Agreement to better prepare international students for study
Bianca Reynaud
Public relations assistant
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
A new agreement with an English language school will make it easier for international students to study at Avondale.
Previously, these students needed to attain 6.0 or higher on a test called the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which measures fluency in English. But the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Australian International College of English (AICE) in Sydney will give students the option of completing a course called English for Academic Purposes, which will better prepare them for tertiary study.
The memorandum of understanding “is an excellent opportunity for students who are committed to Christ and don’t know English well enough to study at Avondale,” says AICE principal Heidi Reid.
Students will find it “easier to come to Avondale through the language training provided by AICE rather than the IELTS pathway,” says Avondale president Professor Ray Roennfeldt. “It may even be safer because AICE students have a history of good performance at tertiary level.”
The director of advancement at Avondale, Colin Crabtree, helped facilitate the memorandum of understanding. He describes it as “covering the gap” in the college of higher education’s offering to international students. “Higher education providers like a good English language training partner because the area is so specialised,” he says. “Students like it because they can often gain entry to a higher education provider based on their ELT result rather than having to submit to an IELTS test. At worst, students are more likely to pass the IELTS if they go to a good ELT.”
Many Australian universities endorse AICE’s English for Academic Purposes course, including four of Australia’s top-18 ranked universities.