It will have an impact in HE and VET

by DIRK MULDER

There’s no doubting the English learning sector was hit hard during the pandemic, losing 77 per cent of students 2019-21 and 79 per cent of the student week volume – a key measure of teaching. But now, when students are showing interest again, the sector is struggling to find teachers

According to Brett Blacker, CEO of English Australia “research shows that along with the student downturn, 75 percent (3,553) of the ELICOS sector’s workforce has been impacted by the pandemic. Even though a wage support scheme was in place for most of 2020, 35 percent (1663) of employees lost their jobs during this period.”

Feedback from the peak’s member colleges is that rehiring these teachers is proving to be difficult with many having found alternative employment. Understandable say CMM. The entire economy has shifted and finding secure, reliable work is at the top of most folks’ priority list.

Blacker point’s out failure to address the problem will see less students taught and “with 70% of ELICOS students moving into further academic study post their English course, the flow on effects will be felt in the Higher Education and vocational education sectors.

English Australia has talked with the feds ahead of the Jobs and Skills Summit, outlining three key measures to bolster the stocks of English teachers:

* changes to the working holiday visa (visas 417 and 462) durations to promote attractiveness;

* synchronising Commonwealth and state/territory skills on demand lists for teachers of English language programmes; and

* Subsidising costs of English Teaching qualifications (CELTA and TESOL), to promote them to local students.

“These proposed measures would be easy to implement and would have a significant impact in supporting the English language teaching sectors recovery and boosting Australia’s economy,” Mr Blacker says.

Dirk Mulder writes regularly for CMM on international education. He consults to English Australia