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  • Feedback from education agents opens up conversation on how ENZ can better support them

    Over half (57 per cent) of those surveyed are members of the ENZ Recognised Agency (ENZRA) programme.

    The survey, a cross-team ENZ initiative, was a useful opportunity to open up a conversation with agents and to continue to support them while borders remain closed.

    Over 40 per cent of agents surveyed said that that 75 to 100 per cent of their business activities had changed or reduced due to the pandemic. Agents also reported experiencing a reduction of staff, closed branches and transitioning to fully remote operations.

    ENZ-supported webinars, online and hybrid events were most valuable to agents, followed closely by digital collateral and marketing material, support for student-facing activities, B2B events with education providers and training.

    On training needs, 60 per cent of agents surveyed said that they would like to receive training on student visa application processes, 50 per cent were keen on hearing about New Zealand education providers and their offering, while 40 per cent were keen for more professional development training.

    Videos, templates (including banners and PowerPoint presentations), student testimonials and brochures were reported to be the marketing tools that agents find most useful.

    ENZ’s Manager – Education Agents, Geneviève Rousseau Cung, says the survey is a key component of ENZ’s agent engagement plan as part of the Government’s Recovery Plan for International Education.

    “Insights from the survey will allow ENZ to develop activities, tailored communications and training initiatives that are best aligned with agent needs, which in turn, will also inform and result in better outcomes for education providers.

    “Seeing how the agent engagement plan is linked closely to the longer-term recovery of international education, it is crucial that we check in with our agents on a regular basis,” Geneviève says.

    The current plan has three areas of focus – supporting the ENZ Recognised Agencies Activity Fund in New Zealand and offshore with marketing initiatives, driving the agent engagement plan through a range of initiatives, and ongoing recognition of the role of education agents.

    For enquiries:

    Keep an eye out for the full results from the Agent Survey in the next issue of ENZ’s The Insight Story, due out in early May.

  • What do Kiwis think about international education?

    Our sector’s successful future requires the public and other stakeholders to know about, and value, international education.

    ENZ Director Student Experience & Global Citizens, Sahinde Pala, says the research shows us international education is not front of mind for most New Zealanders.

    “However, when the benefits of international education were explained to the research participants, most were really onboard. They were also surprised they hadn’t heard it being talked about publicly and in the media.”

    Participants responded extremely positively to the fact international students spend in their community, including to help create jobs across many sectors.

    Sahinde says the research showed it is vital that communications broaden the conversation. This means sharing stories about the rich full breadth of other international education benefits New Zealanders care about now including, global citizenship, cultural diversity, tourism, and the fact education is a way to share our innovative ways of thinking, learning and living to benefit the world.

    Great fresh insights into how to communicate with Kiwis

    Sahinde notes this research gives us the first understanding of the ‘profiles’ of New Zealanders regarding international education – promoters, passives and detractors – and how to share communications that will increase public support.

    Encouragingly, half of the NZ population are in the promoter group, with a further 47% in the passive group, and only 3% in the detractor group.

    “The greatest social licence gains can be made through the ‘promoter’ group which makes up half of Kiwis. These people either know about international education or they fit a profile of having experiences or attributes that mean they are interested in New Zealand’s place in the world and cultural connectivity. The really great news is promoters will talk to others about international education if they hear it being discussed, and in a way that is meaningful to them.

    “This is the task for all of us across the international education system,” she says.

    The research also shows that two-thirds of New Zealanders are supportive of students coming into the country in 2021. “This is helpful to understand as we want to ensure those who have stayed and those who come this year receive the manaakitanga Think New promises them,” Sahinde says.

    Putting the research findings to work and next steps

    Using the insights from this research, ENZ is developing a communications toolkit, including ‘right fit’ messaging, for those in the international education system to use in their own public and stakeholder communications. This is scheduled for release in May.

    The toolkit will sit alongside this research, and ENZ’s new regular The Insight Story publication, which provides international education data and insight, as social licence tools to help increase awareness and support for international education.

