News & insights

The Department of Home Affairs today renewed its endorsement of the Pearson Test of English Academic in supporting the Australian visa programme.

“PTE Academic was first approved to support Australian visa applications in 2014 and has quickly become the test of choice for Australian student and migration visa applicants”, Pearson Australia, Managing Director, Mr David Barnett said.

“The Department of Home Affairs has now ensured that PTE Academic will continue to be available to individuals applying for an Australian visa or permanent resident outcome.”

With 50%+ growth in the numbers of people registering to take PTE Academic in recent years Pearson has now opened 5 new Pearson Professional Centres in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. Pearson has also expanded its network of partner test centres this year to offer testing on campus at the University of Queensland, UNSW, and the Gordon Institute of TAFE in Geelong. These highly secure test centres utilise state-of-the-art security measures including biometric data collection to ensure the security of the testing process.

The Adelaide test centre was officially opened in October and attended by Minister for Trade and Investment Senator Simon Birmingham and South Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment David Ridgeway MLC, where they were able to view a demonstration of the Pearson Test of English (PTE-Academic) test and an interactive tour of the new state-of-the-art centre.

The guests tried their hand at the listening and speaking sections of the test with a few questions similar to those the test takers experience.

“PTE Academic is based on the real-life English skills people need to live and work in Australia, making it the smart choice for work or study abroad,” Mr Barnett said.

“The test was created in response to demand for a more accurate, objective, secure and relevant test of English and all 100% computer based.

“Pearson’s innovative test design, use of automated scoring technology, and secure and easy-to-use test centres makes applying for local universities, job opportunities and further study as simple as possible for test-takers of all ages.

“PTE Academic is the leading computer-based test of English for study abroad and immigration, because we can deliver test results typically within days, in comparison to other English language tests which provide results in a timeframe of 2-3 weeks.”

With over 270 test centres around the globe the PTE Academic test centre network continues to grow. For more information about PTE Academic, go to https://pearsonpte.com/the-test/.

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Globally, the way we work is changing. With 70% of jobs facing uncertainty, it will be employees with a mix of technical and soft skills that succeed. And we don’t need to look too far into the future to see that—it’s already happening across Asia. At Pearson’s conference on “The Future of Learning” held in Da Nang, Vietnam in February specially invited guests and senior Pearson staff discussed global trends and how they are impacting Vietnam and the region.

First The Good News

A recent report from Pearson and Nesta, in collaboration with Oxford Martin School, titled “The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030”, is encouraging the current—and future—workforce to “stop agonising and take action to skill up for the jobs of the future.” The result of a nuanced exploration of future employment trends, it suggests that while some jobs might become even more highly-prized in the future up to 70% could face uncertainty.

“First the good news—robots aren’t taking our jobs, but they are changing the way we work. Occupations like those in the education, healthcare, and the wider public sector may even see a rise in demand. For those in jobs outside those professions workers can boost their prospects by investing in developing the right skills,” Rod Bristow, Pearson’s President of UK and Core Markets explains.

Curriculum Changes That Support Innovation

In Southeast Asia, governments are already looking to use curriculum to support the development of these kinds of skills. In Vietnam, the revised national curriculum, now due to be implemented in 2019, contains competencies such as self-control and self-learning, critical thinking and problem-solving, and collaboration and communication.

“Things in this part of the world move very fast,” Ms. Nguyen Phuong Lan, the Chairwoman for EMG, one of Vietnam’s first private education companies, warns, “You can expect a lot of changes.” EMG was founded in Hanoi, in 2005, and the company has since expanded with offices now in Ho Chi Minh City. They have been perfectly positioned to see the changes that have been happening in Vietnam. “Global thinking and practice definitely applies to Vietnam. And there’s a lot of positivity going on in the way the government is looking to develop learners’ profiles in light of the demands of the 21st century,” she continues. “Students here have no choice but to grab the future [by developing] the skill to learn, unlearn and relearn. I think those are the most critical skills we can give to our young learners, and the changes to the curriculum should support that,” she adds.

The Millennial Generation’s Impact On The Workplace

It’s not just educators who are seeing signs of change. Employers in Vietnam are registering the impact the millennial generation is having in the professional sphere. “This generation, I feel, is more confident and adaptable in handling new situations and solving problems,” a senior representative for Vietnam Airlines’ Cabin Crew Division says. But he feels the changes aren’t all positive. “Work-readiness skills have developed considerably. Sometimes, however, this generation complete tasks quickly but with less accuracy,” he adds. “And when they feel they have enough experience they will change to another job. This is a challenge among companies in Vietnam today, and within my company too.”

Other companies are reaping the benefits of engaging in forward-thinking education programmes to train and retain their future workforce. Mr. Vu Hai Long, Director of FPT’s Greenwich Collaboration College, part of the FPT Corporation, the largest technology company in Vietnam, remembers: “Fifteen years ago, FPT Software faced genuine difficulty finding the right people—there was a real skills shortage. We decided to invest in education primarily to help support our own business, but our focus on learning has meant young Vietnamese have been able to achieve success here while also entering the international job market.”

“Embrace The Changes Happening Around Us”

“It’s our responsibility to embrace the changes that are happening around us and not be passengers on the ride,” Alan Malcolm, Pearson’s Head of Asia, says about his responsibility to support the changing landscape with digitally-driven education solutions. “We need to continue to deliver on our promise to help people to grow in this changing environment. It’s about balancing this digital transformation with what we already have as educators getting data and as much as we can from technology, rather than looking at it as something that is going to replace the [effective] teaching practices and the education that’s going on now,” he continues.

“Learning is such a personal thing, but it can also be incredibly social. It is complex, and there are contradictions, but we have to keep asking: How can we help people learn today? And how can we help them to continue to learn in the future? We are challenging ourselves, learners, and educators to think about that.” David Barnett, Pearson’s Managing Director for Asia Pacific, concludes about the changing education landscape in this region.

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All eyes are on Vietnam. That’s because the ambitious Southeast Asian country’s young, tech-savvy population is helping position it as a future global leader in industries like blockchain technology. But what is it like harnessing the skills of a country with 40% of its population under 25, and how are some of Vietnam’s biggest employers making learning key to help train and retain their teams?

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