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• Understanding Indonesia’s education market

  Every year, more and more Indonesian students look to further their studies overseas. There is an awareness of the need for a better quality of education and the current circumstance in Indonesia is that facilities and quality education are somewhat still below expectations, especially when compared to abroad. International schools based in Indonesia also take a part of the increasing number of Indonesian students looking for an international education. After finishing at these high schools with an “overseas” qualification, these students usually opt to pursue their tertiary study abroad.

  With the number of Indonesian students choosing to go abroad increasing each year, why has New Zealand not truly benefited? It is simply because of the lack of information about New Zealand and the perception that New Zealand is a very quiet country with more sheep than people. We in Indonesia seldom see advertisements about New Zealand or the institutions while other countries have put lots of effort in branding their country and their institutions consistently. People are all the same. We tend to remember products that have a strong branding.  So, if you want people to always remember your product, you need to keep reminding people by persistently branding your product to the market.

  At first, I had the same perception of New Zealand being quiet too. Joining the May 2013 trip was my very first time to see New Zealand. I was so excited.

  I got a chance to visit representative institutions in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. In the South Island, my first destination was Christchurch where I found lots of major work to rebuild and renovate its buildings.

  The first day touching down in Auckland, and seeing the city itself, changed my perception. Auckland is not as crowded as in my country, Indonesia, of course. But it is not as quiet as what I thought! The city has everything that a student needs - shops, cafes, restaurants, flats, shopping centres and even the education institutions are all within walking distance.

  New Zealand is such a perfect place to study. You have everything in town, people are so nice and friendly, and it’s very safe. I don’t need to worry about pick-pockets or drunken people when walking with my female friends back to hotel at night.

  After seeing these cities, and visiting various institutions, I also found that New Zealand has a great education system. Students are taught in a very practical way, both, in high schools and tertiary institutions. And this is what New Zealand needs to show. You need to educate the Indonesian market about this and change the perception of New Zealand.

  Indonesian families are unique. They have a strong family relationship. Their children’s study destination is also influenced by their relatives and friends. Parents feel more comfortable about letting their children study in a country where they have relatives or friends staying. Most of the time, the experience and opinions from their relatives play a great part in their decision. Apart from that, Indonesian parents will usually send their children overseas after they graduate from high school. They believe at this stage their children are mature enough and can take a good care of themselves overseas. Therefore, tertiary education is more attractive to the Indonesian market.

  Recently, the postgraduate market for Indonesian students has also been growing significantly. For postgraduate students, study duration, value for money and the opportunity for job placement are the key areas they are usually looking at. Little do they know that New Zealand offers a postgraduate job search visa and the opportunity to work and stay in New Zealand after they graduate.

  So, by understanding Indonesian market better, I believe institutions can plan a better strategy for their marketing activities. Together we can promote New Zealand as one of the top destinations for Indonesian students to consider as a study destination.

  Key points:

  • New Zealand has a low profile in Indonesia

  • To change this we need persistent and consistent marketing in Indonesia

  • The Indonesian market is primarily a tertiary education market, but there are opportunities for other sectors

  • The postgraduate market is growing significantly.

  SUN Education describes itself as the “most complete” International Educational Consultancy firm in Indonesia, providing the largest selection of quality education and country destination under one roof with its main focus being Australia, Singapore, UK, USA, Malaysia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Canada. Suwarni has more than eight years of student recruitment activity and currently works with 10 countries including New Zealand.

  Suwarni Puspita, Branch Manager, Mal Ciputra, with Indonesia’s SUN Education Group recently took part in a visit to New Zealand with other education agents from Indonesia. She offers some impressions of the opportunities and challenges for New Zealand institution, and in particular tertiary institutions, in Indonesia.

• Strategic famils identify opportunities

  “New Zealand is a great environment for study. Not too crowded, not too quiet, just right”. That’s the view of an Indonesian agent who recently attended one of ENZ’s familiarisation tours. 

  In May and June Education New Zealand (ENZ) hosted four inbound agent visits with a view to increasing the number of international students recruited to New Zealand by agents.

  Thirty-seven agents from five countries visited 33 campuses and schools around New Zealand.

  Kaye Le Gros, ENZ’s Channel Development Manager with responsibility for agents, says the familiarisation tours and strategic visits had three objectives.