    ENZ is also increasing its own communications to help increase awareness of what international education is, where it is going under the Recovery Plan and NZIES and ultimately, how it benefits students, New Zealand and our global relationships.

    ENZ will continue research to understand perceptions and support for international education, including to look at ways of getting real time insights into public sentiment and support.

    Read all about it! 

    The report is now on IntelliLab​. 

  • Advice for international education staff navigating counselling for their students

    Due to issues that have been raised with ENZ, we thought it would be a good idea to clarify that any student who needs support should reach out to the services available. INZ advises that accessing counselling is unlikely to be an immigration issue.

    The past year of the pandemic has put a huge amount of stress and strain onto everyone, including international students.

    It is more important than ever that international students access support services such as counselling if they need to.

    Immigration New Zealand (INZ) supports ENZ in this important message – students should seek out counselling when they need it.

    When applying for a new visa, students do have to declare details of ongoing healthcare they require – including what the treatment is, what it is for, the degree of treatment and how their condition is being managed.

    A student does not need to declare that they have had counselling as part of their visa application unless they have significant mental health issues that require hospital care.  

    “In recent weeks, we’ve heard from members of the sector that some international students are shying away from seeking support because they’re afraid it’ll affect their current or future visas,” ENZ Director – Student Experience & Global Citizens, Sahinde Pala, said.

    “The past 12 months has been an incredibly challenging period for everyone. Students out there feeling stressed or missing their loved ones at home should know that they are not alone.”

  • New Memorandum of Arrangement connects the future global citizens of NZ and Viet Nam

    This MoA commits the partner schools to further collaboration on the teaching of global citizenship, a subject that students usually learn outside of the classroom. It includes skills like dealing with unfamiliar cultural situations and thinking about issues on a world scale.

    “We’re very pleased to see that schools in both New Zealand and Viet Nam saw the value of global citizenship through this initiative,” ENZ Regional Director – Asia, Ben Burrowes, said.

    “Global citizenship is Goal 3 of the New Zealand International Education Strategy 2018. While international travel remains limited, we see programmes like this as hugely beneficial for students – as well as for education providers, who are able to form new partnerships.”

    The original AFS New Zealand Global Competence Certificate programme saw CEDA and Palmerston North City Council offer scholarships for up to 25 Manawatū students, and ENZ fund the same number of students to participate in Viet Nam.

    Students from both countries joined weekly virtual workshops facilitated by Massey University focused on developing the students’ lifelong global ‘power skills’ and providing them with an opportunity to interact and connect directly with their overseas student counterparts.

    ENZ is currently exploring how we can deliver the AFS New Zealand Global Competence Certificate in other markets, such as India, Thailand and Japan.

  • From the CE: Building Back Better: How we’re balancing our efforts on the road to recovery

    The current COVID-19 surges are a reminder that we face a long road to recovery and rebuild of the international education sector, a point highlighted during ENZ’s recent appearance at the New Zealand Parliamentary select committee.

    ENZ remains strongly focused on the goals of the New Zealand International Strategy 2018-2030: sustainable growth, an excellent education and student experience, and increased global citizenship for New Zealand students. It is important that we rebuild with those goals front of mind.

    At ENZ, we are fully committed to supporting other agencies and the sector in progressing the re-entry of students. ENZ staff have been seconded to other government agencies here and overseas to support these initial steps towards the recovery.

    We have been increasingly asked about the place of ‘transformation’ within our recovery. The simple answer is it complements and reinforces our ability to attract students to New Zealand in the future.

    This work enables us to connect with education partners and students that we otherwise wouldn’t reach. The work is about growing the pie for all the international education sector and for New Zealand, rather than competing with existing efforts.

    Through this work we will collectively be more competitive in attracting students as student mobility opportunities emerge, and in anticipating the accelerating changes in the delivery of and learner engagement with education globally.

