Seminar programme • February 01, 2016 The ICEF Dubai Workshop

Seminar programme • February 01, 2016Congress Room I Congress Room II

14:00 –

14:45

How to Maximise your ICEF Workshop Experience - for Providers

Isabel Vogt, Vice President Events & Logistics,ICEF, Germany

Audience: Educators & Service Providers

How to Maximise your ICEF Workshop Experience - for Agents

Tiffany Egler, Director Agent Relations, ICEF, Germany

Audience: Agents

14:45 –

15:15

Student Recruitment in the Middle East - A Regional Overview

Nabil Najd, Manager MENA Region, ICEF, Lebanon


ICEF Agent Training and the ICEF Agency Recognition Programme (IAS)

Seher Neöz, Business Development & Agent Relations Manager,

ICEF, GermanyAudience: All

15:15 –

16:00

Country Focus Lebanon: Market Trends and Future Potential

Marie Claude Saliba, Managing Director, Educom Overseas, Lebanon


Austria: Affordable Education in World Ranking Universities

Özel Coşkuner, COO AED Housing GmbH, Austria

Audience: Agents

16:00 –

16:45

Educating Across Cultures Arwa Tayem Due-Gundersen,

Director of International Relations,The Oval Office for Studies and Research, Jordan

Audience: All

Study in Canada Information Session Mabelle Sawaqed-Hen, Trade Commissioner,

Global Affairs Canada, Canadian Consulate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Audience: Agents

16:45 –

17:30

The Future of Education in the UAESuad Alhalwachi, CEO,

Education Zone, United Arab EmiratesAudience: Educators & Service Providers

The Canada Course for Education AgentsTiffany Egler, Director Agent Relations,

ICEF, GermanyAudience: Agents

17:30 –

18:15

Beyond KASP - How to Start Recruiting Self-Funded Students Across the Gulf Region

Haitam Giat, Founder and CEO, Yes Atlas, Jordan


English in the UK - Opportunities and Challenges Tom Poole, Destination UK Promotion Manager, ELT,

British Council Manchester, United KingdomAudience: Agents

18:15-

19:00

Rethinking MarketingCaroline Levesque, Business Development Manager,

ICEF, CanadaAudience: Educators & Service Providers

How to Help your Sponsored Students Ensure Success and Progression in their Studies Abroad

Lisa James, Regional Sales Director, EMEA &James Pitman, Managing Director, Higher Education

Division, UK and EuropeStudy Group Ltd., United Kingdom

Audience: Agents

Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai • February 01 - 03, 2016

For international educators and student recruitment agents from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia

The ICEF Dubai Workshop

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How to Maximise your ICEF Workshop Experience - for ProvidersIsabel VogtCongress Room IAudience: Educators & Service Providers

►Session description This session will provide you with a step by step guideline on how to make the most out of your participation in ICEF Workshops in general and the ICEF Dubai Workshop in particular. The session will cover the following topics:

• Preparation prior to the workshop• Workshop parameters and how to maximise your time during the event• Post-workshop follow-up• How to maximise your working relationship with agents

►Speaker

Isabel Vogt, VP Events & Logistics,ICEF,Germany

Isabel Vogt is Vice President of Events & Logistics at ICEF GmbH, offering a range of solutions designed to help educators, agents and service providers achieve real results in their marketing and student recruitment initiatives.

Isabel holds a Master's degree in Communications and Political Science from the Freie Universitaet Berlin, Germany. She has been involved in the implementation and organisation of events for the international education industry since 1996.

During her time at ICEF she has organised agent workshops, student fairs and conferences in over 30 countries around the world.

14:00 - 14:45

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How to Maximise your ICEF Workshop Experience - for AgentsTiffany EglerCongress Room IIAudience: Agents

►Session description This session will provide you with a step by step guideline on how to make the most out of your participation in ICEF Workshops in general and the ICEF Dubai Workshop in particular. The session will cover the following topics:

• Preparation prior to the workshop• Workshop parameters and how to maximise your time during the event• Post-workshop follow-up• How to maximise your working relationship with providers

►Speaker

Tiffany Egler, Director Agent Relations, ICEF,Germany

Tiffany is a leading professional in the field of agent relations and workshop procedures. As Director of the Agents Department at ICEF, her knowledge and dedication has been crucial to the development of ICEF workshops and agent recruitment.

