The University of Newcastle has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Kaplan Higher Education Pty Limited to provide pathways into the University for international students and innovative solutions to international student recruitment and engagement activities.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alex Zelinsky AO said together the partners hoped to strengthen their global reach and build on combined networks and resources.
“As we have all experienced in the past 6 months, the world is changing at a pace we’ve never before seen, and that change is requiring us to look at how we carry out education and training. High quality education will always be crucial to helping people stay relevant in an innovative, competitive and fast-paced world.”
“Following a competitive procurement process, we are happy to announce that we have selected Kaplan to deliver a high quality innovative international pathway program that spans the breadth of the University’s undergraduate and postgraduate programs,” Professor Zelinsky said.
“In normal circumstances we’d see more than 7000 international students joining our University each year. While we know this won’t be the case in the short term, establishing this relationship is crucial for our long-term plans,” he said.
“As one of the largest educators in Australia and globally, Kaplan recognises that professional acumen isn’t found in the pages of a book but in developing practical, applicable skills and knowledge, and that networks, support and opportunity underpin career success. Kaplan focus on developing strong and successful partnerships aimed to delivering mutual benefit.”
The University is looking forward to the first suite of pathway programs rolling out in 2021.
The MoU follows an internationally-competitive procurement process that was completed on 24 August. The process was led by a multidisciplinary panel, proposals were scored on criteria focussed on student experience and innovation in teaching and learning.
“We very much look forward to working with University of Newcastle, initially focussing on supplementing the university’s own recruitment efforts to maximise and expand the pathway opportunities available to international students to earn a University of Newcastle degree. We then hope to leverage the breadth of assets across both parties to challenge the current educational landscape with a view to innovative new offerings across the sector. At every step, both Kaplan and the University will be focused on providing a quality education and a distinctive student experience” said Rob Regan, Managing Director, Kaplan ANZ.
Throughout Kaplan’s 80-year history, Kaplan has helped students from around the world achieve their educational aspirations. Kaplan currently operates in more than 30 countries and serves more than 1 million students annually through its global operations.
