There has been a lot of use of the term “bad actors” in relation to the international education, or VET sector, in that matter, by the media, the government, and the Minister. However, if one looks deeper, it is not clear what those “bad actors are”. 

 

For the most part, colleges are in compliance with both federal and state regulations, but the government is pointing the finger at them. It is not necessary to launch an assault on the entire industry, despite the fact that there are undoubtedly dishonest agents and some of them do employ deceptive strategies. 

 

The Australian government allowed a large number of individuals to take advantage of the sc408 COVID visa. Individuals who were not genuine were granted unrestricted access to unlimited work rights and visas that were extended beyond their original terms. The government gathers a significant amount of information regarding the processing of visas, and they would have been able to anticipate what will occur once the SC408 COVID is completed. The majority of the applicants, which number over 200,000, will now submit an application for a student visa. Is there a possibility that the issue is present there?

 

The entire international education sector in Australia, along with all other countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom, awaited the conclusion of the COVID, and then followed that up with the completion of the sc408 Covid visa. Numerous individuals within the sector, including the government itself, invested a substantial amount of resources into the recruitment of students, only to be given yet another stop sign. 

 

Now, let us take a look at what the bad actors did, shall we?

The phrase “bad actors” is commonly used to refer to individuals who intentionally break the law or engage in other forms of misconduct. Did the education providers in Australia:

 

  • Break the federal law? In 99% No. 
  • Misled regarding how much the tuition would cost? In 99% No.  
  • Were they way non compliant? In 99% No. 
  • Did they do anything illegal? In 99% No. 
  • Are there some providers offering substandard service? Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean the whole VET model is the problem.
  • Admitting too many students to maximise profits at the expense of Australia and Australians, definitely no. All providers of international education have only limited number of seats for international students.

 

What exactly are the actions of the “bad actors” that can have such a negative impact on the industry? Let us break it down:

  1. Enrolling non bona fide students – possible, however it is the Immigration Department in the end to grant or refuse visa.
  2. Taking additional fees from students – possible, however all the providers must have an Offer letter in place clearly stating fees and charges. Every student must sign those and agree to the terms and conditions. And even then, international students can seek remedy through the provider or third parties.
  3. Promising courses that there are not on the scope – possibly, yet again, they need to get a COE clearly stating their course. And again, it is the Immigration Department deciding on the visa outcome. 
  4. Not delivering quality education – possibly, yet there is ASQA who is responsible for monitoring the training and delivery in the end.

 

Let’s have a look at education agents:

 

One of the most significant problems has been the use of recruiters and agents, who are able to employ high-pressure strategies and make statements that are misleading. This has happened in the past, so there is no question that it could indeed take place. There is no doubt that third parties located outside of Australia are considering schemes and offering visas to Australia for exorbitant fees. However, this is once again a matter of proper management of agents from within the government, which includes the implementation of regulations and the requirements for registration by the government.

 

What are the potential bad practices by education agents: 

 

  1. Enrolling to courses with no benefit or desired outcome to the student
  2. Enrolling to ELICOS courses for extended periods of time
  3. Charging exorbitant fees for services
  4. Withholding information, documents or taking payments upfront
  5. People smuggling
  6. Forced prostitution
  7. Drugs

 

The government has made the decision to clean up the “bad actors,” which has caused the entire international education industry to be in turmoil. Nevertheless, if we take into account the fact that this would constitute approximately one percent of the total of four thousand or more educational providers and approximately the same number of educational agents, we are looking at forty colleges or agents respectively. 

 

There is a widespread perception that “bad actors” are to blame for the housing crisis. These individuals are also being held accountable for a variety of distortions in the economy and in the educational system. In a nutshell, they are being accused of being greedy. 

 

What’s Next?

 

There is no doubt that the minister is acting in this manner at this time in preparation for an election. The regulations do not make any attempt to address housing problems or economic distortion. The visa reforms and the regulatory enforcement will probably only last until the next government is formed.

 

Until then, the impact on international education will be nothing but a mess. But there is still more to come. It has been marked as a “problem” by the government, and the general public believes that action needs to be taken in response to this. Things are going to change regardless of whether or not there is a new Prime Minister after the next election.

 

How to prepare for the new era of international education?

 

  • Operating costs will more likely increase 
  • The cost of running the business is going to jump
  • There will be extended waiting periods for new students, higher visa refusal rates (which means refunds and extra unpaid work). 
  • The cost of recruiting is going to jump, and you may have fewer students for the next several years.

 

  1. Now is the time to ensure that overhead and operating expenses are revised, including the staff headcount for the next few years. Identify areas where costs can be restrained and begin to look for opportunities to find savings. Part of that can be some strategic investments, for example in technology. Invest in a Student Management System (SMS) or Learning Management Systems (LMS) that gives you a truly global opportunity. 

 

  1. Investing in extra curricular resources and activities, such as starting students in pre-diploma course work, flying-start programs or language upskilling programs will help you protect yield, prepare students for studying/living in Australia can give a robust platform to work with students before they get on campus.

 

  1. Implement industry aligned training and certification. It is no longer sufficient that students in a marketing program can do a SWOT analysis. They need to be building a portfolio (hence LMS), they need to understand platforms like WordPress, Notion or Asana and learn how to use social media platforms. Creation of industry-focused micro-credentials at all levels of the program will be a win.

 

  1. Offer career outcomes together with industry develop partnerships with professional associations and credentialing bodies to develop and deliver content. Whether it’s business analysis, project management, accounting, or marketing, we need to tie the diplomas to outcomes and one of them has to be compliance with professional designations. That has often fallen by the wayside. Students are often unsure where they can go with a diploma and a diploma alone is not enough to cut through the sea of applicants. More industry-focused partnerships will be critical.

 

In my previous article, I discussed the Genuine Temporary Entrant / Genuine Student test, which is going to be an important factor to take into consideration when it comes to recruiting students.

 

How can we help?

Educli enhances the way in which educational institutions optimise and manage their operations, and we take great pride in being the foremost authorities on the procedures involved in student administration. At Educli, we are well aware of the fact that effective administration serves as the bedrock upon which any successfully operating educational environment is built. For this reason, we make available to educational leaders, administrators, and staff a wide range of tools, resources, and training programs within our organisation. 

 

Our goal is to make school administration more efficient, responsive, and student-centered through streamlining and improving existing processes. Our mission is to support educators in their pursuit of excellence in teaching and in fostering the development of future leaders and innovators by offering them solutions that are both powerful and easy to understand. 

 

Contact us for more information or get in touch with sales for a demo.

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