- The changing landscape of international education
Overview
3.1The global pandemic had a significant impact on the international education sector including changes to visas, a shift to online studying and students reassessing where they wish to live and study. International students who have completed qualifications in Australia benefit from studying and living, working, and being part of the Australian community. This exposure enables them to develop the cultural, language and employability skills and in-turn, contribute to Australia’s workforce and communities.
3.2The global pandemic resulted in a considerable drop in international student numbers coming to Australia for several years which has had a significant impact on the pipeline of students coming to Australia to undertake English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS). After finishing these courses students often transition into further education in Australia.
3.3This chapter discusses the changing landscape of international education and the future of skilled work pathways for international students as well as Work Integrated Learning (WIL) options to support integrity and solutions to Australia’s long term critical skills shortages. In addition, online education during COVID-19 and online transnational education is discussed.
Changes in student figures
3.4The Department of Home Affairs reported strong return of international students to study in Australia with ‘nearly 583,000 student visas at the end of March 2023, growing to over 595,000 at the end of April 2023, on par with February 2020 numbers.’
3.5Many of the stakeholders including the Victorian Tafe Association pointed out ‘unlike short-term travel associated with tourism, education for international education operates in a pipeline model, in which commencing students translate into multiple years of future enrolments.’ The missing cohorts from 2020, 2021 and 2022 will continue to have an ongoing future impact that cannot be filled by subsequent student intakes.
3.6At University of Wollongong (UOW), the impact of COVID-19 on commencing international student numbers was seen more evidently than with re-enrolling international students, however it continued to impact both groups. UOW saw how it impacted workforce shortages in regional Australia. Commencing international student numbers for UOW peaked in 2019, but fell by 50 per cent between 2020 and 2021.
3.7The Victorian Government gave an example of this in the flow on effects of a significant reduction in students enrolled in English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS). Victoria’s ELICOS providers, which rely heavily on international student enrolments, saw a drop of 77 per cent in student numbers between 2019 and 2021. The drop in ELICOS enrolments is likely to impact the recovery of the sector, given around 70 per cent of ELICOS students on student visas have historically transitioned to further studies in the schools, vocational education and higher education sectors. This flow-on recovery scenario is repeated throughout Australia.
3.8Significant changes to the sector are occurring through the implementation of government reform including a review of the migration system, A Migration System for Australia’s Future, and the Government’s review into higher education through the Australian Universities Accord which intends to drive lasting and transformative reform in Australia’s higher education system.
3.9The importance of Australia’s international education sector’s role in meeting Australia’s domestic challenges continue to emerge with Australia facing critical skills shortages, and an aging workforce. A telling finding from an analysis of the National Skills Commission’s five-year projections is the importance of education and training with more than nine out of 10 new jobs to be created in Australia over the next five years will require post-secondary qualifications, and with domestic graduate supply needing to be supplemented by international graduates.
The Migration System
3.10On 2 September 2022, the Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon. Clare O'Neil MP, announced a comprehensive review of Australia's migration system to ensure it better meets existing challenges and sets a clear direction for the coming decades. On the 21 March 2023, the Government was presented with the Review of the Migration System Final Report. The Final Report recommended six possible reform directions for the Government to consider in relation to strengthening international student outcomes and transitions.
3.11The Final Report found that although the student visa has facilitated the growth of Australia’s fourth largest export industry of international education and that international students make an important contribution to Australia’s labour force through part-time work while they are studying. The current settings do not allow all students and graduates to demonstrate or reach their labour market potential, and Australia is not selecting those most likely to make a good transition to permanency early enough.
3.12Nearly all evidence relating to international education received by the Committee cited issues with the current visa system and/or advocated for significant reform to improve visa settings for international students and graduates. International Student Education Agents Association (ISEAA) argued that the Australian migration system needed an overhaul to bring it into the post pandemic world of attracting talent to study and possibly migrate to Australia.
3.13These views were supported by International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) who argued in the post-pandemic war for talent, competitor study destination countries, particularly Canada, provide much clearer migration pathways and outcomes for overseas students who enrol in high skills in demand courses. IEAA stated that in contrast to Canada, Australia is restrictive and opaque regarding migration outcomes for highly motivated, skilled, qualified, and resilient young people studying onshore.
3.14University of Technology Sydney (UTS) stressed the need for coherent and joined-up settings around student visas, working visas and pathways to permanent residency. UTS argued that getting this right is crucial for the future of the international students as an industry.
3.15Bond University highlighted the confusion generated by the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) for a genuine student considering a future migration outcome. Bond University commented:
…a highly talented, genuine student might like the opportunity to stay to take up a post-study work visa, but if a student indicated that they intend to take advantage of that, then it impacted their ability to obtain a student visa in the first place.
Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement (GTE)
3.16The Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement (GTE), underpinned by Ministerial Direction Number 69, is the SSVF’s primary integrity safeguard and enables decision-makers to refuse non-genuine applications. The GTE criterion for student visa applications requires the Minister or their delegates to be satisfied that the applicant intends genuinely to stay in Australia temporarily.
3.17All witnesses that discussed the GTE called for reform, commenting the assessment process highly subjective and lacking clear and consistent guidelines. Witnesses stated that the GTE requirements were leading students to be unfairly denied visas and conflicted with the promise of favourable post-study work rights. Many called for the GTE to be replaced by a genuine student assessment or similar.
3.18English Australia submitted:
…case officers make (GTE) decisions under a subjective framework and inconsistencies in the consideration of facts presented in personal statements. For example, an applicant having family ties in Australia could either be deemed as a positive or negative factor in the case officer’s determination of granting or refusing a visa. Similarly, a student must give evidence of reasons to return to their home country after they finish their studies. However, what reasons would be viewed positively is quite unclear due to the inconsistency in feedback to applicants.
3.19Ms Garrod from the Department of Home Affairs stated that:
Since reopening Australia's international borders in December 2021 there has been an increase in non-genuine applicants and fraud in student visa applications, with a corresponding decrease in the offshore student visa grant rate. This has stemmed largely from an increase in application rates from countries where the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 was particularly high.
3.20Griffith University informed the Committee that it supports the introduction of a genuine student test rather than the current genuine temporary entrant test. Griffith University stated:
…recognising the attraction and recruitment of international students provides a strategy Australia with the opportunity to retain talented and educated graduates who understand Australian culture and values and are keen to contribute their knowledge and skills to local industries and communities.
