Message from the CEO
Welcome to the first edition of e-news for the year and the decade. I do hope you had a relaxing summer break with friends and family, and have returned to the grindstone feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to take on the world again!!
Earlier this month, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a speech to international educators and government representatives about export education as a worldwide growth industry. In this speech he set a bold goal: to double the value of the UK’s higher education exports.
Meanwhile, the UK is in the process of reviewing student visa policies in the hope of clamping down on the fraudulent use of student visas as a back door to immigration. The Brits have closed down a number of dodgy institutions in the past year after all institutions accepting international students were made to re-register under new rules.
While aspirational goals can serve a purpose, Gordon Brown's goal of doubling the (already substantial) value of the UK's higher education exports in the short term seems unrealistic. Working against achievement of his goal are a variety of visa processing problems and no additional funding (at this point of time) for generic promotion.
Are his comments just political posturing in light of the upcoming general election in the UK? Are they just wishful thinking? Will he follow through with additional funding to make this happen?
If he is serious about this goal, we can expect a very aggressive marketing push from the UK.
Regardless of any enabling funding or support initiatives, Gordon Brown's statement serves to remind us yet again that our competitors never stand still. Here in New Zealand we need to constantly review our policy settings, gateway barriers and resourcing in order to stay ahead of the competition and grow our market share.
I am looking forward to these challenges in the year ahead, and supporting you in your efforts to keep growing our market share and to make Gordon Brown regret the target that he has set himself. Wishing you all a successful, prosperous and enjoyable new year.
Robert Stevens
Marketing and Recruitment workshops
There are still places available at the marketing and recruitment sector specific workshops to be held 22nd to the 26th February 2010 in Auckland. The topics and dates for each workshop are as follows:
22nd February - Schools workshop topics: Locating a market for recruitment; Writing a marketing plan; and E- Marketing on a budget.
23rd February - Private Training Establishment workshop topics: Advanced strategies in agent management; Recruiting international students locally; The A-Z of E-recruiting
24th February - Tertiary One day operational workshop: Competitor Marketing and Recruitment Strategies; Best practice in working with agents; International office management
25th and 26th February - Tertiary Two day strategic workshop: The development of an institutional international strategy; The internal picture and changing cultures; Anticipating market trends; Planning for the international marketplace; The international student experience.
Further information can be found HERE.
Please email Kimberley Wynbergen to register your attendance.
Shanghai World Expo
The World Expo, to be held in Shanghai, China from May to October 2010, will be the largest in world history. During the six months the expo will be open, it is expected to draw 70 million visitors. More information can be found HERE
Join the New Zealand Education promotions at the Shanghai World Expo! Education New Zealand is in the early planning stages of holding a Cocktail Function at the Expo on the evening of Tuesday 15th June 2010; New Zealand Specialist Agents based in China and a range of officials will be at the event.
The function isn't yet definitely confirmed to go ahead but we understand many of you are looking at your travel planning for the year currently; further updates and an opportunity to register your interest will follow in the next edition of E-news, watch this space.
Upcoming Research Reports
This year, ENZ is commissioning research on a wide range of topics to help the industry make well informed decisions, and choose a successful direction for the future. The reports you can expect to see include:
Schools: Website and Internet Marketing
Network Research Associate
The aim for this research is to provide a guide to the schools sector on on-line marketing opportunities and techniques; recommended sites for their marketing and PR material, and what works with and without a budget.
Vocational Training Opportunities in China
BERL Economics
Following on from last year’s in-depth China research, this report will explore opportunities for attracting more vocational students from China and identify recommended regions for marketing these qualifications.
Exploratory Market Research
Projects International
The aim of this research is to identify potential source markets for New Zealand with the best opportunities for growth; as well as a review of the current depth markets,
Benchmarking International Offices
SPRE Ltd.
This benchmarking study seeks to benchmark specific aspects of the international operations of New Zealand Institutes of Technology and Universities.
Country Market Reports – Vietnam and Thailand
I-Graduate
These country market reports will cover students’ influences, expectations and perceptions of their experience of overseas study, compared to global and regional benchmarks. It will also include feedback and perceptions from education agents from priority source markets.
Saudi Scholarship Students – Process and Outcomes Evaluation
Vince Catherwood & Associates
This research will look into the outcomes of Saudi students who have studied in NZ on scholarships. It will cover progress, student support, student experiences, academic success and retention.
Economic Update on the Chinese, Japanese, Korean Export Education Markets
BERL Economics
This research will look at what effect the recent economic factors had, and may continue to have, on these three markets; with the goal of minimising any risks, and to assist with future marketing plans.
New Zealand Specialist Agents Training Update
In late December 2009 New Zealand Specialist Agent Training took place in Taipei for 40 agents representing 22 agencies. The majority of agents were Taipei based, however a strong contingent from Taichung and Kaohsiung also travelled to the capital to attend.
The training programme provides the most recent industry information including summarising the NZ education system, schools, tertiary education, English language and scholarships. A one-hour presentation of “Selling New Zealand” was also delivered to enable agents to be strong New Zealand ambassadors. Staff from Immigration NZ ran a one-hour presentation to agents in the afternoon.
At the end of the day feedback from the agents was very positive; they were pleased to not only refresh themselves with the latest industry information but also benefited from exchanging information and opinions with each other. The test marking and reference checking stages will get underway shortly and the final list of New Zealand Specialist Agents for Taiwan is expected to be online by March, in time for the PACE Taiwanese Agent & Student Workshops in late March.
