I went along to The PIE Live on the Gold Coast this week on behalf of Insider. Here are my 5 key takeaways:
- Sector sentiment
The sector is seriously pissed at the Government (agents especially), and they’re not convinced a new Minister of Home Affairs / Immigration will do anything differently. “They’re using a sledgehammer when all they need is a scalpel” I heard someone say. I don’t think I’ve witnessed so much scrutiny in my 15 years in this sector. At one session, one agent asked everyone to stand up (about half did) and asked for a 15-second silent protest to the government which he recorded on his phone. Another name-dropped a DHA case worker in Latin America who has been writing up questionable visa refusal responses. Both options were a bit odd in my opinion, but I understand the anger.
- Realisation
There was somewhat of a collective realisation that in the pursuit of growth at all costs, the international education sector hasn’t done a great job of bringing the Australian community on the journey with us. When asked if Australians care about international students, Tim Dodd from The Australian said, “Well, they don’t, and that’s the problem.” Now we have a massive social licence problem. Perhaps it’s time to stop working in silos and be mindful of the costs of growth because the rubber band just snapped, and we’re in the middle.
- Caps
Now that student caps and housing capacity are intertwined as an issue for institutions, everyone is trying to work out how to deal with the fact that there aren’t enough beds. The main issue, from what I can see, is that the government won’t clarify how they will view accommodation in the context of caps. So, institutions, with their revised balance sheets heading into next year, don’t know if they should be building new facilities, finding homestay beds, buying up properties, taking out head leases on private properties or a new kind of approach.
- Feeling the pinch
Service providers are starting to feel the pinch. It reminds me of COVID, but a slower burn. When there’s uncertainty, contracts are inevitably cancelled, delayed or rescoped. That means those businesses that service the sector have to change and diversify; an unenviable, painful process.
- Students
Students are hungry and isolated, according to the Allianz State of Student Healthcare Report. A tight budget also affects health. “Fruit is the first to go” according to Tara Day-Williams from Foodbank. “If people make decisions that will affect their nutrition, it certainly has an impact on mental health.”
James Martin is the Managing Director of Insider. He can be followed on LinkedIn where he talks about content marketing for education as well as the international education sector.