3.21There was widespread concern about the lack of clarity of the GTE requirement, encapsulated in the International Student Education Agents Association (ISEAA) submission:
(The Knight Review) introduced the contradictory Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) that a student visa be assessed that a student is ‘genuine’ and ‘temporary’. In a post-pandemic international labour market, it does not make sense to inject confusion and doubt to a potential student that they must return after studying and offer 2–6-year post study work visas.
3.22Study Perth considered from a state perspective that the Commonwealth Government’s focus on the GTE requirement at a time when Australia is actively seeking additional skilled migration and state governments looking to support migration pathways for students who have studied in their state or territory is a contradiction. Study Perth suggested that ‘the Commonwealth should be focused on ensuring only genuine students are eligible for student visas and not concern itself with students’ plans after graduation.’
3.23Charles Darwin University recommended while preserving the objective of student visas, the GTE criteria could be reviewed so that it is not a disincentive to attracting students open to staying to Australia post-study.
3.24The University of Wollongong argued that the current Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF) and its associate risk assessment of universities sends a very strong message of a complicated visa process for interested international students.
3.25UTS suggested replacing the GTE requirement with a Genuine Student requirement and to make it clear that an international student’s ambition to live and work in Australia is acceptable (at least for designated professions). This approach was reiterated by Innovative Research Universities (IRU), Universities Australia, Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA).
Graduate outcomes and employment
3.26The received evidence from stakeholders urging the Government to make migration pathways much clearer. IEAA commented:
…Australia is too opaque when it comes to migration pathways. Effectively, we're inviting these young people to come and study for three or four years and potentially have a post-study work right entitlement visa for five or six years—that's a decade out of their lives—and then we're going to tell them: 'Goodbye. Go home.'
3.27Study Gold Coast described to the Committee the experience of recruiting offshore and selling the dream to global talent to come and get a quality Australian education that is, earn while you learn and then launch your career on the Gold Coast to get a return on that investment on your education.
3.28Study Gold Coast suggested that the migration pathways are not as solid as they are sold to be with a failure of policy and regulation settings between approving visas, offering work rights while students are here and a pathway to migration that aligns with where Australia’s skill gaps are. Study Gold Coast believed policymakers and the regulators need to talk to each other to ensure that Australia is delivering on the promise being sold to students. At the same time, fulfilling that promise helps fill the skill gaps are needed going into the future.
3.29The Australian Academy of Science commented that as well as contributing to the economy, international education supports Australia’s access to skilled workers, with many international students going on to contribute to Australia’s workforce when they graduate. Austrade echoed this perspective and stated:
… international students are an important part of the multi-faceted solution in helping to address both immediate and long-term workforce shortages across Australia. International graduates are young, motivated, and trained to Australian standards.
3.30Graduate outcomes are key indicators of the success of international education delivery and student experience and therefore how Australian graduates fare plays a role in Australia’s international education reputation. The Lygon Group stated:
Graduate outcomes are a big (for students), because international students feel that the post-study work rights visa is there for them to be able to secure a job. However, the barriers are not allowing them to. Return on investment then becomes a big question (for students). That affects the word of mouth about Australia. Students are sharing that you get an Australian degree, but you can't put that into practice in Australia, so they look for options where potentially you could get the return on investment. Also, the cohort of students has changed. They're questioning the quality of education in terms of theory versus practical in terms of their course content, how much hands-on experience they get, how many placements and internships they get.
3.31Australia’s international education sector has the potential to make a greater contribution to meeting Australia’s skills needs. IDP Education considered a change of migration policy settings would cement Australia as a viable option for a wide range of students, including those who want to work after graduation to fill Australia’s crippling skills shortages.
3.32Post graduation, employment outcomes and the ease of the education into employment transition are an increasingly important driver of the enrolment choice of prospective students, both international and domestic. Online Education Services (OES) highlighted a 2019 study of international alumni from eight Asian markets, suggesting that 80 per cent of the students indicated they had chosen to study abroad to improve their career opportunities.
Employment patterns for international students
3.33A Social Research Centre report analysed the industries that undergraduate and postgraduate coursework international graduates working full-time are most likely to be working in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry sector, particularly in Hospitals and Aged Care and in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services such as Computer System Design, Accounting Services, Engineering Design and Management Advice and related Consulting. Postgraduate Research international graduates working full-time are more likely to be employed in Education and Training mainly in Higher Education and in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services such as Scientific Research Services, Engineering Design and Engineering Consulting and Management advice and related consulting.
3.34However, employment outcomes for international graduates are relatively poor compared to domestic graduates. International graduates are less likely to be working full-time than domestic graduates, have lower median full-time salaries, are more likely to be underemployed (part-time seeking more hours) and more likely to be unemployed.
3.35The Social Research Centre shared the 2022 Graduate Outcomes Survey - Longitudinal (the GOS Survey) results which showed international students were behind domestic students in terms of full-time employment, had more underemployment, unemployment, lower utilisation of skills and were less likely to be in managerial and professional occupations.
3.36The GOS Survey showed that international graduates’ employment rates and median salaries remain lower than for domestic graduates. At the undergraduate study level, the short-term full-time employment rate for international graduates was 53.4 per cent in 2019, compared with 73.6 per cent for domestic graduates, a difference of 20.2 percentage points. Three years later in 2022, for the same cohort of graduates, the full-term employment rate for international graduates had increased by 21.7 percentage points to 85.1 per cent. This resulted in the difference between international and domestic full-time employment rates narrowing to 6.4 percentage points. Although the Social Research Centre cautions that the 2022 result may have been influenced by the skills shortages and border closures where skill demands were a rising tide that floated all the boats.
3.37International graduates are more likely to be in further full-time study than domestic graduates at all levels. The 2022 Survey showed for those international graduates employed full-time in Australia, median salaries are markedly lower than for domestic graduates, a pay differential which does not diminish substantially over the medium-term. For undergraduates, international graduates had a median full-time salary of $52,200 shortly after course completion, $11,200 lower than for domestic graduates. Although salaries for international graduates increased to $69,400 three years after course completion, this remained $10,600 lower than for domestic graduates.
