Education

The tertiary education sector in Australia in 2010-11 will grow by 1.7% reaching $22.1 billion and is being transformed, particularly following the recent Bradley Review (IBIS World Industry Report N8431 University and Other Higher Education in Australia)

First, the traditional supply-driven funding model is being replaced by a new and radically different one due to come into effect in 2012: that of funding based on student demand. Second, the new reporting reality of quality assessment and performance rating, and third, the very real and disturbing decline in international student numbers, in part driven by changes in immigration policy, which has seen some universities experience up to 30% fewer enrolments in 2011.

In this increasingly challenging environment the winners will be those tertiary institutions that closely examine their operations and organisations to determine which administrative support functions are diverting scarce resources away from higher education's core purpose.

They’ll also be rationalising traditionally decentralised and highly complex organisational structures; ones whose governance processes often produce isolated organisational entities, with widely disparate service levels and unworkable spans of control.

There will be a fresh focus on lessons to be learnt from private enterprise, like well designed relationship management programs to attract students and partners, customer services programs to build loyalty and greater investment in how teaching and support services can be delivered.

All these trends are making the operating conditions for universities particularly difficult. To successfully meet this challenging environment head-on requires a better understanding of students needs and behaviours and converting such insights into effective platforms for innovation and go-to market strategies as well as improving performance by reducing costs and working the marketing dollar more effectively.

Oakton’s education consulting experience

For over 20 years Oakton has helped many of Australia’s leading educational institutions on strategic issues, such as performance improvement, operating efficiencies, cost management and reduction and organisational effectiveness to highlight but a few.

To find out more about Oakton’s expertise in this area, please contact Matthew Chessell