The Marketing Strategies of TAFE Institutions in Queensland - Assignment Example

?A Review on the Marketing Strategies of TAFE s in Queensland Table of Contents Executive Summary 2. Introduction - Background of the Study 3. Student Survey 4. Findings Diploma’s and Certificates for TAFE Students Enrolment Statistics Course Pricing Survey Results a. Student Statistics b. Analysis - Trends and Patterns of TAFE Ads i. Brisbane North Institute Marketing Survey results ii. Southbank Institute of Technology iii. The MSIT c. Promotional Activities of Universities vs. TAFE Institutes i. Traditional Ways of Advertising ii. Online Advertising iii. Mobile Advertising d. Conclusions Drawn i. Relationship between Ads and Student Admission in TAFE Institutes ii. Key Points of the Findings iii. Operational Issues 5. Recommendations for the TAFE institute Ads a. Steps to Solve Immediate Problems b. Critical Points to Be Addressed To Get Maximum Benefit c. Taking Advantage of Indentified Opportunities d. Decisions to be taken based on the conclusions in the findings 6. Conclusion 7. Bibliography 8. Appendix A Review on the Marketing Strategies of TAFE Institutions in Queensland Executive Summary The main objective of this report is to review how the three major Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes in Australia market themselves. The TAFE institutes play an important role in equipping the students with the job market skills. A major proportion of students who complete their high school land into such institutes directly as they will be able to attain part-time or full time jobs much earlier than they get the college degrees through these institutes. However, the marketing strategies of many such institutions are outdated. This report conducts an elaborate survey among the students who study in the three major Australian TAFE institutes, the Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE, Southbank Institute of Technology and Brisbane North Institute of TAFE. The paper report consists of three main parts, the background, the survey, discussion and the recommendations. The background describes the importance of TAFE institutes based on the employment status of the children who studied there. It also defines how these institutes lack behind in using modern marketing techniques compared to mainstream colleges. The second part, conducts an elaborate survey about the reach of TAFE ads to the students in school. The third part presents the gathered results and discusses the current pros and cons of the TAFE marketing strategies. The fourth part presents productive recommendations to improve the reach of their TAFE institutes among the student community through various innovative marketing ideas. Introduction Background of the Study In Australia TAFE colleges award diploma's which are valued less than the Bachelor degree, but very useful in equipping students with industry related skills. Certain TAFE colleges in Victoria and Queensland are eligible to provide their own bachelor and post-graduate degrees ( Wheelahan, et al, 2009). These colleges offer a variety of vocational training in various fields like mechanics, engineering, finance and construction. Students looking for a quick employment and those who cannot afford university education find TAFE colleges quite useful. Students who finish year 12 examination attain a short term diploma course and secure a job. The diploma course is then used as a partial credit to enter Bachelor degree courses in the mainstream universities. The students, who come follow this path, easily earn while they learn and come out with substantial experience in their field when they complete their degree. This extra qualification helps them gain up to three times more salary than their fresher colleagues. TAFE colleges are usually widespread offering a variety of industry niche oriented training. But many students who complete year 12 look upon them as colleges used by students who get low grades and economically backward students. They are not well informed about the advantages of using the TAFE diploma's efficiently. Most of the youngsters who complete year 12 examinations and head towards university degree take student loans. They face very stiff competition when they come out of the college, lack industry training and experience, making employment a tedious process. Taking the right decision based on their family and economic situations to use the TAFE courses will help them in numerous ways. Nearly 89.6% of the Year 12 completers in the Queensland region go for higher studies. Nearly 45.3% opt to go to regular colleges while 15.1% select Vocational education. (Brisbane Regional Report 2012) The TAFE institutes do not advertise much or take prudent steps to market themselves efficiently to the potential students like the normal universities. Since, they are controlled by the state or territory governments they often have limited funds to spend on marketing activities. They still rely upon outdated means like the radio, print media and cinema slides to promote their institutes. The marketing techniques used by the TAFEs should undergo a drastic change to draw more students into these colleges. Student Survey The current students of TAFEs and the future students still in schools were surveyed regarding the most appealing means of marketing by educational institutions. They reported TAFEs rank last in marketing according to these students. The survey was conducted with the help of the Queensland Department of Education. Several students from the three main TAFE institutes in the state, the Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE, Southbank Institute of Technology and Brisbane North Institute of TAFE were interviewed regarding how they came to know about the institute. Similarly children from different schools in the states were also surveyed regarding their knowledge and likeliness to joining the TAFE. They were asked to rate the efficiency of the TAFE marketing strategies of all these three institutes. Hundred top ranking students from the all the TAFE institutes were selected with the help of the institute authorities and they were requested to fill in a questionnaire form which gathered their personal details, their perception about marketing techniques of each institute and how far it influenced them in joining the respected TAFEs. Similarly 200 school students from 4 different schools were interviewed regarding the marketing techniques of each TAFE. The students were asked to fill in a questionnaire similar to the previous one. Findings Diploma’s and Certificates for TAFE Students Enrolment Statistics Course Pricing The course pricing usually falls in-between $150 to $250. Instalment options and concessions are available for aboriginal and international students. Certificate courses are priced much less than the diploma courses. Advances diplomas can sometimes cost