Graduate employment outcomes for international students in Australia are low, even with post‐work rights. This is a loss not only for these students but a waste of Australian‐trained professional skills and talent. Further collaboration between government, providers and industry is required to develop enhanced pathways from study to work.Currently, Australian employers outside the IT sector are reluctant to hire international graduates who cannot stay in Australia. Creating a pathway for graduates to citizenship, at least in key areas of economic need, is the single most significant policy likely to shift these outcomes.
3.38Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) suggested that ‘when international students are interviewed about why they think they have difficulty utilising their skill in the Australian labour market and getting jobs that match their qualifications, two answers are the most common, one they do not have enough work experience and the other relates to their permanent residency, which goes back to the visa system.
3.39JSA pointed this combination results in a hesitancy of employers, partially because of visa status but is compounded by employer concerns about graduate employability skills and work experience.
3.40JSA expanded that the relationship between the average number of formally qualified applicants, those who have the requisite training and skills, to the number of applicants who were found suitable at the end of the process was substantially different from one to one. JSA shared that the relationship between the two was closer together for a number of occupations where there was work-integrated learning, for example for registered nurses. But there was a substantial gap in the IT and engineering sectors, with large numbers of qualified applicants with the right degrees, or the right skills and training on their CV, relative to the number who were found suitable at the end of the process.
3.41Engineers Australia told the Committee that Australia continues to highly be highly reliant on the skills of migrant engineers, with 60 per cent of Australia’s engineering workforce born overseas. Engineers Australia pointed out that this cohort experiences unfavourable employment outcomes, with research that Engineers Australia conducted showing barriers to employing these engineers include the lack of local knowledge, perceived cultural deficiencies in the soft skills, work rights issues, local references, and certification queries.
3.42The Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions, Victorian Government raised concerns that ‘highly capable, international students and graduates can be excluded from equal employment opportunities in Australia due to standardised recruitment practices and perceived barriers.’ Other research found of the international graduates surveyed most were engaged in low or unskilled sectors with a combined 59 per cent working in the service sector (baby‐sitting, aged care, and cleaning), fast food, transportation, restaurants/cafes, and retail. In addition, most of those who work in restaurants, cafés, and fast food were under‐paid for their level of qualification with an average hourly rate of $20.5 per hour, compared to an average hourly rate of $30, adding to the underutilisation of international graduate skills and highlights the segmented labour market that international graduates often occupy.
Barriers to workforce entry for international students
3.43JSA expanded that the challenges that international students and graduates face in the Australian labour market are related partly to visa issues but were partly to the issues associated with work experience and employability skills. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) considered that many employers are looking for more than just a qualified candidate, in addition to the technical skills that degrees produce, businesses regularly identified the importance of soft skills to help prepare young people for the workplace. Business surveys have consistently reported that capabilities such as communication, planning, problem solving, teamwork and self-management are most in demand in the workplace.
3.44Engineers Australia focused on how visa complexity is impacting not only engineering students but in finding and retaining qualified engineers. Engineers Australia told the Committee that Australia continues to be highly reliant on the skills of migrant engineers, with 60 per cent of Australia’s engineering workforce born overseas. Recently conducted Engineers Australia research showed that migrants (with engineering qualifications) are more likely than their Australian born counterparts to work in non-engineering roles. Engineers Australia believed this is a challenge because Australia continues to have a shortage of engineers.
There is a perception that it (placements for international students) is complex and expensive and that the long-term benefit to industry is unclear. Unfortunately, this makes a lot of our international students feel disappointed, confused, and underappreciated. International students need to be provided with learning opportunities and support servicesthat foster long-term success for them.
3.45The research that Engineers Australia commissioned found that barriers to employing these engineers included a lack of local knowledge, perceived cultural deficiencies in the soft skills, work rights issues, and being able to source local references, and answers to certification queries. Engineers Australia proposed that the benefits of providing greater support to international students is that their Australian education provides them with that local knowledge, such as Australian standards.
3.46However, Engineers Australia reported from both industry and international students that there is a lack of clarity and understanding around visa requirements and restrictions for international students, which caused issues in not only students finding work placements, which they need to complete their degrees, but in finding longer term employment once students complete their studies.
…more of an issue around the employers understanding the visa requirements and debunking some of the myths that are possibly out there around those. With engineering graduates, we struggle to get placements for them. I think a lot of our international engineering graduates would be happy to go to regional areas. They really just want a job in this country, and they want to be able to practise what they've studied and what they're qualified in. The challenge is with industry being prepared to take international students. I think there is some confusion around the visa situation and the complexity of that.
3.47The Australian Nursery and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) contend that there is huge potential for international graduates in nursing to fill the very well-known skills shortages within the industry; however, there are many, many barriers to participation.
There is so much visa confusion among employers as to what they can and can't do with new graduates. There's reluctance to invest in staff, whom they believe may leave the country because of the difficulty in obtaining visas and having a seamless process. Theirs is also a fair bit of unconscious bias in recruitment practices.
3.48The Queensland Government suggested strengthening the focus on graduate outcomes will benefit the sector and providing clearer pathways to permanent residency will inject a greater degree of certainty for students. Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA) advocated stronger immigration pathways to address some of the contemporary challenges Australia is facing associated with an aging workforce, slowing population growth, weak productivity growth and Australia’s sovereign capability in industries such as Information Technology where international students make up 62 per cent of all Higher Education enrolments.
3.49UTS advocated for making the pathway from the graduate work visa to permanent residency clear and simple. UTS suggested that this may include government nomination, employer nomination and points based, but the number of points needs to be substantial and guaranteed.
3.50ACCI suggested ‘improved linkages with training providers and industry for work experience and learning opportunities are vital not only in the immediate term but also to create networks that will be useful to those students in the future.’
3.51JSA told the Committee that although there are reforms announced for the migration system to try to move towards stronger pathways to permanency for temporary migrants, many of whom are international students, it needs to be a partnership between government working on the visa system and the education sector working in partnership with employers on the skills and work experience.
Work Integrated Learning
3.52One of the ways that partnerships between universities and employers have been strengthened is through the development of the 2015 National Strategy on Work Integrated Learning in University Education. Stakeholders informed the Committee that this was currently under review and a report is due at the end of 2023.
3.53The Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) provided the Committee with a brief overview of work-integrated learning:
The TEQSA has guidance notes around work-integrated learning, and ACEN has an evidence-based curriculum standards framework, so there is very much a focus on quality offerings; but, at the end of the day, it's down to the individual institutions to ensure that their offerings are meaningful and purposeful for students and that there is no exploitation there.
