Page 13 - ELG1601 Oct Issue 440

October 2016 ELmarket report Page 5

Clouds on the horizon:
hat happens to a coun- must find a way to lobby and
try’s international improve this. Short of that, it is
Weducation market important for institutions to mar-
when harsher immigration poli- the perfect storm thesis ket themselves with an eye to
cies are introduced, its currency the outcome: how are graduates
gets stronger and at the same doing, are they finding jobs, who
time economic crises batter its is hiring them and where, etc.
source markets? The answer is If an institution can promote
that international student enrol- Melanie Butler asks Ben Waxman and Samuel Vetrak how political itself with facts and figures to
ments go down. back it up, then it is going to
This happened in the US changes in the UK might affect the ELT and higher education sectors draw the attention of interna-
after 9/11. After the economic tional students. Those who are
crisis that followed and the doing a poor job, with poor
introduction of Sevis, a sys- and higher education, and fac- will always sell well. visibility and no streamlined
tem that allowed the tracking tors that influence mobility in On the other hand, there is a process, are going to be hit very
of Muslim students, numbers the short term, most notably new wave of anti-immigrant sen- hard. So I guess my advice is,
plummeted in 2002 and didn’t the exchange rate, which is the timent from the US and the UK, get your act together and stay
pick up until 2005. most significant and immedi- and it is hard to predict where focused!
It was almost a ‘perfect storm’ ate. More in ELT than higher this is going. Will this pass? And for the ELT industry?
of factors that ‘compounded education, exchange rates Maybe it’s not going to have SV: It seems to me that the
each other’, as defined by a direct students to certain desti- a huge impact on the market, market is mature, but supply is
theory proposed in a 2007 study, nations. In ELT this year there but it shows a lack of perspec- at times not up to speed. First of
Foreign students coming to the was a massive increase in book- tive and understanding on what all, don’t lose track of the market
US: the impact of policy, proce- ings towards Canada instead of collaboration does to the world trends in order to adapt supply to
dures and economic competition the US, and last year it was Ire- – especially for academia. demand quickly and efficiently.
by Susan F. Martin, B. Lindsay land and Malta at the expense And for ELT? Second, invest in technology.
Lowell and Micah Bump of of the UK. SV: The market needs to Tools like automated booking
Georgetown University. In higher education quality is develop a better supply. They systems could save money and
Their research found that more important than price, so should invest in quality and time. Third – data, data, data. The
visa restrictions alone were academic programmes are more aim at a more diverse distribu- industry is under-documented.
not enough to explain the fall resistant to these changes – but tion – currently 78 per cent of More data needs to be available so
in student numbers, and that we still see a strong correlation. EXPERT VIEW Ben Waxman (left) from Intead and Samuel students in the UK come from schools can be more empowered,
perceptions were just as strong – In 2010 Australia experi- Vetrak from Student Marketing discuss the Brexit effect Europe, and this makes the for example, to follow market
when a strict immigration policy enced its own perfect storm. market vulnerable. With this trends or to go to banks and inves-
is introduced, the negative effect There was an increase in rac- UK, which is losing out due to BW: There is more com- healthy reaction, the industry tors and prove their value.
is felt also in markets that are ist attacks, a crackdown on the cost of education and now petition and more variety of can succeed. When it comes to Brexit, I am
not directly affected by it but dubious further education also due to its foreign policy programmes and products. What advice would you give not sure there is anything that
still perceive the host country as colleges and an increase in – this issue is coming forward Cheap and poorly delivered to British universities to pro- could help. Much more impor-
‘unwelcoming’. In the case of visa restrictions – and the Aus- also in the US. We conducted a services are going to falter tect themselves from problems tant than Brexit is the argument
Sevis, the most affected source tralian dollar was particularly survey with FPPEDUMEDIA in – especially now with social looming in the future? around net migration, both
countries were Brazil, China, strong. The market collapsed. March in which we asked stu- media, which is very quick to BW: Our research saw that a for international students and
Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. ELT fell by 37 per cent, even dents whether they were more kill you if you are not doing primary motivator for interna- high-skilled mobility. The argu-
People say the UK is expe- though it hadn’t been directly or less likely to study in the US well. Quality will always keep tional students is employability. ment needs to be supported by
riencing a perfect storm. We attacked as the more restric- depending on the result of the you strong, even in the storm. A Employment opportunity poli- numbers, facts and data, not by
asked two experts, Ben Waxman tive regulations affected elections. Some of us thought quality offer and right promotion cies are essential, so the industry emotional appeals. n
from Intead and Samuel Vetrak further education. Universi- international students wouldn’t
from Student Marketing. Their ties were hit a little further spend too much time follow-
responses give an insight into down the line. Do you think ing the election campaign, but
what is happening in the ELT the Australia example is typi- we were in for a surprise: 60
and higher education sectors cal? Could something similar per cent of students around the
and offer advice for braving the happen with Brexit? world said that they would be far
storm. BW: Yes, it is typical and not less inclined to study in the US
Is there such a thing as a uniquely Australian. A recent should Donald Trump be elected
perfect storm? Icef Monitor article reported president, and this figure rose
SV: Many factors contribute that Germany’s student enrol- to 80 per cent for Mexican stu-
to a difficult situation – a combi- ment is increasing from China dents. I guess there is a similar
nation of regulations, price and and India at the expense of the effect with Brexit.
economic circumstances. What SV: There is no consistent
is happening in ELT could research on the effects of Brexit
potentially be called a per- on ELT student enrolment yet,
fect storm, but I wouldn’t just anecdotal evidence. There
compare it to the situa- must be more time to measure
tion in 2001. We need to it, and summer is not the best
consider the stage of the time to do so as the target group
industry, a mature stage, is not available. In general, the
which brings chal- reaction of the industry seems to
lenges that contribute be mod-
to the storm. erate,
BW: As for ELT, not pan-
in higher educa- icky or
tion there is a more emotional,
mature industry which is
at this point com- very impor-
pared to 2005 tant. Time can
– a far larger actually play
population of for the UK as a
institutions in positive element
the market as it gives politi-
place strug- cians the time to see
gling and potential damage.
competing Both schools and
to recruit agents report confident
students. statements – with western
Aware- ness has Europe more confident than
grown and the economic situa- eastern Europe and Asia –
tion has improved, so travelling and this is good news for the
has increased. The challenges, ELT industry in the UK.
political and economic, are very It’s a different story for the UK
significant. For example, as oil as a higher education destina-
prices have dropped, enrolments tion. I would be more concerned
from countries like Nigeria and for this sector as one of the most
Venezuela have dropped. How- important factors for higher
ever, economic factors are more education mobility is employ-
isolated to specific countries that ability, which is more and more
are being hit hard than a global restricted in the UK. So, Brexit
phenomenon. and restricted employability
Which factors have an effect would favour Canada, Germany,
on students’ decisions? US and Australia at the expense
SV: There are factors that CLEAR MESSAGE A word of the UK.
influence student mobil- cloud showing the most What is the biggest chal-
ity in the long term, such as common terms used by Ben lenge for the higher education
exchanges during high school and Samuel in their interview sector?

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