By CLAIRE FIELD

Applicants are looking to the UK and Canada

Last week was a fascinating week to be in India. While I was there to explore the powerhouse that is their ed-tech sector (and more on that at a later date) it was a discussion about the changes to the student visa assessment levels for the Indian subcontinent that struck me.

A senior representative from a global education agency talked me through the recent shift they had seen in applications – with prospective students turning away from Australia and towards the UK. He evidenced this by showing me a daily report of their student applications, which he advised was consistent with the current trend. The data in the report showed 80 per cent of applications (split evenly 40 per cent each) were for Canada and the UK; only 14 per cent were for Australia.

Also, last week I interviewed Macquarie University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor, International, Nicole Brigg as the third in a series on international education on the ‘What now? What next? Insights into Australia’s tertiary education sector’ podcast.

Nicole had a range of insights on the maturation of the China market, the importance of looking at Australia’s long-term interests when considering changes to our visa system, and the need for clever heads to work together to ensure Australia retains its competitiveness. She joins Rebecca Hall (Austrade) and Kadi Taylor (Navitas) on the podcast. You can listen in your favourite podcast app (search ‘What now? What next?’) or via the website.

Claire Field advises on VET, international education and private higher education.