Largely, work-integrated learning is unpaid. When I talk about work-integrated learning, it is in a broad sense; but, in terms of internships and placements, it is largely unpaid. If it is paid, that's an employment relationship between the student and the employer, which educators don't get involved with so much. Obviously, there are the curriculum-based standards there as well, to govern.
3.54ACCI informed the Committee that positive experience of international students is amplified when they are given the opportunity to build on their skills in the workplace. In the higher education space, studies indicate that work-integrated learning, particularly in undergraduate degrees, is an effective strategy in terms of providing authentic, real world learning experiences and enhancing students’ employability skills. Specifically, students’ communication skills, organisational abilities and confidence are enriched as well as increased ability to set and achieve goals once in the work force.
3.55JSA shared with the Committee how higher education has traditionally been very focused on knowledge but is increasingly getting interested in skills. JSA spoke to how they were working with several universities to explore how their curricula can better embed the employability skills that are needed and to assess them.
3.56In the context of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 (HES Framework), work-integrated learning encompasses any arrangement where students undertake learning in a work context as part of their course requirements. In all cases work-integrated learning experiences must build towards the learning outcomes of a course and meet other HES Framework requirements such as those regarding staff qualifications, professional accreditation and student support tailored to the needs of the cohort. Work-integrated learning can be undertaken as part of coursework or research training.
3.57Vocational placements, like work-integrated learning placements that meet the definition under the Fair Work Act 2009 (the FW Act) are lawfully unpaid. Students completing vocational placements are not considered to be employees and therefore are not entitled to the minimum wage nor other entitlements provided under the FW Act, although there are voluntary payment exceptions to this rule.
3.58Work-integrated learning activities may include:
- professional workplace placements (known as internships, clinical placements, fieldwork, practicums) whether local, interstate, or international
- online or virtual work-integrated learning (for example, telehealth) with real clients or industry input
- industry-partnered projects in the classroom (for example, hackathons, incubators/start-ups) that involve industry, community, or professional partners
- a simulated work environment with industry input, consultation, or assessment, or
- activities in other contexts involving industry or community partners.
- ACCI told the Committee that the sector recovery would be supported through improved linkages with providers and industry for work integrated learning opportunities. Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) shared with the Committee that work-integrated learning is highly sought after by international students, who often choose their study destination and course based on the opportunity to engage in work-integrated learning.
- JSA spoke on the potential for work-integrated learning in supporting international higher education graduates to be more job ready:
If you think about international students in higher education, the ones who tend to do best in the labour market are those who have work experience built into their education; that is, in things like health, education, nursing and teaching, where it's built in, almost like an apprenticeship-type model. Our research shows that some of the areas of most significant skill shortage, such as ICT graduates and civil engineering graduates, areas where there are huge opportunities in the Australian labour market. There are a lot of graduates applying for jobs, but employers are not hiring them at the rate that you would expect. We interview employers about their hiring experience —and the employers in those two areas tell us that they get enough qualified applicants but not enough suitable applicants. It goes to issues associated with, when we further interrogate it, their employability skills, and their work experience.
3.61The Committee heard that competitor countries such and the UK and Canadian Governments have incentives for industry to opt into work-integrated learning arrangements, and in Canada incentives for industry to take responsibility for developing future graduate pipelines. ACEN commented:
If we look at other regions such as North America, for example, in Canada, they have great incentives for industry to get on board with WIL and also to take responsibility for developing future graduate talent pipelines. The UK is another example: there are funding incentives in place, sandwich degrees and degrees by apprenticeship. We could be doing more in that space so that we have a bit of a cultural mind shift in employers, in that they are actually responsible for development. This should not be an extra for them; it should be part of 'business as usual'.
3.62Jobs and Skills Australia also commented about work-integrated learning that took place 20-30 years ago where work-integrated learning worked well, however over time it has been reduced.
… there were universities who would run things like sandwich courses, where you did a whole year's work as part of a four-year course and where there was enormous learning on the job.’ Because of the increase in WIL over time, there's been a tendency for the periods of employment or periods of work experience to be reduced, sometimes to quite low levels, and for the degree of learning about work to be reduced as well.
3.63ACEN argued for the need for an ‘cultural mind shift’ in Australian employers towards integrated development and support for current and future employees, through such pathways as work-integrated learning. ACEN felt that while the intent is there, it requires a tripartite arrangement between the student, the educator and industry, whether it is work-integrated learning or lighter touch industry engagement through 'a day in the life of' virtual experiences, a hackathon or a project or whatever it might be. ACEN believes that industry needs come on the journey with higher education providers, the intent is there but there is a lack of dedicated resources to make it happen.
3.64The Department of Education is encouraging the uptake of work-integrated learning and has commissioned a number of projects to support the sector to provide more high-quality work-integrated learning opportunities, which help to create post-study work opportunities for international students. This work includes a comprehensive profile of work-integrated learning in the higher education sector which the Department of Education commissioned from Universities Australia in 2019. This included a portal of resources and modules developed in consultation with RMIT to help international students enhance their work-integrated learning experiences and optimise employability outcomes. The Department of Education found that universities are moving beyond the historical approach to work-integrated learning to offer innovative and industry-relevant opportunities such as projects, simulations and fieldwork, and that students from across all levels of learning were actively engaged in work-integrated learning activities.
3.65The Department of Education cautioned that international students still face barriers to taking up work-integrated learning opportunities which need to be addressed by education institutions, including challenges associated with sourcing and participating in work-integrated learning, language differences, navigating workplace culture in Australia and a lack of understanding by employers of the benefits international students can bring.
3.66ISANA International Education Association (ISANA) commented that the lack of clarity about what did and did not count to a student visa work hours cap in the context of work-integrated learning, or in placements, was a contributing factor to students being reluctant to take up work-integrated learning opportunities and employers’ confusion in offering in case the hours were restricted by the working hour cap visa condition.
Barriers by accreditation bodies
3.67IEAA considered that accreditation bodies can be a major impediment in connecting international graduates to skilled jobs, alleging that accreditation bodies by dictating the field placement requirements and the English language levels at such high levels that they are effectively barring international students from gaining the skills and accreditation they need to take up skilled work. IEAA see a two-level problem, at one level some industry accreditation bodies make it very difficult for international students to access required field work placements. IEAA alleged that to be a psychologist in Australia, it is almost impossible to get a field placement, yet Australia has all these young people who have to go to Anglo-Celtic mental health counsellors who have got no intercultural competency training.