    Although each part of the Government’s Recovery Plan may progress in different ways at different times, we are committed to progressing them collectively and for the benefit of our sector as a whole.

    Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi

    With your food-basket, and my food-basket, the people will be well.

    Ngā mihi,            

    Grant McPherson

    Chief Executive Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao

  • Pathway Programme forging valuable connections with Capital students

    The 2020 pilot programme saw graduate alumni working in the Greater Wellington region connect with tertiary students focused on pathways to employment. The 2021 programme now connects secondary students interested in further study with international tertiary students.

    These tertiary students are trained in the fundamentals of mentoring leadership and active listening. They can offer valuable insights into tertiary life to help secondary students make informed choices.

    Through catch ups, students will be able to share their journey including challenges, hints and tips, and a realistic view on transitioning into tertiary education. The connection can be online or face-to-face.

     WellingtonNZ International Education Specialist Sarah Grant is excited to launch the Pathways Connect Programme and wants to see more secondary students take up the opportunity within the Greater Wellington region.

    She says the programme recently had its first match and both mentor and mentee found it to be a rewarding experience.

    “They were able to communicate freely and discussed studying tips for tertiary education, what it was like to study and how a tertiary education differed to secondary.”

    Sarah says the programme has a great cohort of mentors waiting to meet and offer advice to students.

    Keen to know more? Get in touch with sarah.grant@wellingtonnz.com and check out the website.

  • Masterclass opportunity in Japan

    Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education will be hosting a virtual study abroad event on 23 of September, connecting secondary school students in Tokyo and beyond with tertiary institutions from Australia and New Zealand.

    This half-day event will feature lectures in an interactive format so providers can engage with Japanese students. Selected tertiary institutions will also have an opportunity to work with the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education to produce additional content introducing their institutions and programmes to prospective international students. 

    Recordings will be made for the virtual study abroad event and will be shared on the Tokyo English Channel website which will launch in June 2021.

    “This is a great opportunity for Education New Zealand and New Zealand tertiary providers to work with the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education to co-develop educational materials for the Japanese secondary school students. The content produced for the event will also be shared at future promotional events hosted by Education New Zealand and the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo.” ENZ Director of Education – Japan, Misa Kitaoka, says.

    Director at the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, Yuki Sato, looks forward to receiving proposals from the New Zealand providers.

    “We are excited to work with New Zealand tertiary institutions to showcase the virtual study abroad event offering Tokyo secondary school students an opportunity to connect with the world and enhance their communication skills in English. Students can expect of learn new ways of thinking from the lecturers and interact with other participants from around the world, including New Zealand.”   

    Education New Zealand signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education in 2017 to promote education exchange and cooperation between Tokyo and New Zealand. Since then, a range of projects have been initiated between the two parties including the co-development of online education material for intermediate English learners through the Tokyo Global Studio.

    For further details on the opportunity, please download the proposal by the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education. Expression of interest is due on 25 of May and the selected provides will be contacted by Education New Zealand by the 31 of May.  

  • Indian Academic Masterclasses showcase a different side of New Zealand

    Each masterclass invites academics and experts in their field to talk on an unusual theme within education, and how New Zealand has a strength in it.

    “The academic masterclass series is a programme we’ve done for many years. We’ve had great success boosting the profile of Kiwi academics in India, and showcasing the breadth and depth of New Zealand research,” ENZ Country Manager – India, Jugnu Roy, says.

    “This year, we’re very happy to be exploring areas of research to ensure the reputation of New Zealand researchers remains high in India while international travel remains limited.”

    International education professionals in New Zealand and other stakeholders are welcome to attend at https://www.instagram.com/ttt_official - you can access this link on your computer, or search Terribly Tiny Tales on your mobile Instagram app.

    The series was recently paused due to the COVID-19 situation in India. There are two sessions remaining for May and June.

    Theme III: Careers in Climate Change 

    • 22 May: Masterclass with Professor Rosalind Archer (University of Auckland) and Associate Prof. Anita Wreford, Lincoln University.

