English Australia acknowledged as “Association of the Year”

English Australia acknowledged as “Association of the Year”

English Australia has won the ‘Association of the Year’ award at the 2022 PIEoneer Awards. The announcement was made at the award ceremony held in London on Friday 9 September 2022 with the public announcement delayed out of respect for the passing of Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II.

The award is significant for English Australia as The PIEoneer Awards are the only global awards that celebrate innovation and achievement across the global international education industry.

Chief Executive Officer of English Australia, Mr Brett Blacker said “I was incredibly proud and fortunate to be able to accept this award on behalf of English Australia and would like to acknowledge the leadership of the English Australia Board, the hard work of the secretariat team, and the incredible support from our members that led to this success.”

The award recognises English Australia’s successes in supporting its members and the broader English Language teaching sector to navigate the difficult period where borders were closed due to the pandemic, via its advocacy, professional development, and market intelligence initiatives.

Highlights of the work English Australia has been acknowledged for over the past 12 months include:

Advocacy (government strategy/policy/regulation) • $18.8 million across two Innovation Funds to offer grants of up to $150,000 for colleges to grow offshore/online delivery. • $17.7 million in fee relief from regulatory charges in 2021. • An additional $27.8 million in fee relief from regulatory charges in 2022.

Professional Development • All activities were free. • Special Interest Groups (SIGs) membership grew by 81% (2,729 in 2020 to 4,937 in 2021) across the seven SIGs. • A record 3,800+ people registered for 51 unique webinars. • Held a virtual annual conference attracting over 800 unique delegates. • Launched a new Guide to Good Practice Online ELICOS Delivery.

Market Intelligence • Released the first-ever Economic Impact of COVID-19 on the ELICOS Sector report in partnership with four state governments. • Commissioned by the Department of Education Skills and Employment (DESE) (DESE) to conduct Quarterly ELICOS Market Insight research. • Commissioned by DESE to undertake a bilateral government research and training project 'Transforming digital delivery in Thailand: Learning from Australia.' • Commissioned by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for a ground-breaking research project, ‘Partnering for Success: Education-led Engagement Between Australia and Vietnam.’

“To be recognised alongside a strong list of finalists was a wonderful accolade and is a testament to the commitment and high level of engagement of our members, the government, and a long list of industry partners” said Blacker.

English Australia would like to recognise the following Australian education enterprises who were also successful in either winning their category or receiving a highly commended acknowledgment:

Winners • English Unlimited – Language educator of the year • Mozaik Play – International student recruitment organsiation of the Year

Highly Commended • Study Australia – Industry experience program • Study NSW (and partners) – International student arrivals pilot program – Public / private partner of the year • Successful Graduate Pty Ltd and Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Study Australia), Australia - Free microcredentials that encourage post-COVID enrolments with Australian education providers - Public / private partner of the year • Study Melbourne Hubs – Student Support Award

“It was great to see our members (English Unlimited and Successful Graduate), and the Federal and State Government initiatives that we’ve worked alongside, acknowledged on the global stage.

I would like to thank our members for their relentless commitment and support. This award would not have been possible without their engagement”, noted Blacker.