During her 15 year tenure at ICEF, Tiffany has overseen the successful organisation of most of ICEF's agent workshops and today, manages an international team which continues to develop and to increase efforts to ensure the recruitment of professional study abroad agents worldwide.

14:00 - 14:45

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Student Recruitment in the Middle East - A Regional OverviewNabil NajdCongress Room IAudience: Educators & Service Providers

►Session description The Middle East is an important source region for international students. This session will aim to provide you with an overview and information on the region's most important markets including the following topics:

General Background:• Geopolitical• Size of market• Education system

Current Status:• Number of students studying abroad• Course and destination preferences• Trends

►Speaker

Nabil Najd,Manager MENA Region, ICEF, Lebanon

Nabil joined ICEF in 2011 as an Agent Relations and Business Development Manager for the Middle Eastern and North African markets and since 2014 holds the position of Manager MENA Region, ICEF Lebanon.

Nabil has developed a wide range of contacts within the industry and contributed towards broadening ICEF's access to the region by focusing on introducing quality agents to our workshops around the world. In addition, Nabil is responsible for assisting and advising educational institutions new to working with education agents and/or new to ICEF Workshops and helping clients to select the most appropriate ICEF services to increase their international student enrollments.

Nabil graduated with a Master's degree in Automation Technology from the Technical University Berlin, Germany in 2010. He speaks English and German as well as his native Arabic.

14:45 - 15:15

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ICEF Agent Training and the ICEF Agency Recognition Programme (IAS)Seher NeözCongress Room IIAudience: All

►Session description This session will provide you with an introduction to the following agent training courses as well as ICEF's agency recognition programme:

• The ICEF Agent Training Course (IATC) is a practical, professional training course developed by ICEF for education agency-based student counsellors. The course is available online and free of charge to agency student counsellors in a self-paced modular format.

• The USA 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.

• The ICEF Agent Status (IAS) is recognised as an indicator of agent quality, showing that an agent has been successfully vetted for, and participated in, ICEF Workshops. The IAS is renewed through ongoing quality assurance screening and reference checks.

Educators and service providers are welcome to join the session.

►Speaker

Seher Neöz, Business Development and Agent Relations Manager, ICEF, Germany

Seher joined ICEF in 2009 as a Business Developer for the Turkish, Middle Eastern and selected European markets. Her main duties are to assist and advise educational institutions new to working with education agents and/or new to ICEF Workshops and helping clients to select the most appropriate ICEF services to increase their international student enrolments.

In addition Seher is responsible for recruiting quality agents from Turkey, Africa and some Middle Eastern countries to our events around the world.

Seher gained a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Translation Studies at the London Metropolitan University and also graduated in Translation Studies and Political Sciences from the University of Bonn.

14:45 - 15:15

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Country Focus Lebanon: Market Trends and Future PotentialMarie Claude SalibaCongress Room IAudience: Educators & Service Providers

►Session description

This session will focus on Lebanon as an emerging study abroad market. The following topics will be discussed:

• Background: Geopolitical, Size of Market, Education System

• Current Status of the Lebanese Study Abroad Market: Number of students studying abroad, course and destination preferences, average length a student spends abroad, student expectations

• Future Potential & Trends

►Speaker

Marie Claude Saliba,Managing Director, Educom Overseas,Lebanon

Marie Claude Saliba is the founder and the General Manager of Educom Overseas: one of the leading agencies for study abroad services in Lebanon.

Mrs. Saliba has more than 14 years of experience in the field of education. She is an expert in this field and helped thousand of students to study overseas.

She holds an MBA from the American University of Beirut. Her leadership skills and management has led Educom to be an ICEF screened agency, an English UK partner agency and a proud member of ALTO. Educom Overseas is a PEARSON accredited center in Lebanon. She is also an ICEF Trained Agent Counsellor (ITAC #0275).

