Mike Moignard Senior Trade Commissioner Austrade The Australian International Education Conference 2006

Transcription

1 Speech by Mike Moignard Senior Trade Commissioner Austrade The Australian International Education Conference 2006 Perth Convention Exhibition Centre Western Australia Friday 13th October 2006

2 Thank you (MC TBC) Henry Ledlie, Director, IDP Education Australia (India), Other VIPs (TBC) Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen I'd firstly like to thank IDP for organising the Australian International Education Conference 2006, and for the collective commitment of all participants to fostering one of Australia s most important export sectors. The rate of growth in Australia s education exports has been extraordinary. There were 24,998 international students in Australia in In the 1990s numbers grew at 15 per cent a year and Australia emerged as a major export nation, prospering as cross-border student mobility grew. While competition is intensifying, the potential for future export growth remains highly promising. In million students from around the world attended courses provided by institutions outside their home country. This number is projected to rise to 8 million by Demand for education in growing economies often moves faster than infrastructure development, creating openness to, and demand for, international solutions. With a growth rate of over eight per cent last year India s journey towards prosperity is being maintained with vigour. Australian International Education Conference

3 The World Bank's GDP rankings now place India in the top 10 of the world s economies, and the third largest in Asia. Australia s exports to the heart of the sub-continent are also experiencing rapid growth. Merchandise exports to India reached almost $7 billion in 2005 rising a staggering 28.3% over the previous calendar year. This result makes India Australia s 6th most important merchandise export market and our fastest growing market amongst our top 30 trade destinations over the last five years. While Australia s commodities and natural resources such as coal and wool are helping fuel India s rise India is also turning its attention towards the expertise of our knowledge based economy. A diversifying composition of trade Under the Manmohan Singh Government, and Dr Singh s prior influence as an architect of economic policy, India is now welcoming new forms of entrepreneurship, creating opportunities that didn t feature on the Australian business radar only a few short years ago, particularly in services. Services Australia exported almost $1 billion worth of services to India in 2005 a 38.6% rise over the previous year. Australian International Education Conference

4 Education services accounted for more than half of our total services exports to India reaching 683 million in Education, tourism and cultural links Growing cultural ties particularly through education also have a key role to play in defining the future of Australia s wider Indian trade. Indians are the third largest nationality currently migrating to Australia each year and the second largest source of overseas students. The flow-on benefits to our two countries relationship arising from the 28,000 Indian students who will undertake Australian courses in Australia this year alone are potentially immense and can only improve as more opportunities are realised. A rapidly growing and outward looking economy also means more opportunities and options are being pursued by Indian students. 50% of India s population is under 25 years of age. These young consumers are keen to sample global trends and experiences including new opportunities for education and training. It is predicted that by 2025, the number of Indian students enrolled in Australian institutions will reach 80,000. This quantum leap will throw forward many opportunities and challenges to Australian education providers in India. Australian International Education Conference

5 The Whole of Government Approach Promoting closer ties in education in anticipation of this growth, and to capture current opportunities, is therefore a key priority for a number of Government agencies. Over the last ten years the work of AEI (DEST) and DIMA, has played a major role in the success of Australian education in India. At the Australian High Commission in India, we adopt a holistic approach, working closely with key Australian government agencies to enhance the profile and image of Australian education, and to directly support education providers seeking to develop business in India and South Asia. The Department of Education, Science & Training (AEI) has the lead role in Australia s international education policy development. In India their work involves promote international education links between Australia and India and provide information about the Australian education system to students interested in the opportunities available in Australia. They: Liaise with the Government of India on issues of bilateral significance in the area of education, science and training, to increase mutual understanding in these areas and contribute to strong relations between both our countries; Work to foster alliances between education institutions in Australia and India; Australian International Education Conference

