Coast ready for post-covid student rush
But ‘city must adapt to their needs’
PEAK education bosses are working closely on sister-city relationships and with global powerhouses to rebuild the $2bna-year international sector ravaged by Covid-19.
The city lost most of its 32,000 international students when borders were slammed shut.
Study Gold Coast boss Alfred Slogrove is confident the Gold Coast will rebound faster than other Australian cities and says one silver lining from the pandemic will be the rethinking of age-old practices and realigning the serving of students.
“The pandemic has seen a huge shift in people’s thinking and priorities and as such the Gold Coast has become an increasingly attractive destination for Australians wanting to move here,” he said.
“In 2022, and once international borders reopen, I believe we’ll see a comparative demand from overseas students wanting to study here with our existing top-tier markets like Brazil, China, Japan and India continuing to provide increasing numbers of students while emerging markets like Colombia, South Korea and Vietnam, will grow exponentially.
“As a result, the Gold Coast will recover faster than other Australian cities and we’ll be able to rebuild our sector to be in a prime position for future prospects and opportunities.
Mr Slogrove said in the five years before the pandemic the Gold Coast’s international education sector was growing on average by more than 10 per cent per year.
“Prior to Covid our modelling had us on track to have 50,000 international students by 2025, with the sector being worth $3bn to the city,” he said.
“With so many variables in play it is impossible to predict how long the sector will take to recover or how many students will be studying here by 2032.
“Excluding further major global impacts, there is little doubt the volume of international students will grow, and many of these students make vital contributions as part of the retail, tourism and hospitality workforces.
“Traditionally, the Gold Coast has come to rely on them and that equation is likely to continue.”
A Southern Cross University spokesman said there was no doubt the next 10 years would bring substantial change to the higher education sector.
“Universities must adapt and move in response to student needs and expectations,” he said.
“Southern Cross has invested substantially in its online learning and delivery resources in recent years, but not as a replacement for face-to-face teaching.
“It is clear students want both – the community of a campus and the convenience of a digital classroom, when required.
“As the drawing power of the destination becomes a bigger factor closer to the Olympics, we will be in a position to offer the best of both.”
The basic intention of our City Plan is to build up, not out, and to achieve that along existing major public transport networks
– Mayor Tom Tate
our City Plan is to build up, not out, and to achieve that along existing major public transport networks.”
Peak educational bodies such as Study Gold Coast say we need large-scale, purpose-built student accommodation facilities. Top educators such as Southern Cross University are leading the way in that area, last year proposing to build a 12-storey student accommodation tower on Golden Four Drive, Bilinga.
Cr Tate said the Coast had to evolve as a city and rely less on cars, switching to light rail, trains and other forms of public transport.
He rejected suggestions that the City Plan amendments were being unnecessarily delayed as council waited for the government to approve minor changes.
“The state will make their decision at the right time. It has not stalled. We (council) have been meticulous in considering every community comment from the City Plan review,” he said.
“These latest City Plan amendments remain the most widely consulted of any strategy this council has ever undertaken. We expect the state to make a decision inside six months.”