an has 25 years’ experience in the international education industry, with experience in every aspect of ELICOS where he started as a teacher, a CELTA trainer, and a DoS before working across sales and marketing, admissions, IT, and then executive management.
Ian also has five years’ experience running a consultancy offering services including strategy development, mergers and acquisitions, financial performance improvement, market analysis and economic impact studies, regulatory reform and compliance, as well as executive and sales coaching. His clients included federal, state, and local government bodies, industry peak bodies, and education providers from universities to multi-nationals to small family operations.
Spanning more than 10 years, Ian’s corporate governance experience includes previously sitting on the English Australia Board for nearly 6 years, on the board of StudyNSW for a term, and serving as Chair of a not for profit for nearly 5 years. He graduated the AICD Company Directors Course (Order of Merit) and holds an MBA (Distinction), a Masters in Professional Education, and the CELTA and DELTA.
At the end of the 2025-26 financial year, applications for student visas for ELICOS were nearly 30% lower than they were 20 years ago. The enrolment figures were also the lowest in nearly 20 years. The October announcements of drastic cuts to onshore applications will see ELICOS numbers fall further.
This session will explore:
- what these latest changes will mean for ELICOS.
- what the flow on impact will be for VET and HE enrolments.
- what the future of ELICOS looks like.
- what adjustments are needed.
Ian Aird
CEO, English Australia