Possibilities for Australia/India Education Partnerships

Today I took part in the Australia India Business eXchange 2021, in the Education section. After some short presentations (which was a relief as they can be long at these shows), we had some small group discussions. One issue here was how Australian unviersites can get a presence in India. The approach I suggested was a local partner. I was impressed when on a visit to Colombo (yes I know that is not India), I came across Curtin University staff at the  Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT). They had a very productive partnership where students studied locally for an Australian degree. One possibility discussed in the breakout room was an Indian institution providing an Australian vocational qualification (such as a Diploma), with the student also getting credit towards an Australian degree. Another possibility discussed was the local Indian partner assisting students with work integrated learning.

While AIBX was using Zoom, I experienced some difficulties with how it was implemented. Normally I would click on a link, or enter a Zoom address, and the Zoom App would start. In this case instead Zoom started in the web browser. This is much slower, to the point of being unusable on my computer. So I had to read the room number from this Zoom session and enter it in the desktop Zoom application. At one point other messages covered the number, so I had to ask the help desk for the Zoom link (they responded quickly).

Australia India Education Trade Show Online with International Education EdTech Vendors

Greetings from the virtual exhibition floor of the Australia India Business eXchange 2021, currently underway online. The program has five streams: Agrifood, Mining, Infrastructure, Healthcare and Education. There are two education areas on the trade floor: Transnational and Edtech. It is not too late to register.

The interface works much better than I was expecting. I clicked on Transnational Education and the response was instant. From their I could get a list of recorded presentations and documents for my show "swag bag".

Transnational Education:

1. Australian TNE in India - Presentation
2. Deakin University - Brochure
3. Flinders University - Presentation
4. Flinders University - Flyer
5. University of Southern Queensland - Flyer
6. Vetassess - Flyer
7. Mission Delegate Profiles
8. La Trobe University International Course Guide

The only of these I am not familiar with is Vetassess. So I clicked on it and got a 12 page capability statement. It turns out they do skills assessment.

For Edtech:

1. Didasko Institute - Flyer
2. Didasko Institute - Presentation
3. Typsy - Flyer
4. Typsy - Brochure
5. Mission Delegate Profiles

Here I found about Didasko (tech used to deliver university courses). However, Typsy, who deliver online hospitality training, appear to be in the wrong category. Presumably the target market is international students wanting to be certified to work in Australian hospitality.

Here is the education program: 

Wednesday 29 September 2021

11:00-12:00 IST / 15:30-16:30 AEST

Transnational education (TNE) roundtable: partnering for success

In this session Australian and Indian institutions will explore new possibilities in TNE in light of the internationalisation agenda in India’s National Education Policy, and in order to service India’s significant skills demand.

12:00-12.30 IST / 16:30-17:00 AEST

TNE networking (happy half hour)

Opportunity for informal networking with Indian institutions.

13:00-15:00 IST / 17:30–19:30 AEST

Find your partner

Visit our virtual booths anytime to explore partnerships with Australian businesses. Our Austrade India industry sector experts in transnational education and edtech will be available 13:00 to 15:00 IST for live chat.

Thursday 30 September 2021

11:00-12:00 IST / 15:30-16:30 AEST

Limitless learning: opportunities in India’s burgeoning edtech sector

This roundtable discussion focuses on growth trends in India’s education technology industry, key aspirations of Indian edtech companies, and opportunities to partner on content, product development and scale-up.

12:00-12:30 IST / 16:30-17:00 AEST

Edtech networking (happy half hour)

Opportunity for informal networking with key Indian edtech companies.

13:00-15:00 IST / 17:30–19:30 AEST

Find your partner

Visit our virtual booths anytime to explore partnerships with Australian businesses. Our Austrade India industry sector experts in transnational education and edtech will be available 13:00 to 15:00 IST for live chat.

Friday 1 October 2021

10:00-11:30 IST / 14:30-16:00 AEST

AIBX 2021 Business Leaders Forum: Partnering for Prosperity

Official proceedings with Minister Tehan, Indian Government representatives and industry leaders. A physical event in Delhi delivered in partnership with CII and the Economic Times and livestreamed to Business Mission participants. Program will include keynotes from ministers and a business leaders panel discussion on trade and economic partnership opportunities, moderated by the Economic Times.

13:00-15:00 IST / 17:30–19:30 AEST

Find your partner

Visit our virtual booths anytime to explore partnerships with Australian businesses. Our Austrade India industry sector experts in transnational education and edtech will be available 13:00 to 15:00 IST for live chat.

Australia India Business eXchange 2021

Greetings from the Australia India Business eXchange 2021, being held over the next three days online. I registered to explore education business  opportunities in India. The organizers have gone to considerable lengths to create the online equivalent of a trade show. One interesting feature is a "swag" bag, where you can browse through the information filling your virtual show bag with electronic brochures. There are live events via Zoom as well as chat. 

The main interface looks a lot like Second Life,or Mozilla Hubs,  which is not necessarily a good thing. The physical meeting venue does not necessarily make for a good online interface, and might just slow things down. A more intimidate problem is that the interface is only available when live sessions are on. This makes no sense and differs from other online trade shows, where you can look at the program, browse virtual trade booths, and leave messages to arrange meetings, at any time.