Indonesia education: a market worth waiting for

If Australian exporters don’t prepare other nations will be ready

The Indonesian education market is huge but for all the free-trade agreement boosting, for now entry isn’t easy (think bureaucracy, like India) or worth a bunch of effort (foreign universities can only set up campuses as not for profits.)

A comprehensive new report from the federally funded Australia-Indonesia Centre, seen by CMM, explains the opportunities and impediments for all Australian education sectors in what could, at least should, be a vast future export market – there are 67m “college age” Indonesians. The demand for VET will be especially high, with a national target of 57m more skilled workers, doubling what exists now, by 2030.

But because the market is hard to enter, and service profitably, Aus universities now offer short courses, dual-double degrees and for-credit pathways to study here, via local providers.  And Australian VET providers report finding partners a struggle, more so than the regulatory environment (which must make a change from home, but CMM digresses). “There are currently no Australian VET providers with a partnership or stand-alone campus.”

The report does not explain how to make a motza, or even set up shop in Indonesia, but is an unmatched source on strategies Australian organisations in HE, VET, Elicos and Ed Tech are already using and market context .

And while not spelt out, there is a message for all Australian institutions interested in the international market, if they do not expand into Indonesia, competitors will. The UK and Canada are interested, in the voced sector. There are 1500 high schools in Java and Sumatra using the German vocational training model. Japanese, German, US and Netherlands universities, are in Indonesia for the long haul, with local offices.

This is a report really worth reading when released.


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