Seminar Programme ICEF South East Asia 2025

Perfect for regular attendees to both refresh their knowledge and share their experiences with first timers, this special session provides practical tips and strategies for making the most out of any ICEF event, and ICEF Vancouver in particular. 

With community at the heart of the international education industry, this session presents a unique opportunity for ICEF regulars and newcomers alike to pool their knowledge in a supportive environment, fostering a more productive event experience. 

Topic areas include: 

• Making the most of your time during the event
• Developing effective post-event follow-up strategies and agent contracts
• Building a mutually beneficial relationship with providers and agents

Join Jessica Yurcheshen (Vice Consul - US Consulate General, Ho Chi Minh City) for a 40-minute session that provides a detailed overview of the current visa application process. With a practical approach that focuses on preparing the student to submit a successful application, areas covered in this presentation include: 

• Detailed application process overview
• A list of the key requirements for a student visa (F-1) 
• Tips and strategies to ensure the visa application is complete and accurate

This session will provide an update and insights on student recruitment from three South East Asian student source markets: Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos. Seasoned recruitment professionals from each country will highlight the most effective recruitment strategies and discuss best practices when it comes to marketing and outreach, as well as advice on how to cultivate relationships with educational agents and other local key stakeholders.

In addition, we’ll look at the unique challenges faced by recruiters across the 3 markets. This will include a discussion of visa and immigration regulations, as well as cultural, economic, and political factors that may influence the recruitment process. Finally, the session concludes with an opportunity for the audience to ask questions.

Vietnamese students' study abroad choices are evolving, and this data-driven overview will identify their current preferred destinations. With students moving beyond traditional destination choices, we'll analyse the latest statistics to reveal the countries now attracting the largest numbers. 

This session will not only highlight the significant shifts in student interest but also explore the primary factors influencing where Vietnamese students are choosing to pursue their education.

While the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada - the “big four” - remain popular study destinations with hundreds of thousands of international students each year, their appeal has been impacted by a range of factors, such as policy decisions aimed at restricting migration and the relatively high cost of living. At the same time, student preferences focus more and more on factors like proximity, welcoming culture, and access to visa, driving considerable demand across a number of emerging destinations. 

In this panel discussion, we look at the factors driving the rising appeal of destinations beyond the “big four”. We look at what students expect in a newly competitive market and how governments across a range of prospective destinations are responding to their needs in order to effectively drive up enrolments. 

As distinct from a panel session or keynote, the roundtables provide a space for a less-structured discussion but with guidance from an informed specialist. To provide that guidance, each table is led by a host whose role is to moderate and animate the discussion around the topic at hand.

- There will be two sittings of all tables, each lasting 25 minutes. The first begins at 18:00; the second at 18:30.

Roundtables' topics:

1. Best practice in developing long-term agent partnerships in South East Asia - Jennifer Nguyen
2. Rising to the challenge: Opportunities in the Canadian higher education sector - TBA
3. Focus on Vietnam: Effective student recruitment in a complex country - Tran Thi Dan
4. Exploring the global K-12 market: A sector overview - TBA
5. Bridging the skills gap: Internships for international students - TBA
6. Pathways and vocational programmes: Changing the value proposition for students in Asia - Andrew Straughan