Emerging Student Recruitment Markets

Challenges include the increasing complexity of recruitment practices with the emergence of controversial channels such as commissioned agents, as well as the changing communication and decision-making process of prospective students using new channels such as social media.

Various groups of countries have emerged because of the evident reasons lately, MIST” and “N-11.” MIST stands for Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey; N-11 for the next 11 economies surging behind BRIC. Within higher education, Brazil, Indonesia, Myanmar, Syria, and Ethiopia

Saudi Arabia:

The country has been the in the mouth of every folk associated with student recruitment recently because of the lucrative scholarships presented by the government. This adds to fuel to the fire positioning the country as a preferred destination for student recruitment.

King Abdullah Scholarship Program a portfolio of countries, and a portfolio of practices

High-volume countries

How universities can make the maximum in Saudi Arabia-:

As the students have the established mindset of scholarship sponsored studies, universities should plan pristine scholarships which should entice more students

Having partnerships with the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission for a modified scholarships

Preferred destination is the USA

2015, enrolments from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) across the US soared – with double-digit increases in student numbers each year since 2005 – but recent changes in the Saudi economy and in its government scholarship programs have put the brakes on that growth.

Of late, changing the economic situation (low oil prices) and alteration in the scholarship program has made students less fascinated in abroad education.  There was a sturdy growth in the student recruitment till 2015, but recent changes have transformed the circumstances. There was a nose dive of 19.9% in the year 2016. The drop was primarily in the language courses to be specific. As the bulk of the students were following the trend of enrolling in the English language courses prior their respective studies. There remained two terms for the scholarships “Front Door” and “Back Door”. The new announcements will be affecting the front door, in this kind the student was granted the scholarships based on the academic outline of the students. The “Back Door” scholarship can be defined as where the students can choose a university virtually and enroll. The government will cover the expenses for the students. In the new reforms, the academic profile of the students should be much enhanced than the previous requirements. The profile review and filters will be tougher as compared to the prior check.  The other new filters will be the University of Admission should be in top 100. The whole idea of these scholarships was to create a trend or culture of studying abroad in folks of the country. That being said, one can find a person who has studied abroad in each family.

Vietnam:

The country sets itself as an upcoming market for student recruitment because of changing demographics.

90 million, about 60% of which is below the age of 35

Vietnam students are well educationally equipped but face the hitches in paying the dime. Consequently, they are more inclined towards the excellence based scholarships

Hanoi is more fruitful destination than other larger cities like Ho Chi Minch city. Maximum of the Vietnam students are self-funded, hence they seek merit based scholarships. They are more routed and prone towards USA community colleges. Hence, Vietnam stands third after China and South Korea in terms of a number of students in the USA.

Growing middle class- as universities are becoming more and more guarded in terms of working with the agents. Hence colleges are peculiar and very finicky in working with agents

Demographics-

There are more than 5.5 million prospective students who are looking for the degree abroad. Proper engagement with the current student and with the prospective can be a picture-perfect strategy if looking for a win-win situation. Student’s ambassadors can be another practice which can be productive.

Videos are the best marketing medium which prevails a lot in Vietnam. Universities seek a much easier process with the minimum involvement of government officials and single window solution for most of their complications. Recently agency certificate requirements were abolished making it easier for colleges and universities for alliances.

However, recently the Vietnams students are more attracted towards Asian and Oceania countries because of the close proximity to Asian countries are also becoming a proven education destination.

Source of funding is still a major drawback for Vietnamese students as they find it hard to get a Visa. The focal root reason can be the prevalent cash transactions in the country. Very handful Vietnamese families preserve their savings in Banks. Hence it is a task for them to show case the source of funding.

The latest changes made by the government will provide the international school to admit more students. This step will also augment the market and also in the growth of schools. Good quality of education and highly skilled human resource is in demand in the country. As Vietnam is considering to convert into a competitive global economy.

Recent reports confirming that there is the surge in demand for vocational training.  Increasing their employable prospective can be a crucial reason for this change. Growth in the manufacturing sector can also be another prominent reason for this change. The government is also promoting vocational training and is planning to have 55% of its population to be trained from 15% currently. Japan is becoming the preferred country for the Vietnamese students. There is 44.7% increase in the number of Vietnamese students looking for training in Japan.