The next New Zealand Specialist Agent Training events will be held for Malaysian agents in Kuala Lumpur around the time of the three PACE New Zealand Education Fairs in Malaysia in early March, and at a similar time in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi for Vietnamese agents. We hope to have a group of New Zealand Specialist Agents for Vietnam established in time for the PACE New Zealand Education Fairs there in early June.
PACE 2010 Update
New Zealand Education Fairs, Malaysia, 1 – 7 March
Registrations for the first round of New Zealand Education Fairs in Malaysia are still being accepted. Fairs will be held in Kuching, Penang and Petaling Jaya.
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 more information on these events please visit HERE or contact Laurette.
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 Monday 22 February with places already filling up, including prime positions. Don’t miss out!
More information about the event or booking a demo can be found under Germany HERE or by contacting Laurette.
South American Mission, 9 April – 17 April
Education New Zealand is organising a Mission to South America in April. 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. The organisers of the Expostudios Fair have extended the early bird deadline to Monday 15 February.
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 26 February, 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.
ENZ Offshore Report - Germany
Guten Tag from Germany!
My name is Anja Werner and in November I started working as Trade Development Executive - ENZ Education (in the office of the New Zealand Consulate General and NZTE) in Hamburg.
I attended three educational events in Germany in my first month here and am convinced that - despite the economic crisis in 2009 - the longing to see the world has not ceased among young Germans.
On the contrary: In 2008/09 a total of 3,600 German students made their way to New Zealand. This is an increase of 20% compared to 2007/08 (2,991 approved student visas). And although the awareness of New Zealand as a prestigious provider of high-class education is already quite distinguished in Germany, the popularity of the "Kiwi"-country is still growing.
A high-class education, an interesting cultural experience and professional and caring support from their host family and education provider are most important for German students; besides improving their English language knowledge, of course.
Young Germans are not discouraged by the fact that New Zealand is literally on the other side of the world but it makes the internet one of the most used sources of information in this country. An appealing and well-structured representation on the web is one of the key facts to attract German and other European students.
Due to the high usage of this media among students, ENZ decided to host the first Virtual Fair in Germany. A huge advantage of this virtual fair will be that students will find a range of educational institutions on one spot and don't have to inconveniently browse the internet for little bites of information. Students can visit the fair whenever, wherever and how often they want. They are not bound to dates or locations, they can interrupt and continue later and they won't even have sore feet after the visit!
With three live events held on 11, 18 & 20 May, students will also have the chance to chat with the institutions directly and vice versa. This is not only a good opportunity for education providers to promote themselves, but also to get a better and direct insight into Germany’s youth. You can register for the fair HERE.
New Zealand Pavilion Wins Prize in Sri Lanka
Education New Zealand are thrilled to announce that the New Zealand Education booth won the 1st Runner-up prize in the International Pavilion category at the recent EDEX Fair in Sri Lanka.
A combined effort between ENZ, NZ's ITPs and the New Zealand Specialist Agents from Sri Lanka resulted in New Zealand standing out from our competitors. Congratulations to all those involved.
UK Clamps Down on China Visas
Via English Language Gazette
As the UK struggles to weed out fraudulent student visa applications, they have stopped taking long term English study applications from three cities in China. Their offices in Fuzhou, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are not taking any more applications for English study at level 3 or lower.
Investigations are underway regarding agents in the region who may have filled out paperwork and even advanced funds to “students” to help them obtain visas when they had no intention of actually studying in the UK.
The government, as well as English language providers, is hopeful that the investigations can be completed quickly and the offices will be able to resume normal procedures for these applications.
While the backlog of applications from this is concerning, it is certainly not the only location where processing has been badly delayed. In Pakistan there is said to be a backlog of over 14,000 applications for UK student visas.
Immigration Rules, Market Saturation Blamed for Australian Downturn
Via Campus Review
Enrolments from two of Australia’s top 10 markets for international students are expected to plunge dramatically, after offshore student visa applications from Nepal nosedived 85 per cent and the Saudi Arabian government cancelled scholarships for its citizens to study in Australia.
Immigration department figures show that offshore student visa applications from Nepal totalled just 845 between July and October last year, down from around 5700 in the corresponding period in 2008. While onshore applications rose slightly – from around 1300 to 1600 – overall applications from Nepal still fell by almost two thirds.
Nepal has been Australia’s fastest growing market by far in recent years, with enrolments increasing 1800 per cent since 2005, according to Australian Education International data.
International education consultant Melissa Banks said it would be easy to attribute the sudden plunge to the uncertainty caused by changes to skilled migration rules. “However, this suggests it is a market driven solely by desire for skilled migration and that is not entirely true,” she said.
She said the US had been taking a bigger slice of the Nepalese market in recent years. “Some 11,500 Nepalese students studied in US higher education in 2008, an increase of 26 per cent on the previous year.”
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s ministry of higher education has canned scholarships to Australia, along with the UK. The Saudi Gazette reported that the ministry had announced the cancellation earlier this month because of the large numbers of Saudi students already studying in the two countries, with 15,000 in the UK alone.
Banks said she couldn’t speculate on why the scholarships had ceased, but said the flow of students would be affected. She said the English language teaching sector would also feel some pain, given that Saudi students spend around 40 weeks studying English before starting their formal award course studies.
The student visa application figures suggest Australia will be in for a sharp slump in overseas enrolments, with application numbers falling 10 per cent overall and offshore applications dropping 23 per cent. Applications from India also declined dramatically, as expected after several months of negative media concerning the safety of Indian students and changes to the rules for obtaining residency.
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