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1. Regular
2. AGENTS REPORT INCREASED DEMAND IN THE SECONDARY SECTOR DURING STUDYTRAVEL
EVENT
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AGENTS REPORT INCREASED DEMAND IN THE SECONDARY SECTOR DURING STUDYTRAVEL EVENT
Published on 11/10/23
Over the course of ST Secondary Focus Frankfurt 2023, which took place from the
29th of September to the 1st of October in the Westin Grand Hotel, agents from
various countries reported a boom of interest in the secondary sector, with
Canada and Ireland holding particular appeal for students.
Worldwide, secondary placements have been on the increase for the last few
years. In 2022, year-on-year placement numbers increased by an average of 32 per
cent, with Canada and the UK competing for the most popular destination for
secondary studies.
In StudyTravel Magazine’s 2023 secondary-focused global agency survey, the top
two destinations for students wanting an overseas secondary placement were
Canada (27 per cent in 2022, up from 25 per cent in 2021) and the UK (27 per
cent in 2022, down from 32 per cent in 2021). Although those wishing to study
abroad in Ireland made up a smaller percentage, interest in this destination
remained stable between 2021 and 2022 (both nine per cent). Popularity in the
USA, however, saw a steep decrease; from 27 per cent in 2021 to 17 per cent in
2022
The heightened popularity in Canada in comparison to the USA was echoed by
agents at ST Alphe Secondary Focus Frankfurt. "We've found that Canada is
particularly popular with students at the moment, and we've seen a lot of
interest in this location over the last year," remarked Juan Manual Ruiz from
Malta-based agency Boom Studies .
The Canadian market has proved so successful that this agency is planning to
relocate there: “We recently created a subsidiary in Canada with a dedicated
customer support team that will contribute to our expansion plans in Canada. In
2024, our CEO and I will be relocated to Canada to leverage the destination
growth."
A meeting at ST Alphe Secondary Focus Frankfurt 2023
Josephine Gercke from KulturLife gGmbH agency, based in Kiel, Germany, also
reported an upsurge in popularity in Canada as a study destination. "Compared to
the USA, Canada has been popular over the last year and we've seen an increased
number of families wanting to send students there," she said, adding that many
parents are coming to view Canada as a safer option compared to the USA, where
gun violence has become a big concern.
Canada has also had an advantage over the USA for secondary studies due to
students having more say over the location they end up in, added Katja Henecker
from Culture XL - Xplore & Learn GmbH in Germany. Many students applying to
the USA, on the other hand, were less happy with the location they were assigned
through one-year J-1 exchange placements, said Katja.
The drinks reception at ST Alphe Secondary Focus Frankfurt 2023
"We found that the feedback of students who went to Canada [over the USA] was
much better. Students had a lot more choice about which district they ended up
in and that's what they liked. The reputation of Canada has definitely felt
stronger than that of the USA this year, so we have pivoted more towards that
market," she added.
Overall, Katja reported an impressive recovery in the secondary sector over the
post-pandemic years, with very few challenges regarding visas or accommodation
for this age bracket. Culture XL in Germany currently sends around 20 students
abroad per year and the company is now expanding its team to keep up with
growing demand.
Ireland is another location that has grown in popularity in the secondary
sector, according to agents at ST Alphe Frankfurt. This is largely because of
the post-Brexit visa issues associated with the UK for students who wish to stay
and study in the UK for longer than the six-month visitor visa allows.
German parents are put off by having to acquire a visa for their child if they
are staying within Europe, said Josephine. Because of this reason, she
explained, Ireland has been a popular option over the UK.
Nataliya Stephens from UK Directions Education Services Ltd also reported that
she is currently sending lots of students to Ireland as short-term visas have
become an issue for Russian students in the UK and lots of visas are getting
rejected. She noted that the reasoning given is that the visa issuers think that
students will remain in the country beyond their visa window.
Donna Mc Skeane from EirStudy also reported a lot of interest in Ireland in the
secondary sector, particularly from Spanish and French students, but a decline
in demand for secondary-aged Irish students to travel abroad for schooling.
Cultural challenges: as well as concerns about the growing difficulty of
acquiring visas for some study locations (such as the UK), other challenges
reported by agents in the secondary sector included cultural differences.
Russian families, for instance, have been showing increased concerns about the
type of education that students might receive in the UK and Ireland.
Leon Kashnitski from Georgia-based UniCouncil said that families have shown
concern about international education systems being too far removed from
conservative values around gender roles that are taught in Russia, for example.
The importance of building a network of trust and strong, reliable relationships
with partner schools is also of great importance to agents in this sector. One
of the main challenges over the past year for Juan of Boom Studies has been to
build a network of secondary schools in LATAM. He said, “They are very
traditional and it is very important to build a trustworthy relationship with
the principals to start working on and of course, have the right partners
(schools abroad) that share the same values. In our experience, that's how we
keep developing the valuable relationships."
Canada has proven to be a popular option for secondary students in 2023
The next ST Alphe Secondary Focus Conference will take place in Hong Kong from
the 21st to the 23rd of February 2024, followed by ST Alphe Secondary Focus
London which will be held between the 18th and the 20th of April 2024 and
incorporate the annual ST Secondary Awards.
View the full photo gallery from ST Alphe Secondary Focus Frankfurt here.
By Delilah Kealy-Roberts
Staff Journalist
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