  “We wanted to build agent relationships and awareness of agent barriers within government agencies and institutions; we wanted to collect base data on individual agents’ student numbers and their opinion on barriers to growth; and we wanted to showcase successful alumni, New Zealand employers recruiting international staff and possible employment outcomes for international students.”

  “The familiarisation and strategic tours were very successful in that respect, but they’ve also left us all with some food for thought. We collated the feedback that was collected during the visits so you can read about the issues raised by other agents, and the way ENZ is responding or intends to respond to certain issues in line with our strategic plans.”

  Download a copy of the summary report

• Hearing students’ voices

  This year five alumni will be joining 20 international students to share their experiences with each other, ENZ and NZ Inc. Participants will be selected from nominations submitted by institutions, and ENZ will send out the nomination criteria and submission form at the end of August.

  Student Voice will provide students and alumni with a platform from which they can share their ideas and air their concerns and an opportunity to take part in the development of an alumni strategy. It is hoped that participation in the event will inspire students to establish their own forums within their student communities.

  The objectives of the event from an ENZ perspective are: to gain a student perspective on the alumni strategy ideas; facilitate communication between the students and NZ Inc agencies; and facilitate connection between alumni and industry, and current international students.

  The outcomes from the Student Voice event will be shared with industry at the New Zealand International Education Conference (NZIEC) at the Student Voice 2013 panel session. Three students and one alumnus will be selected at Student Voice to participate in the conference panel. 

• Cultivating Intercultural Capability

  Intercultural capability was identified by the sector as a need to support growth in international education, and the University of Otago, with the support of Education New Zealand (ENZ) and Otago Polytechnic, invited experienced practitioner Taruni Falconer of Intercultural Dynamics Pty to develop and deliver a programme.

  The programme comprised two workshops – one for graduating international students looking to improve their understanding of New Zealand culture with a view to enhancing their social lives and job prospects in New Zealand; and the other was for teachers and staff involved in international education at the tertiary and school level in Dunedin.

  The workshops were well-received and considered to be of real value. Participants in the teachers’ workshop said they found the session “practical, down to earth and highly relevant” and appreciated how simply the ideas could be implemented. The workshop highlighted the importance of cultural self-awareness, with one participant commenting, “We focus so much on analysing and understanding the culture of our students, but often in isolation to the impact our own culture brings to the interaction.”

  Taruni explains her methodology – called Cultural Detective approach – in this way; “When it comes to cultural competence, there are some big gaps between knowing about, knowing how to, and actually developing and applying the skills to manage ourselves in real situations. One of the consistent comments I hear from clients is that, through the workshops and coaching, they develop ‘muscle memory’ to respond to real situations in their work and in life. So, it’s about translating knowledge into behaviour and acquiring the habits that make us good at it. We benefit and so do our organisations and the people we serve.”

  ENZ was pleased to co-fund this workshop as an initial pilot and is considering running further workshops of this nature as part of its professional development seminar programme.

  If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Adele Bryant at adele.bryant@enz.govt.nz or on 04 830 0810.

• Introducing Lisa Futschek

  Lisa joined ENZ on secondment from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in August, and has been acting in this role since then.

  “Lisa quickly became a very credible candidate for the permanent position, and we’re thrilled with her appointment. ENZ has already benefited from her considerable skill and experience, demonstrated in her involvement in the Minister Joyce visit to Japan and Korea in September and ENZ Chair Charles Finny’s recent delegation to Latin America,” remarked Peter Bull, ENZ’s General Manager, International.

  An 18 year career with MFAT saw Lisa in roles as varied as that of specialist in multilateral negotiations (trade, environment, United Nations issues); campaign manager for Sir Kenneth Keith’s International Court of Justice candidacy; and the Ministry’s Strategic Policy Adviser.

  Lisa recently returned from being Deputy Head of Mission at the New Zealand Embassy in Berlin, and was previously posted to Santiago, Chile. Prior to MFAT, Lisa cut her teeth on New Zealand politics with four years working for Parliamentary Services.

  Graduating from of the University of Otago with First Class Honours degrees in English and Music, Lisa went on to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Communications at the University of Auckland.

  Lisa is the mother of two primary school aged children.