3.68Professional bodies can set their levels of English language proficiency for registration or professional accreditation. NEAS described different organisations may prescribe a specific level and period of validity for an applicant's English language proficiency assessment, for example, test validity within two years of the assessment date.
3.69Hon. Phil Honeywood highlighted some contradictions that exists within the industry accreditation bodies:
… These industry accreditation bodies are all-powerful. They often don't consult as widely as they should. For example, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation told me that we're going to have a shortage of 30,000 nurses by whatever date it is. But, at the same time, they've lifted the English language minimum entry level. Overnight that locked out Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese and it meant that we became a Filipino market. It's controversial because a lot of Australians worry about it, but, at the end of the day, in aged care it's those migrant workers who are going be doing, and are still doing at the moment, the heavy lifting.
3.70The Committee received evidence from the Skilled Migration Services, that there is an English language requirement to get into some universities which is an academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) of seven.
3.71Engineers Australia suggested that the universities, not the faculties, set the IELTS target and that it varies between universities but is generally a six or a six and a half.
Engineers Australia doesn't specify the IELTS requirement for universities, so that's set by the universities in relation to what they see as reasonable for the studies that the students are going to undertake. That varies between different universities but is generally six or 6.5, rather than seven. There are also pathways into engineering programs, and there can be variation in some of the international pathways too. We do not set a requirement, per se, for registration purposes either. We are also the assessing authority for the migration skills assessment, and the IELTS that we specify there is in alignment with the general visa requirements that the government set.
3.72Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) highlighted the difficulties in psychology placements and international students, with barriers that mean there were:
…possibly no overseas students undergoing clinical training in psychology in Australia. This is partly because the Psychology Board won't register someone who is not resident in Australia or a citizen of Australia to practise psychology in Australia. You could say that that is a regulatory barrier. Although a lot of overseas students study undergraduate psychology, very few enter—in fact, as I said, I'm not aware of any that have entered actual clinical training.
3.73APAC spoke to an overall difficulty in a lack of placement opportunities overall for domestic and international psychology students to gain a placement, in addition to barriers to accreditation detailed above on the grounds of residency.
3.74The National Union of Students (NUS) argued that living in Australia provides international students with an immersive environment where they can continually practise and enhance their English language skills, therefore the expiration of English language proficiency after two years should be reconsidered to better reflect the linguistic capabilities of onshore international students and removes an unnecessary barrier and expense for international graduates to gain skilled work, or be considered for professional registration.
3.75The NUS therefore recommended the requirement to revalidate English language competency after 2 years should be removed. They further contend that proficiency in a language is a valuable asset that takes time and effort to develop, and it should not be disregarded or devalued based on an arbitrary time limit.
3.76IEAA believed that government needs to take greater initiative on a communications campaign, both with employers and with students, particularly at the front end, when they arrive here.
3.77Engineers Australia expanded on one example of provider industry integration by Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. Engineers Australia explained that the Bathurst program is structured differently to most standard Bachelor of Engineering programs, whereby students in an integrated master's program will do four one-year cadetships in the region with employers, allowing for industry integration in the region. However, Engineers Australia cautioned that while the bulk of those students are domestic students, not international students, it is a good example from a regional perspective, understanding the needs of the region and being connected in with the university. It is just not yet been fully explored for the international student component.
Apprenticeships
3.78State and territory governments are responsible for regulating apprenticeships and traineeships under state and territory legislation. This includes determining which qualifications can be undertaken as an apprenticeship or traineeship, and apprentice and trainee citizenship and residency requirements, which can vary from state to state. Currently, state and territory eligibility generally does not extend to international student visa holders.
3.79The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) informed the Committee that:
… for an apprenticeship or traineeship to be available, there must be an employer willing to sign up to a Training Contract with that apprentice or trainee. Under the Training Contract, the employer must commit to providing supervision, on the job training and paid time off work for off the job training. In exchange, the apprentice or trainee can be paid at a Training Wage, which is typically a proportion of the standard award rate.
3.80The DEWR highlighted that the Australian Government’s Australian Apprenticeships Incentives System seeks to address skills shortages by getting apprentices working in secure jobs that are in demand, filling skills shortages now and into the future. It does this by linking eligibility for key Incentives System payments to the Australian Government’s Australian Apprenticeships Priority List (the Priority List). The Priority List is based on independent analysis of skills in demand by Jobs and Skills Australia and is updated annually. Support was expressed for the idea that apprenticeships could be offered in both the VET and university sectors.
3.81In relation to vocational traineeships and apprenticeships, Mr Parsonson, Executive Officer of the International Student Education Agents Association commented:
As one who's currently working with a trade college, a privately owned trade college, the idea of using an apprenticeship as a way of directing people into proper skills, proper training and proper employment would be admirable. That would be a very good case indeed.
3.82Hon Phil Honeywood commented that in a former position of Joint Chair of the National Electrical Contractors Association, he discovered that there were numerous migrants going into traditional trade skills. He commented:
… if we are going to bring temporary migrants here, they will not be getting the occupational health and safety training that is so crucial to these para-professional areas. So we are a great advocate of having licensed apprenticeships made available to overseas students; it seems to us to be a no-brainer. Other countries have to import this type of skillset. We should be able to train our own via international student apprenticeships.
3.83Professor Peter Dawkins, Jobs and Skills Australia, discussed the idea of universities offering apprenticeships with the Committee.
Increasingly, in other countries there has been an interest in broadening this concept of apprenticeships—we tend to focus on a restricted number of trades—into a larger number of occupations. You could call them apprenticeships or cadetships, but that review that I did recommend that government have a close look at expanding the opportunities for people to combine an employment contract with a learning program and for the learning program to be designed in partnership with industry.
3.84Professor Dawkins continued to impress upon the Committee the need to introduce higher apprenticeship programs. Professor Dawkins commented:
There have been various pilots of this, higher apprenticeship programs, but I think it's something that is well worth exploring. I have the opportunity to present to the higher education accord panel tomorrow, and I'll be making the same point to them: I think this is an important issue.
3.85ITECA stated that ‘there’s a strong argument when we look at what we are calling the traditional trades, apprenticeships and training in some of those other areas … (such as) healthcare.’
