Higher education needs to entice overseas students

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Created on Wednesday, 18 July 2012 13:59

Written by Editorial staff

Greater emphasis needs to be placed on the quality of higher education services in Australia if the country is going to compete with other developed nations, experts have warned.

Although Australia offers an enticing mix of a great climate and lifestyle, these are not factors that appeal to students in search of a quality education.

Belinda Howell, general manager of sales and marketing at UTS:Insearch, told the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) that Chinese students in particular are much more "goal-oriented".

"The first question they ask agents is what is a good career for my child. Then it's what course do they have to do to get that career. And then, how much money will they earn and will they get a job," she explained.

It is therefore more important to articulate Australia's merits based on these factors, "not in terms of surf and sand", Ms Howell emphasised.

The shift that has taken place over recent years may also have a bearing on migration patterns, as identified by David Finegold, senior vice-president for Lifelong Learning and Strategic Growth at Rutgers University.

He suggested that many people used to come to study in Australia with the intention of applying for a permanent residency visa  - but this is no longer the case.

"Now, the vast majority of students are looking to work for a few years and gain really good experience but they recognise that many of the best growth opportunities will be when they go back," observed Professor Finegold.

Students are now in search of powerful CVs that will help differentiate themselves from competition in the workplace, which demonstrates the need for Australia to offer quality education.

According to the SMH, total overseas student numbers have declined by 22 per cent since their peak in 2008-09, despite the fact that the amount of students leaving China is growing 20 per cent annually.

Figures from Australian Education International show that in the 12 months to May, there were 378,535 enrolments by international students paying full fees in Australia on student visas.

Chinese students represented the highest proportion (29.9 per cent) of nationalities coming to Australia to study, followed by India (10.8 per cent) and the Republic of Korea (5.3 per cent).

Malaysia and Vietnam made up the rest of the top five, although there has been a significant rise in the number of people originating from Pakistan and the Philippines.

 

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