AUSTRALIA'S consumer watchdog could begin policing the operations of training colleges, enforcing standards and carrying out checks to help weed out dodgy providers.
The push to involve the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in enforcement in the private training industry comes as the latest figures show the troubled international student sector has shrunk by almost 10 per cent in a year.
Data released by the federal government this month shows a 9.1 per cent decrease in enrolments to May on the same period last year.
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Changes to visa rules, the high Australian dollar and negative publicity about the safety of international students in Australia have all contributed to the drop in demand from overseas students. Several private college closures have added to the problem, and Overseas Students Ombudsman Allan Asher said he intended to work with colleges to ensure students are getting a fair deal.
''It's our expectation that any education providers who want to stay in business, who want to create a good reputation … are going to respond reasonably quickly,'' he said. ''We know [that it is not everyone] and for those who do engage in misleading or deceptive conduct, or unfair conduct, we'll have tools to use there too.''
Mr Asher said the ACCC would be part of the ombudsman's enforcement strategy, and the two agencies were working on reaching a formal information sharing and investigative relationship. He said he hoped the two bodies would sign a memorandum of understanding later this year.
''We're hoping to enlist them so that, if we do find instances of deliberately wrongful conduct on behalf of providers, there can be some swift intervention,'' he told the Council of International Students Australia's education conference on Tuesday.
''They have quite wide powers … and so far they've expressed a willingness to act to try and protect and enhance the credibility of this sector.''
The Overseas Students Ombudsman was established this year as part of a federal government strategy to better monitor and regulate the international education sector.
The ombudsman has jurisdiction over Australia's 900-odd private education providers, and has received about 100 complaints so far.
Mr Asher said he expects that number to rise significantly, but that complaints have mostly been resolved quickly once his office became involved.
The new watchdog is one measure the federal government is hoping will help improve the international student experience, following sustained pressure on the industry as student numbers plummet.
The latest enrolment figures show there is some growth in enrolments at the university level - a 2.3 per cent increase on May 2010 - but that in the vocational training sector numbers continue to slide.
Year-to-date vocational training enrolments at May 2011 fell by 18.8 per cent on last year, with the largest drop in the English language sector.
Source http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/accc-to-help-fight-dodgy-colleges-20110713-1he1b.html
