Marketing higher education to China: An Australian perspective

1
Marketing higher education to ChinaAn
Australian perspective

• Dr David Wilkinson
• (Associate Dean (International)
• Faculty of Law and Management
• La Trobe University

2
Perspective

• International education is big business in
  Australia
• Australias fourth highest export earner
• second highest service export industry (after
  tourism and transport)

3
Perspective

• Australia has the largest proportion of
  international students per head of university
  student population of any of the major providers
  of international education in the world

4
International enrolments Higher Education

• Australia
• 170,000 (est 2006, Pop 20m)
• UK
• 318,000 (2004/05, Pop 60m)
• Note 218,000 from non-EU countries
• USA
• 572,000 (2003/04, Pop 298m)

5
International enrolments, Australia 2002-2006

• Growth of 7.7 pa over 2002-2006
• Underpinned by
• higher education (10.3pa)
• vocational and technical education (10.7pa)
• Higher education accounts for just under 50 of
  all enrolments

6
International enrolments by major source,
2002-2006

• Overall growth driven by
• China(17.2pa)
• India (34.5pa)
• Korea (13.9pa)

7
Chinese enrolments by sector, 2002-2006

• Very strong growth in demand for
• higher education (30.9pa)
• vocational and technical education (24.8pa)

8
Australian marketing of education

• Australia has a relatively sophisticated approach
  to the international marketing of higher
  education in Australia

9

• Australian Education International (AEI)
• a part of Department of Education, Science and
  Training
• integrates intergovernmental relations with
  support for the commercial activities of the
  Australian education community

10

• IDP Education Australia
• a private company owned by 38 Australian
  Universities
• markets Australia as an educational destination

11
How do we attract Chinese students?

• Chinese students believe there is a
  stratification of study countries
• US and UK make up the first tier these are
  regarded as the most prestigious and desirable
  English-speaking study destinations
• second tier which includes Australia, Canada
  and New Zealand, seen as less prestigious but
  safe and more affordable
• Aim to be seen as a first tier country

12
How do we attract Chinese students?

• Offshore programs
• Articulation agreements
• pathways
• Agents
• Education Fairs
• Direct marketing
• in China
• in Australia
• Virtual marketing

13
Problems

• Language
• meeting English language requirements
  (IELTS/TOEFL)
• will improve (Beijing Olympics giving big impetus
  to desire to learn English)

14
Problems

• Document fraud
• testamurs
• language certificates
• CVs/resumes

15
Issues

• Competing destinations
• Singapore
• Middle East, and
• China
• is becoming our main competitor for Chinese
  students

16
Not just Australia

• UK universities face foreign slump China has
  doubled its own undergraduate provision in the
  past five years suggest a new policy in China
  of educating students at home
• BBC News (11 February 2006)

17
ChinaWhat is happening?

• Worlds fastest growing economy
• Entry to WTO
• 2008 Olympics
• gt new found confidence

18
China

• Education
• a key component in its national economic
  development strategy
• Since 1995 higher education has been
  substantially reformed
• massive increases in participation
• restructuring and amalgamation of higher
  education institutions
• expansion of private higher education sector

19
China

• Is investing heavily in its tertiary sector
• MoE established Project 211 in 1995
• seeks to develop about 100 leading universities
  to the standard of world class
• to act as a platform for training high level
  professional manpower and solving major problems
  of Chinas economic growth and development

20
China

• Now has
• 2100 government HEIs
• 1300 non-government HEIs
• (only a small number of these private providers
  offer qualifications which are recognised by the
  MoE)

21
What does it all mean?

• Increasing reluctance on the part of Chinese to
  travel offshore for education
• China is developing so rapidly that Chinese
  students want to be part of the action
• feel they may miss out (loss of networks Guan
  Xi) if they spend too long away from home

22
Is this the end of China as a market for us?

• No
• There are about 17m students enrolled in senior
  secondary schools (and many more in adult senior
  high schools
• 9m in undergraduate education
• 0.5m in postgraduate

23

• These are big numbers
• Many will go offshore
• But, even more than before, you will have to
  offer a reason for them to come to you
• Offer it and they will come is no longer
  adequate

24
Questions?