The Australian Government's measures to protect the integrity of the international education sector have been welcomed by the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA), the peak body representing independent providers in the skills training, higher education, and international education sectors.
"Particularly welcome is the publication of data relating to international student agent performance, such as student completion and visa rejection rates. This is something that ITECA has advocated for, so we're pleased to see our members' recommendations transfer into policy," said Troy Williams, ITECA Chief Executive.
ITECA also notes the Australian Government's action to prohibit agent commissions on student transfers between providers in Australia to remove incentives for unscrupulous agents to facilitate the 'poaching' of onshore international students.
"This initiative is particularly welcome; however, we need to be sure that the arrangements are robust so that unscrupulous agents don't exploit quality tertiary education providers. They could bypass the new ban by levying marketing fees or other creative ways extracting funds from tertiary education providers," Mr Williams said.
"ITECA wants to put students at the heart of the international education sector and the associated visa framework. In this context, initiatives to strengthen the integrity of the international education system are welcomed by ITECA members," Mr Williams said.
This is a critical issue for independent tertiary education providers that support international students. Independent providers support 55% of all international student enrolments in tertiary education; that's more than 404,000 enrolments.
