoestudios Fair in Santiago, the full trip will run for 9 days. A shorter trip is an option for those who wish to visit fewer cities. An ENZ staff member will be on hand during the Mission and the group will receive marketing advice in advance to aid preparation as well as further market briefings and assistance along the way.
Please note that the ExpoIngles Fair organised by AREI that was to be held on 16 & 17 April has now been postponed to early May. A new fair called Expoestudios will be held on 16 & 17 April, and we will be supporting this event with a New Zealand pavilion.
Relevant for all sectors (except for junior schools) the Mission is ideal for those wanting to expand their contacts in South America. There’s no better way to establish new agent relationships than with face to face meetings.
The registration deadline is Friday 29 January, for more information about the Mission please click HERE, for Market Profiles please click HERE - you will need to be logged in to the site to view this page. For further queries, please contact Rahael.
New Zealand Education Virtual Fair, Germany, May
The first New Zealand Education Virtual Fair will be held online for German students during May 2010. This online format is a new approach for PACE. The event looks and feels just like a normal fair, but it is all online, meaning no international airfares or accommodation are required. Participants are able to speak to fair visitors in real time, as usual, but all discussions are held over the internet. Over 3,000 German students studied in New Zealand during 2008 and first time student visas almost reached 2,500 during the 2008 to 2009 period.
Germany is a market already well adapted to online tools, social media and high internet usage.
The expo will run for the entire month of May, with three live 3 hour sessions on Tuesday 11, 18 and Thursday 20 May.
Hosted by Virtual Expos NZ’s experienced staff, you will be given all the technology assistance needed to hold a successful virtual fair, including all of the features you would expect to find at a physical expo. A minimum of twenty registrations is required by Friday 29 January. More information about the event or booking a demo can be found HERE or by contacting Laurette.
New Zealand Specialist Agent Training Update
The 24 September issue of E-news mentioned the New Zealand Specialist Agent Training which was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in early September, the group of Specialists has now been developed and their contact details are available HERE. They will be receiving their certificates at the EDEX Fair in Colombo, Sri Lanka in late January 2010.
In early November E-news advised of the New Zealand Specialist Agent Training day that was held in Tokyo in late October. Japan based agents who have met the various criteria have now also been added to our existing Agent page HERE.
Additional agents will be added to the list as they come on board.
The next New Zealand Specialist Agent Training Day will be held for Taiwanese agents in Taipei on 22 December. Agents have already been invited directly, but those who did not receive the invitation and would like to attend can register their details online HERE registrations close on 15 December.
Thank you to all industry members who have assisted with the New Zealand Specialist Agent Programme by providing references.
H1N1 Flu Hits the Northern Hemisphere
With the arrival of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, an outbreak of H1N1 flu is affecting many or our key markets. While H1N1 has all but disappeared for the time being in New Zealand, we are still being affected by the problems.
A recent New Zealand Herald article suggested that Korean students in particular were cancelling their overseas study plans for New Zealand. Education New Zealand conducted an informal survey among some of our New Zealand Specialist Agents in South Korea to get their feedback on the situation.
Of 15 agents surveyed, 11 had seen cancellations due to flu fears, particularly for group trips, much like we saw during the original outbreak when Japanese school groups cancelled trips.
Agents are also seeing reduced numbers of students going overseas compared with this period last year, but are convinced that this is due in large part to the economic recession and the high Kiwi dollar rather than H1N1 fears.
Government sources in Korea are saying that H1N1 infections have already peaked in Korea, and hopefully the number of cases will begin to drop off very soon. Once the flu is no longer in the headlines, there is reason to believe that some of the additional caution being exercised by parents and schools will also become more relaxed.
As of the week of 21 November, 104 people in South Korea had died from H1N1 influenza.
INZ “Waka Jumping” Policy Now in Effect
Immigration New Zealand policies designed to discourage students from changing providers after arrival in New Zealand to shorter or less expensive courses have now taken effect.
As of November 30, 2009, it will become more difficult for students to have Variations of Conditions granted on their student permits. There will be more onus on the students to prove that they are changing providers for legitimate reasons, that they will remain genuine students, and that their new course of study would have been sufficient for the original permit to be granted.
Also in effect as of November 30 is a change to the requirements for legal guardians. This includes changes to the definition of a legal guardian, as well as allowing for a temporary exemption if a guardian must leave New Zealand due to an emergency in his/her home country.
Announcements and details of the new policies can be found on the Immigration New Zealand Website.New NZQA Circular for German Students
NZQA has released a new circular outlining recommended subjects and levels for students wishing to gain entry into German universities after studying at a New Zealand secondary school. The circular shows how to best provide students with the equivalent of the German “Arbitur” qualifications.
You can access this circular on the NZQA website, HERE.
UK Student Visa Review
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced a review of the student visa process, to clamp down on people applying to study in the UK with the intention of working illegally when they get here.
Brown said in his speech: “We will look at the case for raising the minimum level of course for which foreign students can get a visa. The review will also examine the case for introducing mandatory English language testing for student visas other than for English courses. And it will review the rules under which students on lower qualification courses work part-time, especially those on short courses, to look at whether temporary students are filling jobs that would be better filled by young British workers.”
The review, reporting later this month, will consider whether visas should be granted only to foreign students on degree and postgraduate courses and stopped for those seeking to take shorter courses leading to lower-level qualifications. The review comes just eight months after the launch of the new “Tier 4” for student visas.
Any further tightening of the visa regulations could significantly affect the UK’s export education industry by effectively eliminating the market for vocational and short term courses.
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