Other important points-:

Young population

Mounting ultra-high net personalities

Majority of students are looking for scholarships

Number of families joining the middle class and upper middle class every year

Two cities of Vietnam that are Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh are predicted to be in the top Asian cities with most rapid growth in wealth.

Columbia

Columbia is the pretty attractive market for Language courses. However, the country is working pretty hard on becoming bilingual. English has been made a mandate in all the educational bodies.

Colombian tertiary students abroad has increased by roughly 50% over the past decade to total more than 25,000 students in 2013

Colombia’s human capital via language learning

Most Colombian students choose to study in North America or other European countries.

Columbian student prefers to study in Canada, because of the increasing investment from the Canadian universities.

Colombia has a very robust and further encouraging energy sector. The country is a major exporter of coal. Subsequently, there is a growing demand for skilled labour in mining, oil and natural gas sector.

Student Recruitment is largely dependent on agents in the country because of the local language. There are series of agents and big companies which have multi workplaces in the country.

Family, parents, and relatives play a dynamic role in the decision making process. Hence it takes longer than usual time to finally decide for a university. Therefore personal and human touch can contribute weighty results. Marketing promotions in the local language that is Spanish can yield the most in terms of recruiting and converting students for a university.

Another prominent reason that students and parents prefer agents in the reimbursement of the deposit and tuition. Transferring money to an overseas bank account can be an uncertain attempt for Columbian people, as it can be the first time of doing so and coupled with various other safety concerns. International transactions are strictly monitored and cross-checked for tax and safety ins and outs. Plus it can be a complex situation for the local people if there are any mishaps in completing the task.

The leading cause of the lack of interest in tertiary education is because of the mandatory military service which every teen has to partake.  However, lately, the government is planning to overrule this decision which can open gates for the students for their abroad tertiary education.

Indonesia

Indonesia is the world’s fourth-most-populous country. It is also the world’s largest Muslim-majority country with nearly nine in ten inhabitants identifying as Muslim.

Youth unemployment is high and two million people enter the Indonesian labour market every year. Hence more and more students are looking for higher education in order to increase their chances of getting a job. Total university graduates are only 7% of its population which is very less as compared to other neighbouring countries. The country needs to triple it’s graduates in order to satisfy and fill the gap in the skilled labour.  The number of students looking for diploma and vocational courses are really high. The prime choices of the students are Malaysia, USA and the Australia. However, Australia is the leading choice of the Vietnamese students because of the close proximity, quality of education and English courses. Popular courses for Indonesian students are-: Engineering, Hospitality, Science and Technology and Mathematics. The positives can be seen in the increase of the scholarship amount by Indonesia Endowment Funds from 105$ million to 225 US million in the current year. This move is attracting the number of foreign universities in order to recruit from the country.

Some of the best practices in the country can be- :

Indonesia has a vast geographical area and the culture varies from city to city. Hence a lot of work needs to be done on the ground. As vocational courses are in demand a day workshop or seminar or enhancing practical skills can be very handy in the country. Highlighting internships and training partnerships with the companies can work as a picture perfect strategy. Agents can also play a requisite role as word of mouth and trust has a pivotal part in the Indonesian society. Family and parents are the main decision maker for their children’s education bringing them in the loop is highly recommended.

If reports are to be believed the country will be the seventh biggest economy in the world by 2030. A fourth most populous country in the world. The middle class is also expected to double itself by 2020. The preferred destination for the local students is Japan, Malaysia, China and New Zealand. However, the number is quite noteworthy in Asian countries.  This is mainly because of the economic degree and close proximity and the prime reason could be the lucrative scholarship available in the mentioned countries.  Youth population is the third of whole Indonesian population.

Digital mediums such as social media marketing and mass mailing work out well in the nation. Indonesia has a dispersed populace and big geographical area where agents can be either beneficial or detrimental as well.

Mexico is among the top 10 countries. The continent can’t be left behind for the evident reasons, the key dynamics will be large population, not very popular or ranked universities. Few of countries in Latin America have a mounting economy where there is a growing demand for English degree. Countries like Brazil have the rewarding scholarship program for the government-sponsored degree abroad.

Best practices for Marketing in Latin America-:

Personalized communication strategies specifically in local language

Agents are more popular in Latin America