Secondary schools
in Australia

Tony de Gruchy from Canning College in Perth, WA, says that numbers of new international students at the school declined by 17 per cent in 2005, despite continued growth between 2002 and 2004. “Possible factors causing the decline in 2005 include the appreciation of the Australian dollar, [as well as the] growth of off-shore programmes which replace the export of education services with in-country programmes,” he relates.

Government statistics for the sector in 2005 show an overall decline of 8.2 per cent compared with the previous year, with a number of top nationalities performing particularly badly. Enrolments from China, the sector’s top student market, declined by nearly 14 per cent last year while other important markets such as Hong Kong, Japan and Indonesia also saw numbers fall.

The increased provision of off-shore high school programmes in student provider countries is certainly one factor affecting international enrolments, although some schools are using this trend to their own advantage. International enrolments at Cabra Dominican College in Cumberland Park, SA, have increased over the last 12 months, according to Shane Brady at the school, who explains, “The reason has been an increase in intake from mainland China resulting from the commencement of our own teaching of year-10 in China, with those students then coming to Cabra to complete their higher secondary schooling.”

When faced with challenging business conditions, the schools that have seen enrolments grow in spite of overall national trends tend to be those with pro-active marketing policies as well as an eye for updating course provision at their school. Canning College has recently introduced a new semester programme, targeted directly at the South American market, while Michael Bartlett from All Saints Anglican School in Merrimac, QLD, reports that they have increased ESL and counselling support for international students and introduced “a real focus on specialised service provision”. Bartlett adds, “Our enrolments are very consistent and strong, though I have heard the China market is slipping.”

There is also evidence that some high schools may be blurring the boundaries between education sectors in an effort to stay competitive and meet student demand. De Gruchy points out that strategic links with other education providers such as universities are likely to become more important in the future and says, “For Canning College, future growth will depend on developing programmes and services to meet market demand. This may entail moving away from traditional school type courses and moving into other sectors – in much the same way that universities have extended operations into school level courses.”

Membership of a regional or national marketing association also seems to be an effective way for high schools in Australia to reach new international markets, while also being cost-effective. Jodie Ledger from Wesley College in Perth, WA, says that they reach new international students via their website, education agents and also through their membership of Perth Education City, AEI and IDP.

“Being a small provider of international education, the main benefits [of membership] for us are industry information and being involved in some activities at a lower cost than undertaking the same activities on our own,” she highlights. However, for some within the high school sector, education agents are the key to bolstering international enrolments due to the specialist knowledge and confidence they bestow. “Agents are by far the most successful way of recruiting high school students, due to the trust and duty of care involved,” says Bartlett. “Parents need to trust the agent a lot as the students are usually minors.”