It’s really getting exciting now – we only have fourteen days before it is the 2023 NEAS Management Conference week, and the NEAS team is beavering away behind the scenes to perfect the event details to make it your most enjoyable and fruitful conference experience yet. If you haven’t got your conference and Gala Dinner tickets yet, there are still a few left, so hurry and buy now!

So, what do we have lined up for you? 

As you know this year is different as the conference runs for three days with more than 70 presenters at two venues: UTS – 3 May and Doltone House – 4, 5 May. 

Day Two (4 May) features plenary speakers such as Ms Leigh Sales AM, Professor Tyrone Carlin, Dr Georgi Toma, Dr Choltis Dhrathiti and Mr Michael fay. But the international presence does not stop there! We are thrilled to share the news that we will have Councillor (Waskam) Emelda Davis from the City of Sydney Council formally opening the conference. Councillor Davis will be joined by five eminent colleagues, including High Commissioner Samson Vilvil Fare of the Vanuatu Government at the Gala Dinner on Thursday Evening. 

Day Three (5 May) will see a plethora of speakers, Communities of Practice and In Focus panel discussions – there will be three rooms open, running parallel programs and this smorgasbord of interesting topics provides something for everyone. To top it all off we are honoured to have His Excellency Vasyl Myroshnychenko wrap up our momentous conference with the Closing Plenary speech.

If you want more, then join the Day One extra, special, full-day Professional Academic Manager Training Workshop at UTS College, Ultimo, Sydney on Day One. This is targeted exclusively at new and aspiring Academic Managers and is worth 10 CPD points. There are just 25 places available, so if you are quick, you might just snaffle one of the last tickets!

Jason West is the Convenor of the COP Workshop: Leadership in ELT.

He is Director of Studies at UTS College where he leads and manages the delivery of the Academic English curriculum, for both face to face, and live online teaching modes. In addition Jason also supports Academic Managers across the transnational partner network, based in China (EIC, SILC), (South) Korea (IEN), Vietnam (ACET), Myanmar (AEC) and the UTS College Sri Lanka who all deliver the UTS College’s English curriculum. Jason is focused on high quality outcomes and standardisation of delivery regardless of location.

Sophie O’Keefe is a speaker in the COP Workshop: Leadership in ELT.

She is the PD Manager at English Australia and as such her role is to drive the development of professional standards for English Australia Member Colleges and the ELICOS sector. She manages a range of specific projects including the English Australia Conference; the English Australia Journal; the English Australia Action Research in ELICOS Program; English Australia Special Interest Groups (SIGs); English Australia Guides to Best Practice in ELICOS and the English Australia Continuing Professional Development Program.

March 2023

2023 NEAS MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE PROGRAM – DAY 1

Day ONE of the 2023 NEAS Management Conference on 3 May is shaping up to be a day of interaction, lively debate and the sharing of QA tips and tricks for new and aspiring Academic Managers. This workshop is worth 10 CPD points and will be held at at UTS College, Lvl 13, 235 Jones St, Broadway, Sydney.

If you are new to academic management or aspiring to become involved in academic management, this is the workshop for you! There are only 25 places available and registrations are selling fast! You can secure your spot here.

In Session 1 Rima Ibrahim, Education Manager from NEAS Australia will be facilitating the workshop: ABCs of Academic Management – NEAS Guidelines for Academic Managers. 

In Session 2 Daniel Yuen, Operations Manager from NEAS Australia will be facilitating the workshop: What is the difference between Manager and Leader? 

In Session 3 Peetra Lechte, Communications Manager from NEAS Australia will be facilitating this workshop: Empowering and engaging with teachers to navigate a digital world as their Academic Manager. 

In Session 4 Patrick Pheasant, CEO from NEAS Australia will be facilitating this workshop:Teacher or Artist? 

All workshops will include interactive dialogue and brainstorming activities to stimulate discussion and ideas, while exchanging guiding principles and strategies.

March 2023

This week we welcome Dr Oksana King to the Ukraine Workshop Series. She is an experienced TESOL professional who has been teaching English to migrants and international students in Australia for 20 years.  She has held positions of Curriculum Coordinator and Director of Studies at Monash University and Melbourne’s training organisations.  She currently teaches on the Adult Migrant English Program at Holmesglen Institute in Melbourne’s south-east. As a migrant from Ukraine herself, Oksana is active in the Ukrainian community and is the Principal of the Ukrainian Community School in Melbourne.

Her presentation The Australian ELT Teacher Experience with Ukrainian War Migrants draws on Australian ELT teachers’ experience of teaching recent migrants from Ukraine and provide hands-on language teaching strategies that are both educational and respectful of the learners’ lived war experiences in Ukraine. The presentation will demonstrate how language learned through the senses can be both instructive and therapeutic.