3.86The Department of Education shared with the Committee the Department’s focus on working with the education sector and the business community to narrow that gap for international students and in line with the direction of the government's migration strategy, including through professional associations to work in a joined-up way with the business community.
3.87The Department of Education agreed that was still a great need in terms of filling workforce shortages.
You could almost say that one of the benefits of the COVID circumstances and their impact on the labour market is that, as a result, we have seen better employment outcomes for international students. But there is still a surprising gap, particularly for skills that are in high demand such as engineering. There we see a big discrepancy between the employment outcomes of domestic and international students for an area of work where Jobs and Skills Australia shows us that there is a high degree of skills shortage …
Higher education partnerships
3.88IEAA held that many Australian employers do not understand how simple it is to employ international students in both part-time and full-time skill-in-demand occupations. Engineers Australia highlighted their work in Darwin as a successful integration of Engineers Australia, working with graduates and industry to deliver the right visa message. Engineers Australia considered showcasing examples of where organisations are employing international graduates, like in Darwin, would go a long way to get industry on board.
3.89Engineers Australia spoke about a pilot program they facilitated with industry partners to do work placements for international engineering students. Engineers Australia did Australian standard type courses with them and engaged in a lot of networking to teach international students how to engage, and Engineers Australia got organisations to take those students on.
3.90From that pilot, Engineers Australia saw a number of those international students be offered not only their ongoing internship but full-time and part-time employment outside of the program. Engineers Australia suggested peak bodies are in a position where they can facilitate those types of pilots and programs and have the connections to industry to make them successful.
3.91UTS advocated approaches that make sure that employers are part of the process, that employers understand how the visa pathway works, so that they will employ international students knowing they can retain them long term. UTS considered working with industry as key to make sure international students have access to work placement opportunities in relevant courses will further strengthen the pathway. UTS considered this approach to be good for businesses, good for students and will help give any scheme a quality and compliance focus.
3.92Under the Regional Funding Framework, University of Southern Queensland provides $125,000 supported five Study Clusters based in Cairns, Townsville, Toowoomba, Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast. The Clusters promoted the economic value of the engineering and technology sector in their regions and seeks to attract employers to engage directly with the sector by facilitating pathways between students and industry to deliver better career outcomes. Students have the benefit of a range of support and professional development experiences through the Student Hub including free employment and career advice.
3.93Launch U is a talent and employability program supported by University of Southern Queensland. Launch U is designed to connect students, employers, and education providers through different talent and employability experiences designed to build students’ professional skills. By completing the program, students develop six skills areas (e.g., emotional awareness, collaboration, digital effective, innovation, culturally conscious and self-management) to help them succeed in the workplace and be recognised as a candidate of Queensland’s best global talent. More than 80 per cent of the students found the program useful and would recommend it to others.
Online education delivery
3.94Covid-19 saw Australian education providers by necessity rapidly pivot to online delivery. The Department of Education presented that in 2021, the Government provided more than $90 million to support international education providers through the COVID-19 pandemic. This included regulatory fee relief and a FEE-HELP loan fee exemption so providers could repurpose funds to support business viability and students.
3.95The Government delivered two rounds of the Innovation Development Fund (IDF), offering almost $20 million in short-term targeted support to private ELICOS and private higher education providers that experienced significant declines in international student enrolments. Providers were able to apply for grant funding of up to $150,000 to diversify their education offerings into online and offshore delivery.
3.96Outcomes of these projects included the creation of digital learning platforms, the launch of virtual study hubs, setting up hybrid classrooms, expanding English language delivery into new offshore markets, as well as curriculum development.
3.97As a COVID-response measure, the capped percentage for online study for onshore international students was waived by regulators since March 2020. However, this changed on 30 June 2023 with a return to regulatory settings that require providers to deliver no more than one-third of the units (or equivalent) of a higher education or VET course by online or distance learning to an overseas student.
3.98While the use of digital platforms was accelerated out of necessity, and there has been a strong swing back to face-to-face education, evidence suggested that online education is likely to continue to be a part of how education is delivered. Technological advancement is reshaping the way the education sector organises itself and contributes to economic and community development. Griffith University related that the experience of rapidly adopting to an online education model during the pandemic taught that while it is possible to deliver high‐quality educational content and instruction entirely online, students indicated clear preferences towards hybrid and face‐to‐face models.
3.99While significant resources were invested in supporting the retention of students, Griffith’s International Student Barometer 2021 revealed that 81 per cent of Griffith University respondents preferred face‐to‐face over online study, while off‐shore students indicated a desire to transition to an in‐country study experience.
3.100Surveys and reports about the COVID-19 online experiences in general reported a strong and widespread desire for international students to return to onshore and face-to-face learning. Australian Technology Network of Universities pointed to certain source markets that prefer face-to-face, especially China.
3.101Group of Eight (Go8) teach 76 per cent of all Chinese students that come to Australia, so are the largest market for Go8. The Chinese Government had to change their legislation throughout COVID-19 so that students' degrees were recognised, they have now largely shifted that back to a face-to-face qualification recognition stance. In meetings with Middle East representatives there is a hard no to accepting online qualifications recognition. There's not a one-size-fits-all model. Students in India did not respond as well to online learning during COVID-19 as students in China did.
3.102Independent analysis conducted for Austrade suggested that traditional international education experiences (onshore, on-campus, face to face) will continue to be sought after by students in dominant source markets. The continued success of the traditional model will be highly dependent on conducive and competitive student visa and post study work rights policy settings, perceptions of value for money, access to employment opportunities while studying, and relevant, meaningful graduate employment outcomes.
3.103While this is good news for Australian onshore face-to-face international education, there is capacity to explore what online can mean for new untapped markets such as transnational and hybrid and for traditional markets to consider introducing flexibility in the delivery of services. Global flows of ideas, trade and knowledge are changing at an unprecedented rate. Increasingly sophisticated digital environments and platforms to disruptive global events such as COVID-19 are rewriting how people study and work.
3.104IEAA argued for caution that Australia needs to be cognisant of some of the issues that could compromise quality if the sector moves too far to online teaching and learning. While IEAA acknowledges that, particularly in the VET area, there is scope for enhanced online learning or hybrid pedagogical initiatives, there needs to be a very cautious approach to how the component of online learning could compromise the quality of the outcome of what would traditionally be face-to-face teaching and learning. IEAA pointed to the risk of online to impact the Chinese market, given the largely negative Chinese government stance on online learning and recognition of qualifications.