15:15 - 16:00

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Austria: Affordable Education in World Ranking UniversitiesÖzel CoşkunerCongress Room IIAudience: Agents


Austria, the culture and art capital of Europe, is also home to many world-ranking and renowned universities which offer education in German or English at affordable fees. Including the 650 years old Vienna University (oldest German university in the world), 40% of Austrian public universities are in the TOP 500 in the world (THE, QS…).

This seminar will reveal the unique advantages of studying in Austria, work permits and easy ways to register students. Since German university application and visa process is getting tighter, Austria is the new destination for recruitment agencies for faster and more efficient results. Austria is No:1 in living standards, No:3 in wealth and No:8 in highest employment in the world.

►Speaker

Özel Coşkuner,COO,AED Housing GmbH, Austria

Özel Coşkuner, the COO of the Centre for European Student Services (a Vienna/Austria based company that manages student hostels and provides comprehensive student services), has been active in the international student recruitment market for 10 years and has been a regular guest as an expert on international education markets in several nationwide TV shows in several countries.

He has spent his last 10 years working on Malaysia, China, Singapore, Libya and Bangladesh higher education and their recruitment markets. He also served as an advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education. Besides, he was awarded as “The Best Young Entrepreneur in Malaysia” in 2008 (by “MeCD - Malaysia Ministry of Entrepreneurship”), in addition to his several international awards (from SIFE, L’Oreal, etc…).

15:15 - 16:00

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Educating Across CulturesArwa Tayem Due-GundersenCongress Room IAudience: All


Opportunities, hopes and dreams. Mobilizing your study abroad experience into a career. Each year up to 18000 Jordanian youths graduate from institutes abroad. 75% of them will remain in their host country to build their dream. For up to 18 months they will use their hard earned degrees to build a foundation for their future back home.

Most Arab students travel to the West for a solid transition into higher education and career life. However, it is clear that after working with students recruited for several countries, we as agents and counsellors face common challenges in terms of regulations and cultural differences.

Markets like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA and Europe all have different types of targeted students depending on the expectations that students bear while sitting for a counselling session and deciding their preferred educational destination.

Rapidly changing visa regulations, culture shock as well as socio-economics can be a major factor when it comes to the challenges that threaten completion of a degree abroad.

Assimilation is a common factor to help smoothen the process of living abroad and to help learn the language within context. Embracing the study abroad experience can change one’s life forever and we have an obligation, both recruitment agencies and educators to comply with the code of conduct of understanding students’ needs as well as their concerns to support them in achieving the ultimate benefit. A degree abroad is not simply a golden ticket to a job back home. It is a journey of self-understanding, confidence and finding yourself in your culture and abroad.

As we say at the Oval Office: We help change the world one educated person at a time!

►Speaker

Arwa Tayem Due-Gundersen, Director of International Relations, The Oval Office for Studies and Research,Jordan

Arwa Tayem Due-Gundersen, is Director of International Relations and Operations Manager at The Oval Office for Studies and Research. Being at the heart of the MENA region has encouraged her specialization in MENA-Western relations In the higher education sector. Her professional and personal experiences motivate her to approach such relations through an intercultural perspective.

16:00 - 16:45

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Study in Canada Information SessionMabelle Sawaqed-HenCongress Room IIAudience: Agents

►Session description Come and get the latest information on Canada as a top study destination from the Government of Canada. The information presented will be of interest to agents in international education who seek facts, resources and other information to promote Canada to students and parents.

The session will cover several key topics such as key characteristics for each level of study; average costs for international students; and a better idea of what it’s like to study, live and work as a student in Canada.

The session will close with a Q&A session.

►Speaker

Mabelle Sawaqed-Hen, Trade Commissioner, Global Affairs Canada,

Canadian Consulate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Mabelle Sawaqed-Hen is the Trade Commissioner for the Education & Training Sector at the Embassy of Canada to the UAE. Mabelle is responsible for coordinating and supporting her colleagues in the GCC region, organizing student recruitment fairs, supporting Canadian education institutions that are looking to expand to the UAE, and identifying & communicating opportunities to education clients.

Mabelle holds a Masters of Business Administration from Suffolk University and has been involved in international business development for over 7 years.

