We’re almost at the end of what has been an eventful year in the world of IELTS. In this month’s IELTS News Tracker, our penultimate edition for 2022, we’re bringing you some important IELTS and migration news from the last 30 days.
The Latest IELTS News
This month there have been some really positive news stories from the IELTS world. From some great exposure at a European education conference to a new agreement to help candidates access IELTS coaching and IELTS tests in the Middle East.
IELTS Online Centre Stage At Barcelona International Education Conference
IELTS was one of the main talking points of some guests visiting the 32nd Annual EAIE Conference and Exhibition in Barcelona.
The IELTS team themselves were exhibiting at the event and spoke with many attendees about the growing interest in IELTS Online, and how it offers more flexibility to candidates and is a much more accessible option.
The 2022 EAIE conference was the first to be held in-person and not virtually since the Covid-19 Pandemic, giving guests the chance to engage with professionals in further and higher education–driving innovation in education through sharing fresh ideas and best practices.
One of those representing IELTS at the conference was Anna Minett, IELTS Senior Marketing and Stakeholder Relations Manager. In a statement released on their official website she stated: ‘One of the big topics [of interest] this year was the IELTS Online format which is beginning to make waves. People wanted to know how the platform works in practice, how results are received and how it can be used to create even more opportunities for test takers around the world. This was really encouraging and reflects how institutions and test takers want more choice in how and when they take a test’.
British Council & Jazan University Sign Middle East IELTS Agreement
The British Council has signed an agreement to aid English faculty members at Jazan University’s English Institute to prepare students for IELTS.
Located in the city of Jizan, Saudi Arabia, the institute is hoping to become a vital part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative – to have a higher skilled workforce both at home and abroad that can build an even more successful Saudi economy. Naturally having postgraduates with a higher fluency in English will help to break down trade barriers and encourage investment from western nations.
This was the main focus of the statement offered by The Dean of the English Language Institute, Dr. Sami Hamdi, who stressed that: “This initiative aims to achieve the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by helping to equip both male and female students with the knowledge and skills needed for future employment and by enhancing the communication abilities of students and university staff in the twenty-first century, which depends heavily on language proficiency.”
You can read one of the full press releases on the new agreement here.
Important Migration News
Candidates of the IELTS exam will always be keeping their ear to the ground for news on their target country of migration. Whether it be the UK, Canada, New Zealand or Australia – we’ve put together some of the most important IELTS migration news from the last month.
New Zealand To Increase Migrant Workers Wages Next Year
In the years preceding the pandemic, New Zealand had already begun to struggle with filling a skills gap. Whilst the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 mitigated the effects of that skills gap, the New Zealand Government is now seeking to address the issue by enticing skilled foreign workers with higher wages.
From February 2023 they will be increasing their median wage for migrant workers to $29.66 per hour. Any sector agreed wages will also be increased if they are indexed to the centrally determined median wage.
This increase comes alongside changes to NZ legislation requiring certain workers to provide relevant qualifications in the cases of specific job roles before they can acquire an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).
Previously professions such as chefs had to pass a NZ Cookery Certificate before having their visa application considered, these rules will now be dropped to encourage more foreign chefs to migrate to the island nation.
You can read more on the planned migration changes in New Zealand in this article.
Migration To Canada Will Keep On Rising
Back in our September 2022 newsletter we spoke about how Canada was on track to record its highest level of annual migration this year. Well, that number is expected to keep on rising for the considerable future as Canada is hoping to continually increase annual immigration targets.
Leading business experts are pushing for even higher levels of migration to Canada to help Canadian businesses who are in desperate need of a solution to serious labour and workforce shortages. Some are even calling for an increase of as much as two-thirds or 66% from current levels.
When we spoke earlier this year, we were reporting that Canada would set a new record of migrants at 431,000 in 2022. However, just this week the minimum targets have been released in the government’s Immigration Levels Plan, which will see at least 465,000 in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025!
With many more visas being made available, there will be many opportunities for those wishing to migrate to Canada. If this applies to you, then to make sure you can pass the IELTS test as part of the migration process, contact us today!
Further Reading
If you want to keep abreast of the latest developments, follow Our Blog, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts for up-to-the-minute news.
See you in December!