News and Opportunities
Austrade update 22 February 2012
25 Jan 2012
Austrade Update provides news about recent Austrade activities of interest to the education sector.
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Australian presence at OCSC Expo
Thailand’s Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) recently held the 8th OCSC International Education Expo on 21–22 January at Siam Paragon in the capital Bangkok.
The event, postponed in October 2011 because of heavy flooding in Bangkok, welcomed nearly 30 000 visitors and 271 participating institutions from Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, European Union, China, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. There were 35 education institutions from Australia — 22 universities, seven vocational institutions, four English schools, and two primary and secondary schools.
Australia’s Future Unlimited education brand was promoted to hundreds of students and parents during the event through the Australian education ‘fast facts’ handouts and Endeavour Award scholarship flyers at Austrade’s booth, and during a seminar co-delivered by Austrade and Australian Education International staff titled ‘Why study in Australia’.
The expo has become an important annual meeting ground during the past seven years for school, university students and working individuals, especially scholarship hunters. The event aims to provide accurate and first-hand information for Thai students who are interested in studying abroad, and to facilitate Royal Thai Government Scholars by finding the most appropriate university placement.
Mr Mark Wood, Trade Commissioner, Australian Embassy, Bangkok, attended the opening ceremony, and met with most of the Australian representatives to exchange ideas and feedback about further developing Australian education in the Thai market.
The next expo has not yet been scheduled. For clients interested in joining, Austrade Bangkok is happy to provide details once they are available.
For more information, please contact Ms Pattarin Wirojchoochut, Education Manager, Austrade Bangkok.
The Australian Education Institution Zone captures the interest of students during the OCSC Expo.
Austrade runs Education Agent Workshop in Quito, Ecuador
Austrade ran a highly successful Education Agent Workshop in Quito, Ecuador, on 3 February 2012, which included briefings on the Future Unlimited Education brand and the Knight Student Visa Review, analysis of the latest international student statistics and Ecuadorian market trends, as well as a special focus on the strengths and capabilities of the Australian international education sector.
Currently there is only one education agency with Qualified Education Agent Counsellors (QEACs) in Ecuador, but other agents who participated in the workshop and who successfully promote other destination countries, are starting to become more interested in working with Australia. This workshop helped raise their awareness and interest in the Australian education sector and the benefits it can offer to Ecuadorian students.
The 12 agents who attended provided very useful feedback and discussions during the event and the Future Unlimited brand was very well received. An online survey will be distributed to agents during the first months of 2012 and results will be collated and communicated to Australian education and training institutions through Global Education News.
The Education Agent Workshop is part of Austrade’s education agent engagement strategy, and was presented by Education Commissioner in Latin America, Sofia Pereira, and Education Manager for Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela, Cecilia Bouroncle.
See a copy of the Education Agent Workshop program (in Spanish).
See part one of the presentation (in Spanish).
See part two of the presentation (in Spanish).
Similar events will be run by Austrade’s Latin America education team in Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Colombia during the first semester of 2012.
Pakistan Dawn Education Expo 2012
Austrade recently participated in the recent Dawn Expo, a six-day education event held in the cities of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The Dawn Education Expo is the country’s largest exhibition, and this year hosted more than 130 leading foreign and local universities, colleges and higher education institutions.
In conjunction with an Austrade stand, 15 Australian institutions had a presence at the expo, which also included representation of Ausaid for the ADS scholarships and Australian Education International for the Australian Endeavour Awards.
Pakistan is a growing market for foreign education providers, and it was noted that there was strong interest in, and awareness of, Australia as a destination for quality education.
Attendees to the Dawn Expo noted that Australia was attractive for a number of reasons:
- strong economic growth and high standard of living
- low unemployment in comparison to other developed countries
- a multicultural society with respect for all religions
- the welcoming attitude of Australian people
- safety and security.
Pakistan has a large network of Australian alumni occupying key positions in government and business, so there is a strong awareness and affinity for Australia as a country and as an education provider.