March has been a productive month for English Australia and the sector, as we begin to emerge from the long-term effects of our international border closures. The 2021-22 Federal Budget referenced several key initiatives that English Australia successfully advocated for over the past year that I know are already having a positive impact on our members. I’ve held extensive consultations with the government and members on the ESOS review process over the past month, and sincerely appreciate all the input received to date. We’ve led some great PD activities but seeing many members in person at the Branch meetings was a real highlight.
Budget 2022-23
The Federal Budget 2022-23 was delivered on 29 March 2022. It’s fair to say there were minimal surprises in relation to international education funding, with items included in the budget previously announced as part of the release of the Australian Strategy for International Education 2021-2030.
In summary, the allocations included the following items:
- An additional $27.8 million in fee relief from regulatory charges in 2022.
- $9.4 million for short-term targeted support to private ELICOS providers through the Innovation Development Fund.
- $8 million in seed funding for Australian industry to develop up to 70 globally relevant micro-credentials for online and offshore delivery.
- Visa changes that extend measures to protect the post-study work rights of international students, and extend the temporary graduate visa from two to three years for masters by coursework graduates
- A further $10 million in support through the International Education Innovation Fund.
Members are aware that English Australia strongly advocated for the regulatory fee relief in 2022, and successfully called for the $9.4 million in funding allocated to the Innovation Development Fund. We are proud to be appointed as the Program Administrator for this program in addition to the Innovation Fund.
Innovation Fund 2021 and Innovation Development Fund 2021-22
Speaking of the Innovation Development Fund 2021-22, the application round has now concluded with all applicants having now been informed of the outcome of their applications. Successful providers are currently submitting their workplans.
We are delighted that many participants from the Innovation Fund 2021 now have the opportunity to progress program development and implementation, with a number of new grantees having the opportunity to further innovate.
Industry advocacy and government liaison
I represented members’ interests at the Department of Home Affairs Education Visa Consultative Committee (EVCC) on 11 March. I raised issues related to visa refusal based on member input on specific countries and sought confirmation that ELICOS student visas were not being unfairly reviewed based on shifting caseloads between processing centres. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you see any concerning trends that I can raise with DHA.
The Department of Education International Education (DESE) Stakeholder Forum was held on 16 March. The key items discussed were international student returns and data trends, the ESOS Review, Industry-focused micro-credentials, the International Education Innovation Fund, and PRISMS modernisation. The meeting provided an opportunity to convey feedback to DESE.
ASQA has now released the communique from the February Regulator Provider Roundtable meeting, where our Future of ELICOS Interim report was a key topic of discussion. A copy can be accessed here: ASQA Communique.
English Australia is currently working with both ASQA and TEQSA as we finalise our Guide to Good Practice in Online ELICOS Delivery. It is great to have the support from the regulators as part of the guide’s development.
ESOS Review
Thank you to our members who have already provided input into the ESOS Review via the surveys on Expansion and diversification and the English language sections. We are still seeking feedback on the entire ESOS Review submission covering all six topic areas. All responses are valued, and you’re welcome to complete the online survey, return the Submission Form or simply email your comments to us by COB Friday 8 April.
Branch Meetings
This time, I was able to attend most of our recent Branch meetings in person. I appreciated having the opportunity to personally present the results of the latest Future of ELICOS consultations and the insights shared during the deep dive into the ESOS review. It was great to hear some optimism related to student returns and forward bookings, namely from the private ELICOS colleges. I’m already looking forward to the next opportunity to meet with you all in June as part of the mid-year member forums and annual survey presentations.
Action Research in ELICOS Program 2022
Our Action Research in ELICOS program, run in conjunction with Cambridge Assessment English, kicked off this month with a 2-day workshop being held at TAFE Queensland in Brisbane. Participants were guided through the process of Action Research by Professor Anne Burns and the English Australia Professional Development Manager Sophie O’Keefe.
Ed-tech online symposium collaboration with IATEFL
The English Australia Ed-Tech SIG held a collaborative online symposium with IATEFL’s Learning Technologies SIG on 26 March. The event attracted many English Australia members, as well as delegates from around the world, and showcased local and international presentations on ‘Taking stock of where we are in online language teaching.’
English Australia 2022 Conference
As noted in the newsletter, we are excited to announce the 2022 English Australia conference to be held online between 16-22 September. I’m sure the theme ‘Shaping the Future’, will inspire a broad range of high-quality sessions, once again sharing best practices and driving higher levels of professionalism. We are also committed to ensuring a great array of local events across the country to bring our fabulous community together. The call for papers will open on 8 April. More information will follow soon.
Farewelling Grant
I would like to finish with a note of thanks to our outgoing Board member and South Australia State Delegate, Grant Packer. I would like to personally thank Grant for his contributions to many national and South Australian initiatives for English Australia and the ELICOS sector over the years and wish him great success in the future.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any matters that you would like to discuss.