This information is provided courtesy of Education New Zealand, a Crown Entity funded by the New Zealand Government
© Education New Zealand 2015
© Education New Zealand 2015
A Burgeoning Market:
The Latin America region offers great potential for New Zealand’s international education industry, with countries such as Brazil, Chile and Colombia already important sources of international students to New Zealand. Students from Latin America enjoy the New Zealand way of life, add diversity to the international student population and enhance the internationalisation of our education system. The education reforms in a number of countries in this region also present opportunities for New Zealand’s education consultancy services.
Market overview and trends:
A number of governments in the Latin America region are investing in international education through education reform and scholarship programmes. Government initiatives such as the Brazilian “Science without Borders” and the Chilean “Penguins without Borders” have strengthened interest in transnational student mobility, and provide opportunities for New Zealand.
Institutions in countries such as Brazil are increasingly interested in partnering with New Zealand institutions for academic research and other education collaboration. The development of these markets will help diversify the international student population and secure a greater market share for New Zealand as the economies in this region continue to grow.
Australia and Canada have invested heavily in the region in recent years, and are enjoying positive results, being among the top five main destinations for Latin American students.
Opportunities also exist for in-country delivery of New Zealand education products and services, with key countries in the region undergoing education reform and the need to upskill the population to support and sustain economic growth.
While the Latin America region holds considerable potential, there are significant challenges in realising this potential. A range of factors work against New Zealand as a preferred destination country, such as: New Zealand’s distance from the region – with poor air links resulting in higher costs; a lack of awareness of New Zealand education; and the region’s strong historical links and education connections with European and North American countries.
On the other hand, New Zealand is an appealing study destination for Latin American students because New Zealand is culturally inclusive, New Zealand people are friendly, our education overall has very high quality and our environment is clean and safe.
Students from Latin America do not generally consider international education as a migratory means.
Latin America is an agent-based market, and engaging positively with education agents is essential in making headway in this region. As with all our markets, it is important to allow time for these relationships to bear fruit.
The Latin America region offers great potential for New Zealand’s international education industry, with countries such as Brazil, Chile and Colombia already important sources of international students to New Zealand. Students from Latin America enjoy the New Zealand way of life, add diversity to the international student population and enhance the internationalisation of our education system. The education reforms in a number of countries in this region also present opportunities for New Zealand’s education consultancy services.
Market overview and trends:
A number of governments in the Latin America region are investing in international education through education reform and scholarship programmes. Government initiatives such as the Brazilian “Science without Borders” and the Chilean “Penguins without Borders” have strengthened interest in transnational student mobility, and provide opportunities for New Zealand.
Institutions in countries such as Brazil are increasingly interested in partnering with New Zealand institutions for academic research and other education collaboration. The development of these markets will help diversify the international student population and secure a greater market share for New Zealand as the economies in this region continue to grow.
Australia and Canada have invested heavily in the region in recent years, and are enjoying positive results, being among the top five main destinations for Latin American students.
Opportunities also exist for in-country delivery of New Zealand education products and services, with key countries in the region undergoing education reform and the need to upskill the population to support and sustain economic growth.
While the Latin America region holds considerable potential, there are significant challenges in realising this potential. A range of factors work against New Zealand as a preferred destination country, such as: New Zealand’s distance from the region – with poor air links resulting in higher costs; a lack of awareness of New Zealand education; and the region’s strong historical links and education connections with European and North American countries.
On the other hand, New Zealand is an appealing study destination for Latin American students because New Zealand is culturally inclusive, New Zealand people are friendly, our education overall has very high quality and our environment is clean and safe.
Students from Latin America do not generally consider international education as a migratory means.
Latin America is an agent-based market, and engaging positively with education agents is essential in making headway in this region. As with all our markets, it is important to allow time for these relationships to bear fruit.
BRAZIL:
Brazil is a growing source of international students to the world and the largest source of international students in South America. In 2014 New Zealand saw an 17% increase in Brazilian students compared to 2013. Market overview and trends International experience has long been regarded as a fundamental part of a quality education for the more affluent population in Brazil, but recent initiatives from both federal and state governments have focused on also improving the quality of education for all. Brazil is a strong scholarship market. As the country internationalises its education sector and the society as a whole, the federal and state governments have invested in sending students and public servants overseas for study abroad programmes and professional development training. Science Without Borders and Win the World are two high profile international education scholarships, and further examples can be found in the Opportunities section. The most popular destinations for Brazilian students are the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. The “new” destinations establishing themselves in Brazil include Ireland, South Africa and Malta. Increasing the profile of New Zealand institutions in Brazil and responding quickly to local opportunities are two things that will help increase our chances to grow New Zealand’s market share of Brazilian students.