  “I am delighted to have joined ENZ at an exciting time for the sector.  I look forward to putting my full energies into supporting the industry to grow the international education business in my key markets of focus,” says Lisa.

• Data and trends released

  Follow this link to read a copy of the full report and download the by sector infographics.

  Overall, the data shows 84,150 international students enrolled with New Zealand schools and tertiary providers as at 31 August 2013. This is a 3% decline (approximately 2,400 students) when compared with the same period in 2012.

  The decline can be attributed to two key factors: a decline in students from Korea, and in the private training English language sector.

  The Government is working to address these factors, with recent announcements to extend full-time work rights for international students. ENZ is supporting the New Zealand Qualifications Authority in this work on the formal recognition of New Zealand qualifications, specifically the NCEAs, with South Korean education agencies.

  Key highlights of the report include:

  • Institutes of technology (ITP) and universities experienced growth of 4% in international students.

  • Secondary schools also experienced growth of 2%. Secondary schools in Wellington and Canterbury experienced the strongest growth of 12% and 8% respectively.

  • Demand for STEM courses continue to increase in line with global trends. STEM enrolments increased 6% in universities and 9% in ITPs.

  • Post graduate enrolments continued to trend upward. Masters-level enrolments grew by 17% and PhDs by 7% in the university sector.

  • The Canterbury region experienced strong growth of 6%. Canterbury universities, private training establishments (PTEs) and secondary schools showed signs of recovery, with an increase of 4% at universities, 14% at PTEs, and 8% at secondary schools. The primary school sector and ITP sector experienced a decline of 22% and 2% respectively.

• Successful round of roadmap workshops

  The workshops were an important first step in the development of the Roadmaps, but they are just the beginning of the process. The workshops were rich with robust discussion and innovative thinking. Participants provided plenty of great ideas about the future direction and growth of the international education industry. The workshops were not only about tossing around good ideas though, they focused on identifying aspirations and desired outcomes and identifying clear actionable steps to take us forward.

  On the subject of roadmaps, Education New Zealand (ENZ) is delighted to announce the appointment of Greg Scott and Tim Mahren Brown to the Project Manager roles for the school sector and English Language sector respectively.  We will keep you informed of further appointments as they are confirmed.

  Introducing Greg Scott

  

  Greg Scott has considerable experience in the school sector – as a teacher, a finance manager, and most recently as the Director of Middleton Grange International College, a position he has held since 2008. Prior to that role, Greg was Education Sector Manager at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. Greg is also a Chartered Accountant and spent ten years lecturing and in management roles at the Christchurch College of Education.

  “With his huge range of skills and experience Greg ticks all the boxes for what is required in this key role. He is well-respected member of the school community, and we are excited about the expertise he will bring to the task at hand. I know that his contribution to the project will match the significance of the project itself,” says General Manager Business Development Clive Jones.

  Greg is looking forward making a difference, and comments; "I am very pleased to be able to contribute to this vital project for the future of international education within the school sector. It is essential that the sector is listened to and well-represented throughout the process and my intention is to do just that.”

  Greg begins his role on 2 December and will be based in Christchurch.

  Introducing Tim Mahren Brown

  

  Tim Mahren Brown is CEO and Director at The Campbell Institute, which has campuses in both Wellington and Auckland. Tim and two other directors founded The Campbell Institute 11 years ago and it is now Wellington’s largest English Language School. The Institute is Preferred Partner to Victoria University of Wellington, is an accredited Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) centre, and a member of English New Zealand.

  Tim has been a Board member and Deputy Chair of Education Wellington since 2003, and is a strong proponent of cooperative marketing, lobbying and collegiality. Based in Wellington, Tim has substantial experience liaising with the education sector’s governing bodies and political decision makers.

  “Tim is a highly-skilled English Language provider whose energy and enthusiasm, coupled with his extensive networks mean he will be a great asset to this sector’s roadmap development. I am very pleased that this hugely important sector has someone of Tim’s calibre to guide them (lead them?) in this process,” says Clive Jones.

  Tim is keen to make sure the English Language sector is strongly engaged and involved in in the roadmap development and says; “It’s great to have this opportunity to get out into the industry and share ideas with like-minded people, and to consider proactively how we see ourselves and our English Language sector shaping up over the next 10-12 years. There has never been a better time to have a voice, and I feel strongly about making sure that collective voice amounts to something significant."

