Tiffany EglerDirector, Agent Relations Department , ICEF

ICEF AGENT SERVICES: ICEF AGENT TRAINING COURSES FOCUS: US Agent Training CourseTHE ICEF AGENCY RECOGNITION PROGRAMME

ICEF Miami Workshop 2017

December 11, 2017

Agenda

Agent Training● Purpose ● Development and status● The Irish Education Agents Course (IEAC)● The ICEF Agent Training Course (IATC)● The China Education Agent Course (CEAC)● Canada Course for Education Agents (CCEA)● FOCUS: The US Agent Training Course (USATC)

● Who can take theses course?● Practical information and benefits for agents

ICEF Agency Status & Recognition● General information● Conditions of recognition● Benefits and usage ● Duration and renewal

ICEF Agent Training

● Practical training courses for agency student counsellors

● Delivered online and free of charge in a self-paced format

● Objectives:

● Support excellence and professional standards in international

education

● Providing student counsellors with essential business skills and

knowledge for working in international education

- An understanding of the international/regional education markets

- The dynamics of dealing with students, education institutions and government

- The skills and research parameters to analyze destination countries, their education products and processes, and compatibility to the students needs

ICEF Professional Courses

ICEF Destination Courses

ICEF Destination Courses NEW - ICEF Destination Course

First of its kind – recognizing the growing interest in Ireland as a destination for students

The ICEF Agent Training Course (IATC)Course Development

Represent you on a year round basis

Provide you with reliable local market information

Distribute your promotional material regularly

Advertise in targeted local media

Represent you at local fairs and college days

● Developed with the input of 769 agents in 113 countries and 437 education institutions in 78 countries

● An international advisory board reviewed and gave input to final course material (30 agent / educator members in 19 countries)

● Enthusiastic reaction worldwide since launch in 2010, especially from agents wishing to take the course

● To date, over 12363 student counsellors are studying the course and 1146 (in 108 countries) have already successfully passed the test

● The China Education Agent Course (CEAC) is a Chinese version of the IATC – specifically for Chinese agents in the education market

● In cooperation with BOSSA, who hosts testing opportunities, we recognize over 390 CITACs (Chinese ICEF Trained Agent Counselors)

IATC - Content

Unit A: The Context of International Education● Main Destination Countries ● Education Systems● Regulatory Systems● Legal Requirements● Student Visas

Unit B: People in International Education ● Student Client Management ● Student Care Issues● Student Documents

Unit C: Promoting International Education● Working Effectively● Marketing Information● Ethics

IATC Course Content

● Each lesson starts with an overview of the unit

● “Focus Questions“ at the beginning of each lesson prepare

the student for the information contained in it

● Pages provide the learning material

● “Extension Questions“ assist in applying the knowledge gained

● “Activities“ at the end of each page are learning tools

● “Destination Countries“ are part of the course content, however, due to

a constantly changing environment - are not part of the official testing

The Canada Course for Education Agents (CCEA)Launched in October 2012 at ICEF Berlin Workshop, and was created to support educational agencies in providing the best possible advice to international students planning to study abroad in Canada.

The Canada Course for Education Agents supports professional development for agents specializing in Canada as a study destination. Originally produced by Foreign Affairs and International Trade, (Canada) in collaboration with ICEF, the course is now jointly owned by ICEF, Languages Canada and the Canadian Association of Public Schools International (CAPS-i), with the support of the CCIE.

Ensure that students choosing an agent have access to informed, ethical professionals who have the most current and accurate information on Canadian education institutions and programmes.

Support Canadian educational institutions – spend less time training agencies on Canada and more on institution’s programmes; work with agencies that invest in best practices and are committed to Canada; and, use internally for training staff

Since testing launch May 2013, there are 515 Canada Course Graduates from 62 countries

In total, 9182 people from 90 countries have registered for the course

Canada Course Content

Introduction

Section A: About Canada

Section B: Canada’s Systems of Education

Section C: Elementary and Secondary School (K-12) Education

Section D: Language Programmes

Section E: Universities

Section F: Colleges, Cégeps and Polytechnics

Section G: Costs of Studying in Canada and Scholarships

Section H: Applying to Work, Study and Stay in Canada

Section I: Living in Canada

Section J: Promoting Canada

ICEF – i-graduate Barometer - Where are agents sending students?