Brazil is a strong scholarship market. As the country internationalises its education sector and the society as a whole, the federal and state governments are investing in sending students and public servants overseas for study abroad programmes and professional development training. Scholarship programmes are of particular benefit to the university, English language and secondary school sectors in New Zealand. Examples include: Science Without Borders (SWB)The SWB programme is Brazil´s major international tertiary education initiative. It is managed by the Ministry of Education (MEC) and the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI) through their respective funding agencies – the Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). Launched in 2011, the US$1.8 billion SWB programme aims to fund 101,000 Brazilian students to study at the world’s top international universities between 2011 and 2014. This year, a new phase of the programme was announced to offer another 100,000 scholarships between 2015 and 2018. SWB grants scholarships to Brazilian university students for undergraduate and PhD courses mostly in science, technology, engineering, creative arts, agriculture, maths and health sciences (pharmacy and medicine, clinical and pre-clinical). It also supports international researchers in undertaking science and technology studies in Brazil. New Zealand was the 21st country to join SWB in March 2013. In February 2014, the first group of 62 SWB undergraduate students began to study at New Zealand universities. To date, 195 students have come to New Zealand under this scheme, 85% of which in undergrad and 15% in post-graduation courses. A number of smaller scale federal and state-funded scholarship schemes are also in place. Two federal programmes announced in 2014 are:Ministry of Culture: Offering 500 short term training scholarships for professionals in a number of areas not covered by the SWB (including fine arts, fashion and graphic design, gaming, cinema, literature and gastronomy). Ministry of Tourism: Offering short term training for 110 hospitality students. State scholarships include:Brasilia without Borders (Brasilia state): short term training for the public sector, students from universities and secondary schools Win the World (Pernambuco state): scholarships for secondary school students to study abroad for half a year Centro Paula Souza (Sao Paulo state): a four week long scholarship in English language for technical secondary and tertiary students Sectoral opportunitiesBrazil’s scholarship market provides potential for the university, English language and secondary school sectors in New Zealand. The work rights policy introduced by New Zealand Immigration in 2013 has increased New Zealand’s attractiveness as a study destination. Employers in Brazil’s tourism and creative arts sectors welcome graduates who have had a technical and practical education, offering opportunities for New Zealand’s Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) sector. Engaging with organisations such as the Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology, which offers professional and technological education in a range of areas and the 'S' Education System, which offers education for the commerce, industry and rural areas, can also open doors to the Brazilian market for ITPs. These may include offering tailor-made programmes, or creating courses to be offered offshore. Other opportunitiesBrazil is hosting the Olympics in 2016, generating an increased demand for qualified professionals with international experience, and presenting opportunities for education providers offering courses in English language, hospitality and technology among others. In 2013 Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) opened an office in Sao Paulo as its base in Latin America. This presents good opportunities for collaboration on edu-tourism initiatives, such as the one run jointly by ENZ and TNZ in 2014. English language plus sport is another education package that holds some potential in the Brazil market. |
CHILE:
Chile has been one of Latin America’s fastest-growing economies over the past two decades, but the quality of public education is of some concern nationally. New Zealand is regarded as a model for quality education and is a valued partner for a number of Chilean government scholarship initiatives. Market overview and trends New Zealand has a very good education brand in Chile. Our education system is used as one of the model programmes as Chile improves its education sector and progresses toward achieving developed country status. The English language and secondary school sectors have a particularly high profile, and New Zealand is also a popular vocational and technical training destination for Chilean students, particularly those in the agriculture sector. There is potential to deliver in-market training projects, such as the Agricultural Diplomacy Initiative, delivered by Agriculture Services Limted (ASL) – the commercial arm of Primary Industry Training Organisation (ITO). This initiative focuses on adopting the best practices and principles from the New Zealand Industry Training Model in to the Chilean agriculture sector. The need for a more highly-skilled workforce across several key industries has seen the Chilean Government introduce scholarship programmes to meet this demand. New Zealand receives students under such schemes, notably Penguins Without Borders, Semillero Rural programme (formerly Ramon Barros Luco scholarship), and Becas Chile. More detailed information about these scholarships can be found under Opportunities.