Challenges in student experience online
3.105One challenge associated with the loss of international student numbers is its impact on the overall diversity of the student population in Australia. The risk associated with online learning is the limitation of diffusing these different perspectives and removing the learning opportunity to learn how to live in a diverse society.
3.106Australian providers will need to consider how to best provide adequate support to online students, including technology and connectivity issues, and health and welfare. Social isolation is a common challenge in online study environments. Education providers as well as providing their own in-house support services have traditionally relied on Australian support services such as Beyond Blue and Lifeline, however most of these would not be available to online students who are located offshore.
3.107TEQSA's Foundations for good practice: The student experience of online learning in Australian higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) identified six main themes raised by students in adapting to an online learning regime. While these themes were identified under the hard online pivot required under the pandemic, they remain important considerations for the future of Australian education online:
- reduced interaction with academic staff and peers
- difficulties with IT and variation in staff expertise in its use
- assessment changes
- isolation, lack of engagement and reduced motivation
- difficulty with the translation of some subject areas from an internal to an online mode of delivery, and
- lack of access to libraries as a source of peer socialisation as well as a physical quiet study location.
- The TEQSA report raised questions about the quality of the sector's teaching and learning IT infrastructure. Navitas cautioned that international education is hypercompetitive, and it does not get more competitive than online.
Transnational Education (TNE)
3.109Transnational students are those students located offshore, who do not hold a student visa and are studying at an Australian institution. For example, transnational students can be:
- at an offshore Australian provider campus
- studying for an Australian qualification through an approved third-party provider, and
- studying wholly online and located offshore.
- University of Canberra (UC) pointed out that the key to Australian TNE success is to ensure that there a strong broader narrative on the quality of Australian higher education or tertiary education. Quality across the board is first and foremost, because we know that governments overseas and families are very interested in what they hear through the media about the universities, whether the government is supporting universities or whether they are supportive of universities. Part of that is to continue to talk about rankings, that there is communication about the environment that Australia has, and that education is valued, both by the nation and by the government.
- UC acknowledged that the issue around government-to-government relationships is a very important part on TNE success. A lot of the university partnerships offshore are dependent on making sure that there are good relationships at the government level as well, between the governments and the different countries, so that Australia education providers are welcomed into those countries.
- Deakin University shared that when they consider transnational education and Australia's further engagement across the region, it is not only a question of a financial challenge; the regulatory challenge is very significant in very complex environments.
- In the Indo-Pacific region and Latin America the demand for skills is growing due to economic challenges arising from population demographics, technology advances, structural adjustment of labour markets and the rapidly evolving needs of industry. Australia is well-placed to respond to this increasing global demand for skills development, particularly in industries where Australia is regarded as a global leader.
- UC stated that they have been offering transnational education to students overseas for some time. These courses attract students who want a quality education but do not necessarily want to study in Australia. More broadly, UC considered that Australia is growing its transnational footprint with many Australian institutions offering offshore programs or opening offshore campuses, including digitisation of many courses with more students opting to study entirely online.
- Austrade considered that diversification by mode and model of delivery can hedge against market disruption such as prolonged border travel restrictions, reduce reliance on a dominant international education model, and build pipelines of students for study in Australia via transnational education (TNE) pathways. Austrade research and in-market intelligence indicated that demand for pathways and hybrid offshore online/onshore on-campus learning is building alongside the traditional student segment. This cohort seeks an international learning experience with more control over time, place, path, pace, and price. They seek qualifications and credentials that are accessible and convenient, stackable, affordable, portable, and valued by employers.
- Department of Education identified innovations in education delivery, such as the rapid rise of online education, microcredentials, short courses and transnational education (TNE), are a key driver of new market opportunities as students seek to tailor their education experience to their preferred location and style of learning.
Visas and legislative protections
3.117An international student in Australia on a student visa who undertakes online study will come under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) legislative framework and protections. A transnational student who studies online and does not hold a student visa will not come under the protections of the ESOS Act.
3.118Section 26 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act) requires a registered provider to ensure that any third party delivering a course on its behalf (either wholly or partly) delivers the course consistent with all the requirements of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2015 (the HES Framework). The HES Framework does not distinguish between requirements for courses delivered in Australia or overseas.
3.119Australian registered training organisations, agents operating on its behalf, delivering VET courses leading to AQF certification to students in overseas locations, or studying online are regulated by ASQA.
3.120ASQA is the national regulator for Australia's VET sector and is empowered to audit the offshore operations of registered training organisations. ASQA's 2019 Report, Protecting the quality of international VET and English language education highlighted regulating offshore delivery is challenging due to a range of factors, including the distance, and spread of delivery sites and the lack of timely and reliable data being available to the regulator.
3.121ASQA identified a need to ensure offshore students are afforded the same protections as other students. Offshore delivery of VET introduced risks to the Australian VET system, both nationally and internationally. This included the risk of poor-quality VET impacting the reputations of Australian VET providers, Australian VET qualifications and the Australian VET system. RTOs delivering to offshore students are not subject to any additional legislative requirements over and above the VET Quality Framework. This differs from the additional requirements placed on providers seeking to deliver to overseas students undertaking VET in Australia on a student visa, under the ESOS legislative framework. RTOs delivery non-AQF training offshore and ASQA has no authority or role in the quality assurance of this training.
3.122ASQA's 2019 report found that reputational risks are generally related to the quality of program delivery. This included the risk of training and assessment not reflecting the requirements of Australian industry as described by training packages. Training and assessment that do not meet the requirements of training packages may have no value for students seeking employment in Australia and may be seen as a 'second-class' qualification. These risks may affect students, individual providers, and the Australian VET system.
Committee Comment
3.123The Committee acknowledges the many issues raised in relation to the current visa framework, and in particular, the disconnect between getting an education as an international student in Australia and forging a skilled career path afterwards. The Committee notes that the Government’s Migration Review will seek to address many of the visa concerns voiced in this inquiry hence makes few specific recommendations in this area given this work is underway.
3.124In relation to visas, the Committee considers that the weight of evidence strongly supports the need for a substantive overhaul of the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement for student visas. Prospective international students should be assessed on their merits as a genuine student and the current situation is ridiculous whereby prospective genuine students are penalised and refused a visa if they simply and honestly express an interest or ambition to pursue skilled work opportunities in Australia post-graduation. Home Affairs should of course take account of integrity risks including the risks over overstaying or taking protection visa claims onshore, however merely expressing an interest in such future opportunities does not guarantee a pathway or provide any additional rights or permanent visas.
