The ICEF Agent Voice 2023 survey, which garnered 662 responses, discovered that 43% of brokers see sourcing certified leads as their prime challenge.
Some 30% ranked visa processing and help as their greatest problem, with delays, lengthy processing instances, entry to appointments, necessities and rejection charges all famous as problematic.
“With brokers having to take a position appreciable time in serving to college students full software processes, delays on the vacation spot can have a big affect upon their very own operations,” the report famous.
A complete of 57% of respondents stated fast responses from institutional companions is the highest valued accomplice help space, forward of 24% who stated speedy software processing was most extremely valued.
The report famous that velocity is highlighted by brokers as a prime precedence for institutional companions.
“Delays on the vacation spot can have a big affect upon their very own operations”
Launched in 2020, the survey has sought to determine newest traits and threats affecting the business.
Just like the 2022 iteration, this 12 months’s survey suggests brokers are predicting development throughout all instructional sectors in 2023/24. Nevertheless, the ratio of businesses anticipating to see elevated enrolment has fallen this 12 months.
Over 60% stated that basis, pathway and undergraduate, in addition to MBA and graduate packages, will develop subsequent 12 months – they’re much less buoyant about language and Okay-12 and secondary programs, with 52% and 38%, respectively, anticipating will increase in enrolments.
General, urge for food for worldwide training “stays sturdy”, ICEF stated, with the “huge 4” vacation spot international locations, together with the UAE, Germany and the Netherlands, anticipating vital development.
Additionally like final 12 months, price was famous as the most important issue affecting pupil determination making.
Picture: ICEF
ICEF stated lodging is one other prime issue for college students, whereas “conventional issues, resembling an establishment’s rating, at the moment are perceived to be far much less vital”.
The survey additionally discovered that employability is more and more changing into vital to college students, as universities promote profession alternatives “instantly as a gross sales level and not directly by way of their examine packages”.
Six in 10 respondents reported putting college students in new fields of examine, with knowledge science and large knowledge, enterprise intelligence and analytics, synthetic intelligence and worldwide enterprise being the preferred, intently adopted by medical research and provide chain administration and logistics.
“Moreover, there seems to be a direct correlation between college students’ most popular post-study work and profession locations and the international locations receiving probably the most enquiries for worldwide examine alternatives,” the report famous.
Round half of respondents (52%) stated that work and immigration alternatives are a key issue affecting pupil determination making.
The variety of brokers providing on-line packages has dropped from 50% in 2022 to 46% in 2023 – the primary 12 months since 2020 that there has not been a reported improve, the report added.
The survey additionally discovered that almost all of businesses (60%) “nonetheless depend on conventional and time consuming strategies of recruitment”, with non-digital and word-of-mouth promotional methods remaining “essential”. Almost half ranked these kinds of advertising channels as most vital.
Picture: ICEF
Nearly half (49%) stay unsure as to the affect AI might have sooner or later, it continued. Take up of digital strategies and AI stays gradual, ICEF stated.
It additionally stated that agent fee stays largely secure after a interval of development between 2019-2021.
Greater than 50% brokers throughout all instructional packages (apart from Tradition, Work & Journey), reported commissions above the pre pandemic common of 10%, report stated. Nevertheless, “ranges look like settling after a interval of uncertainty”.