Established in 2007, the ICEF Agent Barometer has tracked the opinions of agents across the world for 10 years

Overall 1,111 agents responded from 108 countries

The US Agent Training Course (USATC)

The US Agent Training Course (USATC) is designed for international education agents working with American schools, universities, and colleges to recruit international students, and is aimed at increasing agents’ knowledge and standards of practice in their work with both institutions and students.

Ensure that education agents worldwide have accurate, up-to-date information about the US education system.

Provide students and their families with the assurance that the agent they are talking to is specialized in the US.

Enable US institutions to work with agents who have demonstrated commitment to the US market by taking the course and passing the test.

Lower US institutions’ burden of agent training, allowing them to focus it on explaining programs and specific course offerings (also useful for internal staff training).

The US Agent Training Course (USATC) was launched in the fall of 2015 and presently has 133 graduates from 29 different countries.

International Advisory Board Members Advisory Board Members based in the US

USATC ContentSection 1: About the US

Section 2: The US Education System

Section 3: K-12 Schools in the US

Section 4: Intensive English Programs (IEPs) and Pathway (Bridge) Programs

Section 5: US Professional Education and Training (PET) Schools

Section 6: Community (Two-Year) Colleges

Section 7: Four-Year Colleges and Universities

Section 8: Graduate Schools and Specialized Programs

Section 9: The Culture of American Schools

Section 10: Living in the US – Practical Considerations

Section 11: Student Visa Information

Section 12: Working in the US

Section 13: Ethical Behavior in Recruiting

Section 14: Resources and Appendices

Who can take ICEF Agent Training courses?

● New agency staff members: excellent training tools for new student

counsellors at agencies, for international or regional destination focus

● Practising student counsellors: all courses provide up-to-date

information about international education principles and processes

● Agency managers / owners are also welcome to take the course

● Educators interested in understanding the fundamental principles of a

working agent relationship

● An English proficiency equivalent to an IELTS score of 5.0 (or TOEFL

PBT 500 / TOEFL iBT 61) is advisable

Practical Information● Delivered online in a self-paced modular format (approx. 50 hours of study are

recommended)

● Courses are free of charge, formal exam at cost

● Exams: “open book” (i.e. on- and offline resources may be consulted) and

candidates with a minimum of 80% correct answers pass the test

● Worldwide testing at all ICEF Workshops, plus ability to do ‘online’ at any time

with a webcam

● Test format: multiple choice questions in 80 minutes (IATC: destination country

information not tested)

● Highly recommended to do (and pass!) the Self-Assessment before requesting

a testing opportunity

● Candidates successfully passing the formal exam will receive a Certificate of

Recognition and immediate listing on ICEF Agent training

13

Recognition: ICEF Trained Agent Counsellors and Agency Finder

Agency Profiles

Agent, Agency name, ITAC/CCG/ USCG/CITAC #, qualification date, country, agency profile & contact information

featured in an online listing: www.icef.com/agent-training/

Agency Profile

Resources: Online App - QEA

• Free tool for educator marketing professionals to help them find qualified agencies by name or location (near me now)

• Now listing over 6 000 qualified agent counsellors worldwide (ICEF, PIER, British Council)

• Over 4 000 downloads to date

• Search for “Qualified Education Agents” in Google Play or the App Store

• Download your free copy now!

ICEF Agency Status (IAS)

● ICEF’s industry-leading quality assurance

processes are recognised worldwide as an

important qualification for agencies who have

been successfully vetted, and participated in,

ICEF Workshops

● In 2010, ICEF launched a recognition

programme, acknowledging agents who have

met ICEF's strict standard of quality

● Currently we have 4070 recognized IAS agents

● Screened agencies that attend one or more ICEF Workshops

successfully, automatically qualify

● Agencies who have received ICEF Agency recognition are evaluated

every two years to ensure ongoing compliance with ICEF’s standards

IAS – Conditions of Recognition and Renewal

Use your ICEF Agency Status logo as a sign of quality and professionalism on marketing materials: Brochures, business cards, e-mail & URL

IAS – Benefits and Usage

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Thank you!

See www.icef.com for more detailed information

training@icef.com

agent@icef.com

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