March 2023

This year’s NEAS Management Conference brings us a lot of diversity with speakers from all areas of the ELT sector. This week we are throwing the Spotlight on Education Agents and those who work closely with agents from schools, colleges and English Language centres, as they all play a significant roll in bringing English language students to our Australian shores.

At the conference there will two discussion panels where there will be a focus on Education Agents and the importance of the work they do.

At the In Focus: Education Agents session with: Sylvain Lolley, Melanie MacFalane and Guaravdeep (GD) Signh, agents will talk about their work in helping students choose education institutions to suit their needs.

At the COP Workshop: Education Agents session, with Gavin Dowling, Shirley Sun, Youngeun Song and Leisl Bruhn who are from different education establishments around Australia you will hear insights into the importance of Education Agents and their important role in student recruitment.

In Focus: Education Agents

Melanie MacFarlane

Melanie Macfarlane is a registered and practising Migration Agent with over 17 years’ experience securing visas for migrants to live, work and study in Australia. She has worked with individuals, families and employers from small to large-scale businesses, all with the same common goal – to explore new opportunities and create a happy world, one migrant at a time. 

Melanie founded MMMigration & Recruitment and VETA Education & Migration in 2007 and has since grown the company to offices across 3 states in Australia as well as Colombia, Chile and Mexico. At MMMigration and VETA the team reduces the stress and confusion from the migration process, ensuring peace of mind and positive outcomes. 

Sylvain Lolley

In 2016, Sylvain Lolley founded Catch-Up Education and offer numerous education opportunities to people of all ages, backgrounds and origins. 

After more than 20 years in the Pacific (Tahiti, New Caledonia) in the marketing and communication sector, Sylvain joined the education sector by becoming Sales Manager for a French-speaking education agency based in Sydney, Australia. When he created Catch-Up Education in 2016, Sylvain already had a strong network of contacts within the industry. In 2019, Catch-up Education joined ICEF as an education agency and in 2020, Catch-up Education received the KISS Rock Award from ILAC Canada for the quality of its services to students and its involvement during the Covid-19 period. The same year, Sylvain received the Quality Agent endorsement from NEAS and Sylvain believes this distinction is a guarantee of seriousness and quality for any support agency.

Guaravdeep (GD) Singh

Guaravdeep (fondly known as GD) is the CEO & MD of Apply 4 Study & also the Representative of Migration Alliance, (Australian Professional Lobby for Migration Practitioners) for Indian Subcontinent & Australian Education Sector. I have been working in Education Industry for over 18 years & have rich experience at Senior level management, particularly in areas of HRM, Training, Migration Law & Marketing.

GD’s key areas of focus are global expansion, brand building, collaborations, acquisitions & mergers. Finalist at Australian Business Champion awards, winner of the Best Inbound Education Consultancy by Corporate Vision, AI Publishing UK, winner of CEO of the Year 2022 Skill India Business Awards, New Delhi India & an eminent Indian Australian entrepreneur figure in Global education space.

COP Workshop: Education Agents

Leisl Bruhn

Leisl is the Dean of International Students at Ivanhoe Grammar, which includes being the Academic Manager of the ELICOS Program, teaching VCE EAL and pastoral care responsibilities for the School’s international students.  Leisl began her teaching career in the East End of London and for the past 6 years she has held the very rewarding position as EAL Mentor for Ivanhoe’s VCE Offshore Programs which has given her the privilege of working alongside and sharing EAL teaching practices with highly experienced and professional colleagues. Leisl is also Convenor for the Education Agents COP at this year’s NEAS Management Conference.

Shirley Sun

Shirley was appointed the Head of St John’s International College in 2006. Prior to the Head of College position, she was the Marketing Manager as well as a teacher within the college, then known as Forest Lake College.

Shirley has been working closely with education agents for more than 20 years. Due to the age of the high school students, she has to delve deeper into the complexities of connecting the agents with the parents.

Youngeun Song

Youngeun is Principal Executive Officer of APC Education Group currently comprises English Unlimited and Australian Pacific College and is responsible for overseeing the operation and strategic movements for the group. 

Youngeun started her career in education as owner director of a childcare centre in Seoul, South Korea. Since arriving in Australia 2003, Youngeun has been taking on multiple management and executive roles in the international education industry for private ELICOS centres and Vocational Education and Training colleges. 

APC Education Group is a multiple award winning private education provider that has been operating since 2004 and currently operates 13 campuses on the eastern seaboard and South Australia.

Gavin Dowling

Gavin is Chief Operating Officer at Education Centre of Australia, responsible for university partnerships, marketing, admissions, sales, HR, IT and the colleges within the ECA Group. 

He has more than 20 years’ experience in the international education sector in the UK and Australia with significant experience in student acquisition, strategic management and leadership.

After an earlier career working in marketing agencies for a broad range of clients in London, he moved into the high growth international education sector in late 1990’s working for small and large organisations; consulting; and establishing and running two successful education marketing businesses.

March 2023