Mabelle has just recently organized and coordinated, along with her colleagues, 2 undergraduate student recruitment fairs in the United Arab Emirates, consisting of representatives from Canadian universities, colleges and, K-12 schools and language schools. The tour included school visits and “Study in Canada” fairs.

16:00 - 16:45

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16:45 - 17:30

The Future of Education in the UAESuad AlhalwachiCongress Room IAudience: Educators & Service Providers


The session will examine and discuss the following topics relevant to the future of education in the UAE:

• Effect of Expo 2020 to the UAE education market• Effect of oil prices on scholarships• Increased number of universities and language schools in the UAE• Increased monitoring and quality assurance for old and newcomer institutions• "The year of reading” and its effect on education overseas• Reduced pie for countries like the UK, Australia and New Zealand and increased pie size for the USA,

Europe and Asia

►Speaker

Suad Alhalwachi, CEO, Education Zone, United Arab Emirates

Suad began college at the age of 16 and was sponsored by the Iraqi government to study economics at a university in Iraq. She did not find college work particularly challenging and therefore spent time being a “strong member of the Bahraini club” and organising trips for students. She travelled for a year after her studies.

Following her undergraduate degree, Suad returned to Bahrain and worked in a government ministry as an international affairs officer where she also had the opportunity to travel and study.Suad came to the UAE in 1980 following her marriage. She gained a position in a Dubai company and managed the financial accounts. That company sponsored her for two years overseas to gain a professional accounting qualification and she also completed another Arabic professional accounting qualification during the same period of work. The company was strong in training and education so she also gained an Organisation Development Certificate from UoT.

Suad immigrated to New Zealand for five years for family reasons where she began a PhD programme in accounting, but stopped because of the length of study and exited with a Master's in commerce. Suad also taught and was a manager within an institute of technology. Exposure to international education led to her returning to the UAE to set up her business. Suad owns and runs an educational consulting service; she opened this business more than a decade ago in Dubai, and has just opened a branch in Bahrain. The business advises students on local and international universities, administers educational tests, and is an agency for overseas universities. There are ten employees. Suad speaks four languages.

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The Canada Course for Education Agents Tiffany EglerCongress Room IIAudience: Agents


Learn about updates to the Canada Course for Education Agents, an online course designed for education agents advising families about study opportunities in Canada.

The Canada Course, produced by Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada in cooperation with ICEF and the Canadian Consortium for International Education (CCIE), provides high quality, current, and comprehensive information about Canada as a study destination. It enables agents to study via self-paced modules on topics such as the overall study environment in Canada; the different regions of Canada; Canadian education options and levels of study, including language study and the differences and synergies between colleges and universities; the type of credentials that can be achieved; resources for students wanting to know about visas and immigration rules in Canada; as well as how to prepare students coming to Canada.

Participants will be able to take the Canada Course Examination upon completing the course and receive a designation as a Canada Course Graduate (CCG) upon successful completion of the exam.

►Speaker

Tiffany Egler, Director - Agent Relations, ICEF Germany

Tiffany is a leading professional in the field of agent relations and workshop procedures. As Director of the Agents Department at ICEF, her knowledge and dedication has been crucial to the development of ICEF workshops and agent recruitment.

During her 15 year tenure at ICEF, Tiffany has overseen the successful organisation of most of ICEF's agent workshops and today, manages an international team which continues to develop and to increase efforts to ensure the recruitment of professional study abroad agents worldwide.

16:45 - 17:30

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Beyond KASP - How to Start Recruiting Self-Funded Students Across the Gulf Region Haitam GiatCongress Room IAudience: Educators & Service Providers


Whether you are an educator who already do business in the Middle East or new to the market this presentation will take you through the latest international student recruitment news and trends in the region, discuss the changes in different scholarship programs and the future of KASP. The session will also include tips that will help you to build your "self-funded” students' market.

►Speaker Haitam Giat,

Founder and CEO, Yes Atlas, Jordan

Haitam Giat got his bachelor degree in Information Technology from RMIT in Australia, he has more than 16 years working experience and has done extensive work in the field of IT, online marketing, international education and business development with various companies on a number of small and large scale projects both locally and globally.

In the last five years Mr Giat has been living in the Middle East (Gulf Region) developing and running the business of Yes Atlas and assisting many international educators to expand in the region.

