2022-06-09 14:31:39
To say that Australia's international education sector has struggled during the Covid-19 pandemic is an understatement. Until recently, 131,000 international students were locked out of Australia, following tough restrictions put in place by the country's government. This cost the sector at least $1.8 billion in revenue in the first year of the pandemic alone. Kim Martin reports.
The few months in which Australia’s borders have been cautiously open to vaccinated students have been extremely telling about the elasticity of the sector and global motivation for study down under.
We speak to stakeholders and companies who are tasked with driving the rebound of the sector, including the all-important job of rebuilding the trust of prospective international students.
Student sentiment
IDP Connect's analysis of almost 4,000 international applicants' attitudes and motivations for studying abroad in light of the Covid-19 pandemic found that destinations which suffered from closed borders during the pandemic have seen declines in student perception of international student welfare.
The research suggests that, to international students, open borders and the ability to study on campus are indicative of their welfare and they may link open borders to their health and wellbeing. Government data shows that between January and March 2022 there were 440,129 international students enrolled in Australian universities – 15% less than a year prior.
Furthermore, a Studiosity survey concluded that only 58% of international students currently enrolled at Australian universities plan on returning to campuses this year, with 41% of those planning to travel to a new study destination.
Is student sentiment picking up as quickly as desired?
“Students are starting to return to Australia, though it is taking longer than many may have anticipated,” according to Mark Falvo, senior vice president, international at Torrens University Australia – an international university with campuses in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Blue Mountains and in Suzhou, China.
“If your heart is set on a particular study destination and institution, naturally two years is a long time to wait and therefore some students may have decided to select an alternative study destination or location,” says Falvo.
“However, we have found that the majority have either chosen to defer until they are able to arrive in person, or have made the decision to commence online to get ahead in their studies before relocating to Australia.
“The attraction of Australia as a study, work and potentially migratory destination is strong, and in some ways even stronger post Covid-19, so we are definitely seeing a rebound in enthusiasm and interest.”
"The attraction of Australia as a study, work and potentially migratory destination is strong"
Along with the country's apparent change in perception post pandemic, students are also evolving in their way of selecting study destinations, he suggests.
"I believe that students are now far more market savvy and less driven by perceptions of prestige and rankings," Falvo explains. "These days, they're far more concerned with value for money, flexibility of learning options, and employability outcomes."
It seems that the government heard student concerns for employability outcomes and, at the end of 2021, announced a new post work visa strategy to help the country’s international education sector “roar back”.
Australia's international student landscape "changed overnight when the borders closed in early 2020", says James McNess, director of Active Study Australia.
"Whilst there may be a little hesitation with regards to borders and visa processing times, the biggest trend we have seen is that students are ready to take action right away, rather than planning far in the future," he notes.
CEO of Study Gold Coast Alfred Slogrove, agrees that some markets have been a little slower to move. According to him, main core markets such as South America continue to show great interest whereas markets such as Japan are more hesitant.
However, Slogrove attributes this primarily to restrictions in Japan, rather than the landscape in the Gold Coast.
Past shocks to student mobility
Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic is not the first shock to the international student mobility system in Australia.
In 2009, following a spate of attacks on international students in Melbourne and Sydney, subsequent negative media coverage in India posed a real threat to the international education export market. At the time, there were 631,935 enrolments by full fee paying international students in Australia on a student visa.
As the substantial economic costs became clearer, the Australian government began to more openly acknowledge a racist element to the attacks which it had previously refuted, forcing it to investigate structural issues in communities that required policy changes.
Incidents such as these are undeniably damaging and the ripples are still felt with articles remaining online today, in plain view for foreign students who are researching Australia as a potential study location.
Many in the sector still believe that "deep-rooted racism" is a prominent issue in Australia and are calling on the government to do more to protect international students.
Solutions
What are stakeholders and companies doing this time around to protect the country’s fourth-largest export?
Speaking on what Torrens University has implemented, Falvo says, "As a group, we focused again on our student experience, ensuring as always that we deliver a value-for-money educational journey that leads our students, wherever they may be, to the best employment outcomes possible."
Elsewhere, Study Gold Coast has also been working to ease understandable anxieties students may have about returning.
Although prior to the pandemic, Study Gold Coast had existing student services in place such as its student hub, counselling services and hotline. Slogrove admits that, in hindsight, these services were "under-utilised".
Like many, Slogrove appreciates the silver livings that have peeked through post pandemic, including a new perspective on student welfare.
"The pandemic did shine a light on the critical need for student support," he says. "We emphasised and really poured some resources into amplifying that support service."
During the pandemic, Study Gold Coast delivered 37,000 meal packs to students across seven locations within the city and made its counselling services full-time. Slogrove can now confidently describe the student hub as a "real safe haven for students to come and get some real tangible support".
Importantly, this exemplary student care is not slowing down and, as needs change, Study Gold Coast is more than willing to adapt.
"It transitioned very quickly to 'okay, I don't need meal packs, I've got a job, I just need other support'. We were faced with quite a few people moving up from down south – interstate migration into Queensland – because we had less Covid-19 than other parts of Australia."
Other pastoral care – like finding flatshares and support to cope with online education – was in demand.
"The pandemic evolved for us - it had stages that we went through in terms of student support," he says.
"It started with students in dire need of jobs, and it ended with students just trying to cope with the new normal, which is doing a bit of online education. Now we're faced with those students being able to travel again, so we are making sure that they feel supported in the process."
"We are making sure that they feel supported in the process"
Study Gold Coast’s campaign ‘Reunite in Paradise’ allows up to 2,000 students living on the coast to invite their friends and families to visit with discounted airfares and vouchers offered, enabling them to witness the city's famed tourism experience.
Meanwhile, Active Study feels that there is "an ever-growing expectation for education agents to provide a more comprehensive service for students".
“Whilst that is of course exactly what we strive to do there are new skills we have been required to develop,” says McNess. "Post-pandemic, the wellbeing of students is more important than ever. We understand the past two and a half years have not been easy for students."
The agency has moved towards a life-coaching aspect of education consulting, he continues.
"A lot of our students had put their lives on hold when borders were closed, unsure when they would be able to move forward with their study dreams. This has taken a toll on many students and there is still a level of uncertainty we must negotiate," he says.
The new life-coaching consulting allows for guidance beyond education.
"We love to understand our students at a deeper level and not just guide them on education opportunities but also the bigger picture of life," he explains.
"We have found this allows us to provide more sound advice regarding education and permanent residency pathways.
"Active Study maintains a major focus on not just finding a course for our students but creating a future for them and generations to come. Our life coaching aspect of our consultancy style compliments this immensely."
It seems that the careful recovery has given stakeholders and companies time to prepare and respond to needs and trends, creating a new international student landscape that not only provides Australia’s international students with the basic welfare they need but goes above and beyond to reward them for their trust. Despite challenges, the consensus is mostly a positive one.
Falvo at Torrens University is “confident” about the future.
"Though, like everyone else we are seeing that post Covid-19 associated delays with visas, flight availability and collating all the necessary documentation in order to travel is taking a lot longer than we would have experienced years ago," says Falvo.
"This is our greatest challenge, but fortunately, it's a temporary one," he adds.
As for McNess, he feels that the pandemic has provided people with the opportunity to "reset and reassess what they want to do with their lives".
"Many people have opted for a change and studying is often the first step in creating a new life or career pathway," he concludes.
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