6 Provide objective information to students and promote Australian education and training to students considering studying in Australia at our centres in Delhi; Work closely with AAERI - the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India, to ensure that Australian agents provide the best possible service to Indian students The Visa Offices of DIMA in India also assist our education exporters by: Providing information about visa requirements for Australia and processing of applications Conducting visa work shops, skills expos & updates on student visa rules and regulations As the Australian Government s export promotion agency, Austrade helps Australian education providers win overseas business for their products and services by providing practical advice, market intelligence and ongoing support. Our core activities in the sector include: Management of Education Exhibitions Inbound and outbound trade missions Aid work- helping to win multilateral contracts for universities/institutions Business Matching-/Export Opportunities Helping new education exporters Australian International Education Conference

7 This also includes providing advice on market entry models and marketing methods, working with businesses right across the sector from universities, vocational institutes and English centres, right through to working with educational authors/publishers Austrade also enjoys a close working relationship with IDP. IDP s 11 years experience in India has been instrumental to the collaborative staging of large scale education exhibitions, which offer a platform for institutions to visit the market, participate in interview programs and recruit students. I am please to say that this collaboration will continue on a wide range of initiatives into the future. Austrade s current focus is to build on its core strengths and commercial linkages by creating new education missions across industry sectors which have high growth potential, identifying niche areas and giving maximum exposure across a number of sectors and industries. Over the last 18 months, IDP and Austrade have worked together and collaboratively held events to ensure maximum value addition and client satisfaction. As we spoke to Institution representatives, it seemed to us that one way that Austrade can add value to their efforts in India was through our industry linkages. At the August IDP roadshow, Austrade organised several industry focussed seminars for Institutions on para medical courses and hospitality. These were held during the recruitment day and provided Institutions the ability to discuss their courses with an group of prospective students from that sector. Australian International Education Conference

8 This has lead us to consider how we can support Institutions in other industry sectors, particularly through Austrade s trade events program. One example of this is in mining-related education. Austrade will be presenting the first mining education mission around the 8th International Machinery and Mining Exhibition (IMME) in Kolkata this November for which Australia is also the partner country. Australian universities, Technical education provers, trainers and consultants will be showcasing a range of programs covering under graduate, higher education, diplomas and certificate programs. There will also be training modules and programs specifically designed for working executives and corporate sectors which can be delivered either in India or Australia. This program is designed to bridge the gap and acute shortage of skilled professionals in the mining sector and this is an opportunity for education institutions to take advantage from participating in seminars, symposiums & exhibitions. Austrade also looks forward to working closely with IDP on developing new markets into the future such as Nepal, and expand our collective reach in tier II Indian cities such as Pune, Mangalore, and Rajkot. Austrade will continue to provide value added services and marketing support to IDP, helping promote strong working relationships with education institutions. Austrade s Indian network and service offering Australian International Education Conference

9 In 2005/06, with the support of our allies, Austrade helped 50 Australian education providers achieve export success in India compared to 15 in the previous financial year. Fourteen of these businesses were new or irregular exporters, and the total of all deals achieved with Austrade support was just over $49 million (EI for 2004/05 was $2,231,170). Austrade also administers the Export Market Development Grants, which help exporters recoup some of the costs of promoting their goods internationally. Last financial year, 170 businesses active in India received EMDG support totalling $7.9m, achieving $236m in export sales. 19 of these were education providers. To further assist businesses looking to capture emerging opportunities, the Government has expanded Austrade s India network, which now boasts offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai, as well as representation in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Conclusion Ladies and gentlemen Australia s sophisticated education providers are faced with a myriad of exciting opportunities in India and South Asia. The growing profile of Australian education in the sub-continent will also help build the people-to-people links that will underpin Australia s Australian International Education Conference

10 partnership with one of our most important growth markets, and future success in education. The strong alliances across the sector involving education providers, industry leaders such as IDP, and the Government through AEI, DIMA and Austrade, are a vital springboard to achieving this potential. Initiatives such as this play an important part in realising this shared vision. I once again thank IDP for organising today s event, and for their hard work in contributing to this goal. Thank you Australian International Education Conference