     

    Theme IV: Fashion and the Future: What it means to design for this decade 

    • 29 May: Instagram takeover with Sue Prescott (Massey University) and Hannah Goldblatt (Victoria University of Wellington).
    • 5 June: Masterclass with Sue Prescott (Massey University) and Hannah Goldblatt (Victoria University of Wellington).

    You can also watch Theme I: Investing Your Interest: Why should you pursue a career in Finance on the Terribly Tiny Tales Instagram profile.

  • Around the world in five

    New Zealand

    NZ public positive on overseas student benefits and return

    The report was commissioned by Education New Zealand  to gauge public opinion in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, and was conducted by research company TRA, based on a survey of 560 people as well as qualitative co-creation sessions.

    Read more

     

    United States

    US begins processing student visas for Chinese students

    Visa processing for Chinese students would resume this month, with plans to handle 2,000 applications a day by mid-May.

    Read more

     

    Canada

    International grad stream reaches 40,000 limit in one day

    Canada’s new pathway to residency for international graduates has reached its 40,000 application limit, just over one day after going live.

    Read more

     

    Global

    Survey confirms that vaccination rollouts are influencing student choice

    New QS global research indicates that the introduction of COVID vaccines is strengthening prospective international students’ resolve to study abroad, and that many students now want to begin their studies sooner than they had planned because of vaccine availability.

    Read more

     

    Latin America

    If you are from a university, join the virtual THE Latin America Universities Summit 2021 free of charge to examine how the higher education sector across the region can develop strategies to build capacity, adapt to digitisation, increase strategic impact and improve public appreciation of universities’ role in progressing society as we look towards a new era post-pandemic. 

    Hosted in partnership with the University of São Paulo, this online summit will bring together leaders from across the region and their institutional partners around the world to set the agenda for the future of higher education in Latin America.

  • ENZ-Enroller partnership looks to maintain capability of schools to host international students

    ENZ is subsidising the cost of Enroller’s digital platform for schools for the remainder of 2021 and 2022. The funding will start with secondary schools.

    “ENZ is aware that international student departments at schools are busier than ever, managing the increased pastoral care needs of students still in New Zealand,” ENZ General Manager – Partnerships & Marketing, Paul Irwin, says.

    A report released by Edified in March showed that international recruitment and marketing in schools is in a state of flux. Due to a lack of travel, schools are relying more than ever on digital marketing – however, support and guidance is needed to support international departments to make the transition to digital.

    “Our aim is to support more schools to continue digital marketing, managing enquiries and applications quickly and easily. This partnership will also help ensure that the schools sector is prepared for when international students return to New Zealand,” Irwin says.

    ENZ and New Zealand company Enroller have worked together before on a research project that was completed in 2019.

    That research indicated Enroller was incredibly useful to both schools and agents. 90 per cent of schools who participated said it was a more efficient way of processing student enrolments, saving them between two and three hours’ of work per student enrolment. Of the education agencies surveyed nearly 70 per cent said that Enroller made it easier to submit and manage applications to NZ schools.

    The next step of that research project will continue with the 2021 partnership.

    “We’re excited to be able to offer additional support to schools and continue the work that ENZ and Enroller began in 2018.” CEO and co-founder of Enroller, Michael Barry, says.

    “The NZ school sector is hurting – It has been a long and uncertain 12 months for many. The extension of this research project will enable multi-tasking international departments, and their education agency partners, the additional digital capability and resource that they need to manage the rebuild of their international student roll, cost-effectively.”

    Representatives from ENZ and Enroller are looking forward to sharing more on the partnership at Enroller’s upcoming virtual roadshow for current Enroller clients. The webinars will take place at 2:00pm on 25 May and 11:30am on 26 May. 

    Other interested schools can request a pack of information – please contact ENZ Business Development Manager Mary Camp (mary.camp@enz.govt.nz) for more information.

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