17:30 - 18:15

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English in the UK - Opportunities and ChallengesTom PooleCongress Room IIAudience: Agents


The UK is the home of the English language and each year, over 600,000 students learn English in the UK. The British Council’s quality assurance scheme has been running since 1982 and students can choose from over 550 quality English language centres.

This session will give education agents vital information about studying English in the UK and also give them the opportunity to discuss their experience of the UK as a destination market. We will explore the options available to students and discuss the benefits of studying at a British Council accredited centre.

We will also inform agents about the services available to them to help them work with UK English language centres. This includes our agent training programme which aims to provide support to continually develop the quality and effectiveness of agents representing UK education.

►Speaker

Tom Poole, Destination UK Promotion Manager, ELT, British Council Manchester, United Kingdom

Tom Poole is the British Council’s Destination UK Promotion Manager, ELT. Tom’s role is to promote the UK as the number one destination to learn English, Tom promotes British Council marketing opportunities and engages UK institutions and agents at overseas workshops and exhibitions.

Tom joined the British Council in 2007 and has worked on the Chevening Scholarships scheme, the UK government’s international awards scheme aimed at developing global leaders and the British Council’s quality assurance scheme for language institutions, Accreditation UK. Tom graduated with a degree in Drama from University of Hull and holds a PRINCE2® Practitioner certificate in Project Management alongside the APM Introductory Certificate in Project Management.

17:30 - 18:15

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Rethinking MarketingCaroline LevesqueCongress Room IAudience: Educators & Service Providers

►Session description This session explores best-case practice in marketing to international students. Traditional marketing techniques in education often fail to differentiate one program or institution from another. During this presentation, participants will learn what type of information students are really looking for. Case studies will be examined to see how some education institutions are standing out from the noise and getting themselves noticed in a positive way.

►Speaker Caroline Levesque,

Business Development Manager, ICEF, Canada

Caroline brings with her 8 years of experience in communication, marketing and student recruitment. Since she joined ICEF in 2011, she has been working with public and private high schools, colleges, universities and language schools in Eastern Canada, helping them increase their international student enrolments through agents.

In her role, she is also developing new relationships with service providers and working closely with Canadian associations active in international education.

Previously, she worked in marketing and student recruitment at the Institut français – University of Regina.

Caroline speaks French, English and Spanish and holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Université de Montréal and a Master’s in Human Resource Management from the University of Regina.

18:15 - 19:00

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How to Help your Sponsored Students Ensure Success and Progression in their Studies AbroadLisa James & James PitmanCongress Room IIAudience: Agents

►Session description Unfortunately, many sponsored students fail to progress either from their English language course, or from their foundation course, on to their degree programme which effectively means a large loss of money to the sponsoring body and can also reflect poorly on the agent involved.

This seminar is designed to look at the specific issues that sponsored students from the Middle East face when they arrive in their destination country and how you, as their agent, can assist them to avoid some of the common pitfalls. In the 45 minute talk, we will look at the most common reasons for not progressing in both English language and academic programmes and recommend how these may be avoided to ensure more of your students are successful in their studies abroad.

►Speaker Lisa James, Regional Sales Director, EMEA, Study Group Ltd., United Kingdom

Lisa James joined Study Group in 1994 and has worked both on the academic and the Sales and Marketing side of the business. Lisa has a BA (Hons) Degree in Applied Linguistics and understands well the needs and issues faced by language and academic students.

She is currently the Regional Sales Director, Embassy English for the EMEA region, and works closely with agents and sponsoring bodies to help ensure their students’ success.

►Speaker

James Pitman, Managing Director - Higher Education Division, UK and Europe, Study Group Ltd., United Kingdom

James Pitman is Managing Director for Study Group's Higher Education Division, UK and Europe. He has been involved in international education for many years, and has held his current role with Study Group for the past 9.

James is a Cambridge University graduate with a BA (Hons) and MA in Natural Sciences and a MBA from IMD in Switzerland.

18:15 - 19:00

Seminar programme • February 01, 2016 The ICEF Dubai Workshop

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Transcript of Seminar programme • February 01, 2016 The ICEF Dubai Workshop