• New Zealand universities feature in Chinese TV series

  All About Going Abroad is a television series that introduces overseas university education to its international audience. The series covers aspects of student and academic life, including learning facilities, social and sporting activities, key programmes and city life. Four to five episodes will be produced as a result of the crew’s visit to New Zealand. 

  The opportunity was facilitated by Education New Zealand’s China team and offered to all New Zealand universities, with the University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, Massey University and Victoria University of Wellington deciding to get involved. 

  Alex Grace, ENZ’s Regional Director for Greater China, says the series is a great way to raise New Zealand’s profile with a large audience.

  “China is New Zealand’s leading source country for international students but, despite this, New Zealand is still quite poorly understood as an education destination. We’re delighted our institutions were able to take up this opportunity to introduce themselves and their offering in much greater depth.”

  International Channel Shanghai has a global audience of 9 million. The New Zealand-focused series is due to be broadcast in October.

• Erasmus+ update - European partnership opportunities

  In a December 2013 edition of International Education News, we outlined changes to the European Commission’s education funding programme. The new programme Erasmus+ started on 1 January 2014 and will run until 2020 - the budget for the seven-year programme is EUR14.7 billion, a 40% increase on current spending. It has two categories for participation: ‘programme countries’, who are member states of the EU and other specified European countries, and ‘partner countries’, which is all others including New Zealand.

  The key point of interest for New Zealand is that Erasmus+ will fund international credit mobility exchanges (learner and staff exchanges) between European and New Zealand higher education institutions, without the need for co-funding. Approximately EUR 1.68 billion will be available to fund mobility with non-EU countries.  Applications are made by the European institution to their national agency – see below. 

  The deadline for this programme has been moved back, following some implementation delays, giving more time for New Zealand institutions to build or reinvigorate existing partnerships.  Applications are expected to be invited in September 2014. Funding is allocated to European national agencies, depending on factors such as population and previous uptake of student mobility funding, which means some key European markets for New Zealand will have the largest budgets: Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland and the UK.  

  New Zealand higher education institutions can participate in four parts of the Erasmus+ programme. Mobility programmes open later this year: 

  • International credit mobility - which will support 135,000 learner and staff exchanges between European and partner countries (within partnerships with a European institution)  – call for applications by European institutions is expected in September 2014 (closing in early 2015), and every year after.

  These programmes have closed for 2014, but might offer opportunities in following years:

  • Jean Monnet activities - which aim to stimulate teaching, research and reflection in EU studies worldwide – this is the only programme which New Zealand institutions can apply to directly, rather than via a partnership with a European institution.

  • Joint Masters degrees - developed with European institutions, open to institutions and students from anywhere in the world

  • Strategic partnerships and knowledge alliances - non-European institutions can participate if they can demonstrate added value for Europe.

  For more information, talk to your EU higher education partners, or contact Shelley Robertson (Brussels) or Ute Haug (Berlin) for help developing new relationships. 

• ENZ to increase investment in South East Asia

  General Manager International Peter Bull says New Zealand’s historic ties with the ASEAN region leave New Zealand well placed to grow and deepen its education activities as its nations develop and prosper at rapid pace. 
  “Recent fairs, events and several other business development initiatives in South East Asia have been very successful, with many leads for New Zealand’s institutions and business in progress. We want to build on this momentum by investing in more highly skilled and capable locally-based employees to support the fantastic team there already.”

  Previously managed as two regions by South Asia Regional Director Ziena Jalil and South East Asia Regional Director Izak Human, the new regional structure will take effect from 30 June and be led by Ziena Jalil, based in Delhi.

  Izak Human, who is based in Kuala Lumpur, will assist with the transition until September 30.  All the staff in ENZ’s offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City will remain in their current positions.

  “I thank both Regional Directors for their significant contributions to our industry to date. Izak has supported, advised and helped to develop New Zealand’s international education activity in South East Asia for the last four years, and Ziena has played a major role in turning New Zealand’s second largest source of students, India, into our fastest growing market.”

  “I look forward to the opportunities ahead for ENZ’s newest region, but I also ask for your patience and support during this time of transition.”

  The location and role descriptions for the new South East Asia positions are still being determined and further updates will be provided in future issues of International Education News.