OPPORTUNITIES: Chile is a strong market for the school and English language sectors, and there is potential for the Private Training Enterprise (PTE) and Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) sectors to attract more Chilean students to participate in their agricultural training programmes. Further collaboration with their Chilean counterparts may bring increased benefit to New Zealand universities, by way of post graduate education and research. Scholarships present the greatest opportunity currently, and New Zealand is the recipient of a good number of students under the following schemes: Penguins Without Borders (PWB) New Zealand has enjoyed preferred destination status for this high profile scholarship programme introduced in 2013. New Zealand’s involvement in PWB not only increases the flow of school students from Chile, it also provides an opportunity to establish connections with young high-achieving Chilean students, paving the way for them to choose New Zealand as a tertiary study destination. ENZ has secured New Zealand’s continued participation in this programme in to 2015. Semillero Rural Programme (formerly Ramon Barros Luco scholarship) New Zealand’s involvement in the Semillero Rural programme capitalises on New Zealand’s expertise in vocational and technical training, especially in the agriculture sector. Under the scheme, Chilean dairy and horticultural students come to New Zealand to learn English while undergoing farming and horticulture training. After their training, students take part in on-the-job placements on New Zealand farms. Immigration New Zealand has ring-fenced 60 working holiday visas for this scheme. Becas Chile New Zealand hosts university students from Chile through the Becas Chile scholarship scheme. The scheme also presents potential for Institutes of Technology and Polytechnic to participate through the “Tecnicos para Chile” programme that offers scholarships in the vocational training area. |
COLOMBIA:
Colombia has experienced a significant period of political stability and economic growth, creating an increasingly more attractive environment for foreign investment, and leading to greater demand for a skilled and bilingual workforce. As well, Colombia’s aspiration to join the Organisation for Economic and Cooperation and Development (OECD) sees the Government put a strong emphasis on improving its education system, particularly in the higher education sector. Market overview and trends In the past few years, over 20,000 tertiary students from Colombia have studied abroad each year. The Colombian Government is seeking to learn from successful international models, such as New Zealand’s, and shows a keen interest in engaging with New Zealand in the area of education. Colombia has the potential to become a significant international education market for New Zealand. The high value of the Australian dollar, the perceived difficulty in obtaining visas for the United States of America, United Kingdom and Canada and the favourable work rights policy introduced in 2013, all work in New Zealand’s favour in growing its market share.
OPPORTUNITIES: Education New Zealand has established good working relationships with key education agencies in Colombia, including their Ministry of Education; ICETEX*, COLCIENCIAS**, Colfuturo***; and SENA**** providing a good foundation on which to grow our education relationship. Colombia has strong potential in the English language sector. New Zealand’s work rights policy has had a positive impact on the number of students interested in studying in New Zealand and seen an increase in the average length of stay. Agricultural training is in high demand at all levels. Major dairy producer COLANTA has created a loan for farmers’ children to study English in New Zealand while gaining work experience on a New Zealand dairy farm. This presents opportunities for certificate, diploma, bachelor and postgraduate studies. Colombia has also shown interest in New Zealand’s qualification framework. There is potential in the area of government IP commercialisation. * Colombian Institute of Educational Credit and Technical Studies Abroad (ICETEX) is a government entity that promotes Higher Education within Colombia and abroad through educative credits for those in lower socio-economic sectors of the population who have excellent academic performance. ** COCIENCIAS is the Colombian Innovation Agency that promotes scientific and technological development as well as innovation. It also supports human resource development, especially at Master and PhD level. *** Colfutro (Foundation for the Future of Colombia ) is a public/private partnered agency that provides loans for post graduate students to study abroad. A proportion of the loans are written off when the students graduate and return to work in Colombia. COLFUTURO also administers the COCIENCIAS scholarship programme. **** The National Service of Learning (Spanish: Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje) (SENA) is a Colombian public institution focused in the development of programs of professional formation. It's a government initiative to develop education in Colombia and foment employment. |