3.125The Committee is extremely concerned by evidence that the current system is promoting rorts and workarounds whereby an increasing number of students are seeking a higher education visa which is easier to obtain than switching to VET courses. A Genuine Student Entry test should replace the current GTE and its design be informed by consultation with the sector. Additional safeguards should be considered to make it harder for students to obtain a visa onshore to study VET courses if they arrived in Australia to study a higher education qualification. The Committee is not recommending that the current requirement prohibiting student transfers before the first 6 months of the substantive course is complete be amended or increased as it appears to strike a reasonable balance. Rather than the visa system should not so easily facilitate large flows of students onshore from higher education to VET courses.
3.126The Committee supports reform to Australia’s migration system that will support clearer pathways to skilled work visas for the best and brightest international graduates from Australian universities in areas of Australia’s critical skill needs. A reformed system should identify those students able to make the strongest contribution to Australia much earlier and provide pathways to skilled migration. It is reasonable to expect English language standards to have improved whilst studying in Australia and to make this a requirement of graduate work visas given clear evidence that this is a critical factor for employability and future labour market success. A reformed migration system should not continue to give false hope to large numbers of students who are not going to meet Australia’s future skills needs.
3.127The Committee strongly advocates for the international education sector to proactively engage with industry, peak bodies, and all tiers of Government to build strategic communication and linkage strategies to better prepare and equip international students, and graduates with the employability skills and experience to transition into jobs that they are qualified for in order to:
- safeguard the reputation of a quality Australian education system that can produce real world results
- benefit foreign policy objectives of the Australian Government to support international graduates equipped with qualifications and experience to take up professional career pathways into senior levels of government and industry in their home countries or internationally, and who will likely retain a positive relationship to Australia
- benefit Australia domestically to prepare and retain the best and brightest international graduates to take up skilled jobs in Australia
- contribute to disrupting the exploitation of international graduates for low skill and gig economy labour.
- The Committee recognises the importance of accreditation bodies in ensuring that Australian professional standards are upheld. The Committee is dismayed to hear evidence of unreasonable impediments for international students and graduates to achieve the accreditation necessary to be able to take up jobs that are in areas of critical skills shortages, especially in regional Australia. For example the College of Nursing acknowledged there is no apparent justification for requiring IELTS 7 level English for all international student nurses – a standard that many Australian domestic students would not meet.
- The Committee believes domestic students should have priority where vocational opportunities are limited such as apprenticeships and clinical placements. However, it seems irrational that even the brightest top international students cannot pursue a clinical placement in psychology when Australia has a desperate shortage of CALD psychologists. Even the ability for up to 5% of clinical placements to be available to the highest performing international students seeking skilled migration pathways to Australia would help train and retain the best in our country. Similarly, whilst apprenticeship funding and places are restricted to domestic students, there are sustained critical skills shortages in various trades. International students are currently not permitted to meet this demand and instead are forced to return to their home countries to seek employment.
- The Committee asserts there is potential for work-integrated learning models for international students, if supported by robust integrity measures to prevent exploitation. This would be an effective model for international graduates to gain workforce experience and enhance their employment prospects in Australia.
- The Committee considers that there may be opportunity to expand an apprenticeship model for certain international students seeking to stay in Australia to meet skills shortages in areas where domestic students are not meeting these needs. This would need to be strictly capped and require significant changes to funding, regulatory and migration regimes.
- However, the Committee is cognisant of the real risk of abuse of apprenticeships by unscrupulous providers and employers who would seek to exploit vulnerable international students into a labour exploitation situation thinly veiled as an apprenticeship. Such an expansion would be valuable if robust management and proactive monitoring was built in providers and employers were carefully vetted.
- The Committee finally considers that for an export sector this important to Australia there has been inadequate Parliamentary scrutiny in a considered way in previous years. Australia’s international education sector is highly dynamic and global markets are hyper-competitive, hence policy and regulatory frameworks must continuously evolve. There are serious issues which have been identified through this inquiry that warrant ongoing monitoring. The Committee recommends that the Committee reviews the international sector two years from now.
3.134The Committee recommends the Government engage with the international education sector and industry bodies to develop and implement targeted campaigns to educate employers on the opportunities to hire international student graduates in sectors with high skilled job vacancies. Campaigns must combat employer confusion and misinformation about graduate work rights, visa conditions and pathways to permanent residency (where available). The first campaign focus should be for engineering, information technology and health industries, followed by other skilled occupations identified in high demand.
3.135The Committee recommends the Government establish a national work-integrated learning framework to oversight work-integrated learning placements. The work-integrated learning framework and any accompanying system changes should be developed in consultation with the international education sector, industry peak bodies and accreditation bodies and the work-integrated learning peak body, taking into consideration Fair Work Requirements and ensuring robust oversight of providers and businesses to prevent student exploitation and integrity loopholes.
The work-integrated learning accreditation system should support the integration of accreditation placements into the work-integrated learning program, where appropriate. Further sandwich courses, higher education apprenticeships and other paid work and learn integrated models of study are increasingly common in jurisdictions with whom Australia competes for international students. These models offer better integration between industry and educational entities, and should be given immediate consideration by a taskforce established by the Government.
3.136The Committee recommends the Government take a pro-active, interventionist approach in reviewing unreasonable barriers to qualified international student graduates filling skills shortage roles that are imposed by professional accreditation bodies, to identify opportunities to streamline and remove unnecessary requirements while preserving quality assurance. The Committee recommends these reviews target and assess, as a matter of priority, accreditation barriers and issues encountered by qualified international graduates in health and allied health professional fields. There should be a specific focus on accreditation issues in nursing, midwifery, and psychology, then professional trades and other critical skills shortage areas, as they emerge.
Consideration should be given to improving pathways to apprenticeships and work placements for both vocational education and training and university degrees for international students where skills shortages cannot be met domestically.
3.137The Committee recommends, in light of the highly dynamic nature of the international education sector and global markets and the continuously evolving policy and regulatory frameworks, an appropriate Parliamentary Committee hold a regular annual or biennial ‘check-in’ inquiry, either stand-alone or as part of a routine annual report inquiry by the Trade Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade.