Western Australia introduces new incentive scheme for agents

Western Australia introduces new incentive scheme for agents

The Western Australian government is pulling out all the stops to boost the flow of international students to the state’s education institutions – and a major component of the new push is leveraging the agent channel in recruitment.

Of the AUS$41.2 million, the McGowan government has reserved in its 2022/23 state budget to revitalise the international education sector, AUS$10 million is earmarked for an “Agent Incentive Scheme.” This scheme is rare in the sense of it being a government-funded programme directed at incentivising agents. Across the major English-speaking destinations, agents’ commissions are usually paid entirely by institutions or schools.

The government will – between September 2022 and June 2023 – pay agents AUS$500 per student for placements in schools, ELICOS, or VET providers and AUS $1,000 for enrolments in universities – of which there are five in Western Australia. The scheme will end once the fund is empty due to commissions paid out to agents within that time frame.

The government-funded commissions are not a replacement for the incentives individual institutions pay agents, but rather a top-up. Agents will receive their government commission payments directly from participating education institutions in the scheme.

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