GCC-Australia Trade & Investment Forum

1. GCC-Australia Trade & Investment Forum MARTIN RIORDAN Chief Executive Officer TAFE Directors Australia 16 October 2014 Melbourne, Victoria

2. GCC-Australia Policy Dialogue

3. Overview of GCC education and & skilling • Average 20% of GCC country budgets spent on education • Two recent reports indicate poor results: • Only 29% of employers believe students are prepared for work (Ernst & Young, March 2014) • GCC region faces a shortage of competent, skilled labour (Alpen Capital, July 2014 • Focus and investment primarily in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and UAE (92% of 355 education projects) GCC-Australia Policy Dialogue

4. Australian achievements to date • Two university campuses in Dubai (Wollongong & Murdoch) • Student visa holders in Australia (as at 30 June 1014) • Saudi Arabia 8,396; #11 in top source countries c/w #1 China 76,152 • New visas granted in last 12 months • ELICOS 1,452 from Saudi • Higher Ed 1,741 from Saudi • Post Graduate 373 from Saudi, 91 from Oman GCC-Australia Policy Dialogue

5. Australian achievements to date • TAFE partnerships • UAE • TAFE NSW – ADVETI (build, operate, transfer vocational college) • Challenger – education services for ADVETI • TAFE SA • Canberra Institute – leadership training for government departments • Kangan • Saudi Arabia (Kangan) • Kuwait (Kangan, Central Institute, Skills Tech) • Qatar • Holmesglen – oil & gas training with Qatar Petroleum GCC-Australia Policy Dialogue

6. Opportunities for the VET sector • Saudi Arabia • establishment and management of technical colleges • 14 established; 27 to come on line in 2014-15 • UK consortium won $AUD 500m in March 2014 to build and manage three colleges • Strong interest in Australian participation but sustainability of the business model led to several TAFEs withdrawing from bidding • Oman • A strong and emerging market with preliminary discussions underway • Qatar • Established projects and potential for expansion • UAE • Most successful market entry to date with on-going engagement and extension of projects GCC-Australia Policy Dialogue

7. Challenges • Geopolitical issues • the Arab Spring, followed by the emergence and impact of ISIS • Western military intervention • Cultural awareness and sensitivities • Role of women in education and training • Employment opportunities for GCC nationals • Changing dynamics for expat employment • Business models with a strong return on investment • Contracts heavily loaded to employment outcomes which may not be at the preferred levels • Access and availability for local hire or skilled contractors for provision of education services GCC-Australia Policy Dialogue

8. Next steps • Maintain the dialogue at all levels; government, industry, education providers • Explore the viability of skills validation and skills gap training for expat labour, particularly from the India sub continent • Leverage Australian education sector engagement to develop a multi-sector approach which offers clear pathways from school to vocational training to higher education GCC-Australia Policy Dialogue

9. Thank You Martin Riordan mriordan@tda.edu.au