ICEF Berlin, the major agent–provider networking event, is currently underway, and a major announcement from it sees ICEF expanding its IAS agency accreditation program and implementing a new code of conduct for education agencies.
Students and educators are increasingly utilising education agents for support. Students rely on agents to help them plan for study abroad, while institutions and schools depend on the local expertise and reach of agents as they work across markets, languages, and cultures to build enrolment.
Technology and other market shifts have made it much easier for new agents to enter the marketplace and for sub-agent networks to expand beyond what has been seen in the past. Here in Australia, we have seen the Government call out poor actors, saying “The party is over”. It is, therefore, more important than ever for professional agents to distinguish themselves and to demonstrate their qualifications and standards. It is truly great to see a private sector-based organisation in ICEF expanding and further strengthening its ICEF Agency Status (IAS) accreditation program.
ICEF’s Agency Status has 5 core goals:
- Provide a global benchmark of education agency quality
- Set standards for agency onboarding and retention
- Enable students and parents to identify reputable agencies
- Drive professional standards across the industry
- Improve student outcomes
“The increasing use of education agents in international recruitment also underscores the need for improved quality standards,” says ICEF CEO Markus Badde.
“The number of active agents continues to grow quickly yet the sector still remains largely unregulated. For decades we have consistently worked to advance professional standards in international student recruitment by screening, training and accrediting education agencies. Given current circumstances we feel there is now a need to do more. Over a year ago, we introduced block chain technology enabling students, parents, and educators to easily and instantly verify an agency’s IAS accreditation.
“Now we have gone even further with the implementation of a more in-depth vetting process for participating agencies, with increased agent monitoring and quality assurance measures carried out by ICEF’s globally distributed Agents Relations team.” He says.
ICEF also announced overnight Australian time the establishment of a new Code of Conduct for education agencies – a set of best practices that all IAS agencies are now required to endorse. The Code of Conduct draws on important foundation work for best practices in the field and provides a simple and clear standard for professional conduct in the sector.
There are currently over 1,500 education agencies in 115 countries that have been accredited and have ICEF Agency Status – a designation that is valid for one year and for which the vetting and review process is refreshed annually. This fast-growing base of IAS agencies already represents the largest network of accredited agencies in the industry, and, as such, represents a new global standard for agency recognition and quality assurance.
“Having a trusted source of accredited agencies around the world is imperative, particularly at a time when lower barriers to entry have created a proliferation of new agency players” says ICEF’s Executive Director for Agent Relations Tiffany Egler. “With the ICEF Code of Conduct in place, and with the steps we have taken to expand the IAS program, schools, colleges, and universities can now be better assured that they are working with professional organizations to ensure the best possible outcomes for their international students.”
The Koala congratulates ICEF on this very positive step.
