Category: NEAS News

Congratulations to UTS College!

Posted on | by Ed Itor

Congratulations to UTS College (formerly Insearch) on successful completion of its 2021 NEAS Quality Review! UTS College has been a member of NEAS since 1989 and offers exceptional pathway programs designed with UTS entry requirements in mind. UTS College, like many providers, continues to deliver its courses remotely and has done an outstanding job of moving all teaching, learning and assessment to their Canvas LMS, all while managing the implementation of a brand-new curriculum.

NEAS encourages its members to share their NEAS achievements on social media.

Working for an Endorsed Centre, UTS College teachers also benefit from access to the NEAS Quality ELT Professional Listing. To join the register of Quality ELT professionals, please visit the NEAS website here.

Early snapshot of international enrolments

Posted on | by Ed Itor

An ICEF article of 21 January outlined important observations for the first quarter of 2021.

Secretary of the Department of Health, Brendan Murphy, recently expressed his expectation for current restrictions on international arrivals to remain in place for “most of 2021”.

The weekly cap on international arrivals has been reduced from 7,500 to less than 5,000 per week, and will prioritise returning Australians over foreign nationals, including visiting students.

To date, only one pilot programme to bring in international students (to the Northern Territory) has proceeded. All other pilots (for South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria) have been suspended.

The Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) observed that returning or continuing international students enrolled in Australia as of 15 October 2020 declined by about 13% year-over-year, to about 502,000. From this foundation, DESE estimated at least 381,546 enrolments on 1 January 2021.

2021 NEAS Management Conference

Posted on | by Ed Itor

Experience the 2021 NEAS Management Conference through a new and exciting format that blends online and face-to-face engagement. Eminent speakers from Australia and New Zealand include: Saroo Brierley, Professor Anne Burns, Professor Peter O’Connor, Associate Professor Kelly Freebody and many more! See here for the full program.

The conference will showcase transformative journeys that our members have experienced in their distinguished careers.

Be empowered by ELT experts, sharing leading theory, research and practice. Connect with and be inspired by local and international thought leaders.

In addition to two days of livestreamed content, remote participants can chat to partners in our Virtual Expo. There is a rich array of presentations and resources available to download, post-conference.

Please be sure to purchase your early bird in-person tickets before they sell out.

To view our ticket prices click here.

To view the program click here.

Congratulations to this year’s NSW International Student Awards winners!

Posted on | by Ed Itor
  • Schools – Tung Linh Ha (Vietnam, Beverly Hills Girls High School)
  • English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) – Shuang Zhang (China, University of Newcastle)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET) – Elise Hyoin Lee (South Korea, TAFE NSW Ultimo)
  • Higher Education – Jami Emerson (United States, Australian Catholic University)

These individuals have made outstanding and selfless contributions to the local community and have shown leadership and courage, overcoming a range of challenges in 2020.

NEAS also congratulates the two winners of the NSW International Student Community Engagement Awards;

  • Business and Community – The University of Wollongong and community partners’ ‘Food+ with Care Project’
  • Education Providers –  The Macquarie Student Success Support Package initiative

ACET Vietnam Quality Review

Posted on | by Ed Itor

Congratulations to ACET Vietnam on successful completion of their 2020 Quality Review! ACET has been a member of NEAS since 2011. Managed by IDP Education, ACET delivers the UTS Insearch Academic English program along with additional courses across four centres in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. A common theme emerging from the surveys and focus groups was a recognition and appreciation of a highly professional and supportive academic team.

ACET’s 1-1 lessons have been a huge hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and students appear to be very well cared for and supported at the Centre. One student commented “I love ACET to the moon and back. It is my dream centre to study.”

NEAS Management Conference 2021 – Do it YOUR way!

Posted on | by Ed Itor

We are excited to embrace the opportunities offered by modern technology. Next year’s conference might seem a little different to previous years…. We’re reaching delegates far and wide through a refreshed digital lens that will allow you to access even more content than ever before. So, if you can’t attend in person, you won’t be missing out on anything!

In addition to a full 2 days of livestreamed content, broadcasted from Sydney’s Doltone House, you can download 25+ presentations, say hello and chat to partners in our Virtual Expo, and live stream speaker sessions to create a program unique to you.

Our conference will be an unparalleled opportunity to connect and network with industry stakeholders, hear from experienced speakers and get exclusive access to the latest industry developments from our sponsors.

The 2021 conference will feature:

  • A blended experience offering – attend in person or online
  • 28 speakers from around the world
  • 20+ exhibitors
  • An exclusive CEO Roundtable Harbour Cruise
  • Ample networking opportunities in a premium setting
  • It’s all about content, content, content! Before, during and after!

Tickets will be going on sale soon – stay tuned for more updates.

Safety for students at your ELT Centre

Posted on | by Ed Itor

Join Robert Chasse and Joanna Storti from Sonder, to discuss an innovative approach to delivering and scaling student support through COVID, and in a heightened remote learning environment.  The webinar will focus on providing NEAS members with an overview of how Sonder can support institutions with international student re-entry, quarantine support, mental health support, and managing risk through this highly disruptive time for the ELICOS sector.

Throughout the webinar, NEAS members will be invited to share feedback on the current challenges they face in providing consistent, high quality, and multilingual student support.  As a sector, how will we position ourselves competitively in the current fragile international student market? How will we assure and demonstrate the quality of our support programs both on and offshore? and how will ensure a consistent framework for personalised mental health support? These are some of the big questions we’ll aim to unpack in this session.

Speaker Bios

Joanna Storti is the Head of Education at Sonder and leads the education team across partner development and partner success. Joanna is a senior international education specialist with 20 years of experience across tertiary student recruitment, business development, marketing, partnerships, student mobility, and program development.

Robert Chasse is the Education Partnerships Manager at Sonder, where he is responsible for ensuring the successful integration of the Sonder service for new partners and enhancing the quality of support and reporting for existing partners. With 15 years of experience in the international education sector, Robert effectively navigates environments typified by change and complex issues to deliver results and innovate how organisations achieve their strategic priorities.

Register here

First NEAS Master Practitioner in ELT!

Posted on | by Ed Itor

Congratulations to David Ferguson on becoming the first person to complete the NEAS Master Practitioner in ELT course! Worth 20 NEAS CPD points, this course is for the ELT professional who is working, teaching or studying in the ELT field and has gained considerable experience in applying quality assurance principles in their professional practice.

The course provides opportunities to demonstrate and apply knowledge, skills and experience with the NEAS Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) to the ELT context. The Master Practitioner course is the capstone course and a culmination of the NEAS Online Professional Development journey.

To find out more about the NEAS Master Practitioner in ELT course, visit

NEAS Capstone Course: Master Practitioner in ELT (Quality Assurance)

or contact NEAS on +61 2 9055 9275 or at neas@neas.org.au.

Hills International Education

Posted on | by Ed Itor

Congratulations to Hills International Education (HIE) – the ELICOS arm of The Hills Grammar School on a successful Quality Review outcome for 2020. HIE is located in a beautiful bushland campus in Kenthurst, 45 minutes from Sydney’s CBD. The school offers HSP at four levels, and ELICOS students are integrated into mainstream classes for mathematics, physical education and a well-being program.

Due to smaller class numbers, students at HIE receive high levels of attention and individual support. Flexibility and the ability to tailor content and delivery styles to individual students is a key feature of the HIE program, and students could articulate how teachers provided materials and support for them to develop in their individual areas for improvement.

View all endorsed centres here.