up to $300. The fee of each course is mentioned in the prospectus or the online pages giving details about the specific course. Survey Results Among the 100 existing TAFE students who attended the survey, nearly 50% of them reported looking at a TAFE add in a newspaper during the admission time and another 30% reported they heard about the institute through private consultancies. Only 5% of them reported to have seen attractive ads in the television and internet about the TAFE institutes. The survey consists of three main parts. The first part collects the personal information like the name, age and gender. It also collects information about the economical background of the student’s family and their academic level. The second part enquires about the various ways of advertisements and marketing strategies followed by the TAFE institutes. They were asked which college ad they like the most, how frequently they spot TAFE ads and how attractive they are compared to the normal university ads. The third part enquires how far these ads are instrumental in influencing them to select a TAFE. The students already enrolled in the TAFE institutions were able to give a better answer for this part than the school students. a. Student Statistics The age group of all the students surveyed falls in-between 17 to 20. 50% of the total 300 students were females and the rest males. The school students were targeted more than the existing TAFE students as they are the future ones who needs influence to be enrolled in the institutes in the upcoming years as only current Year 12 students were surveyed. Age Group Percentage 17 - 18 75% 18 - 19 10% 19 – 20 15% Male Female 150 150 50% 50% b. Analysis - Trends and Patterns of TAFE Ads i. Brisbane North Institute Marketing Survey results The Brisbane North Institute of TAFE ads were voted as the most attractive ones in the newspaper by most students. 44% out of the total students votes Brisbane’s ad was very attractive and could be found online easily. The university advertises in yellow pages, classifieds and many other free ad posting sides targeting the local youth. Their ads are colourful and most appealing to the economically downtrodden children. It lists the number of courses and the benefits of joining the college together. ii. Southbank Institute of Technology Their Facebook page has over 5000 likes with almost all the students and several alumni using it. Though it is much lesser than the views obtained for a local restaurant or bar Facebook page, their social media page is considered the best among the all three colleges. It is colourful, informative and lists various activities taking part in the college campus. iii. The MSIT The MSIT ads are seen widely as billboards, in the newspaper and rarely in the internet. Their advertisements are seen in all the major joints and public places making this TAFE institute a well known one among the adults, who automatically come forward to educate their children there. Most of their ads predominantly highlight how much scholarship they provide. This is another reason the college is quite famous with the parents. The students simply rate Brisbane TAFE as the best one using print media efficiently and the Southbank Institute of Technology as the next best one for using social media effectively. MSITs approach is completely different as it targets the fees payers or the parents directly. The Brisbane TAFE tops the student’s choice in terms of varied courses to select from. Their ads promptly highlight this diverse course categories offered in their college. The table given below shows the major studies selected by both the male and female students in any TAFE. Brisbane College offers all the courses in their campus and highlights the same in their ad. c. Promotional Activities of Universities vs TAFE Institutes Traditional Ways of Advertising The major universities in the areas approach the Year 12 students directly or through consultancies and offer them various scholarships and student loans. Many universities set up stalls in the school campuses to canvas the children as well as their parents directly. They also advertise extensively in the television as well as internet during the admission time garnering the interest of most of the students. The TAFE colleges advertise in the television rarely. They rely mostly on the newspaper ads for their publicity. Some institutes do show slides in theatres and advertise in the radio. But, the reach of such ads are very limited. Only 3% of the total students surveyed admitted to have come across radio ads about TAFE institutes. The TAFE institutes often set up promotional campaigns in public places. But, they fail to gather interest when they conduct such campaigns in school campuses as they are overshadowed by the posh university stalls. Nearly 55% students surveyed never recalled noting a TAFE stall in their school campus canvassing them to join. Online Campaign The TAFE institutes started to use the internet quite late and use it minimally. They should increase advertising online and social media participation by several folds to communicate with the children in a better way. While most of the major universities depend upon their websites for most of their admission processes, TAFE colleges still use them as simple information sources. Even the admission forms are not available for download in many TAFE institutes websites. All the website provides is a picture of the college and a contact address. Mobile Advertisement All the three TAFE colleges surveyed about have started to advertise through mobile phones in the recent years. Just like promotional campaign stalls, their mobile ads are monochrome and provide minimum information. They are no match to the colourful and attractive university mobile ads designed for smart phone with several multimedia features. Only 10% of the total students remember receiving some sort of message about TAFE promotion in their mobiles and many agreed, they did not even care to go through owing to its simplicity. Conclusions Drawn Relationship between Ads and Student Admission in TAFE Institutes 50% of the total 100 students surveyed stated they chose the TAFE College not because of their ads, but because of economical constraints and other reasons. 20% students especially the MSIT students admitted their parents influenced by the MSIT ad and prompted them to join the TAFE. The remaining 30% stated they were partly influenced by the ads. But, the main reason to join the institute was an opportunity to gain quick employment and family situations which prevented them from entering the mainstream colleges. Key Points of the Findings Out of the total 30% who agreed they were partly influenced by the ads, most of them were attracted by the variety of job-oriented courses listed in the ad. Several students were also attracted by scholarship offers shown in the ad. They felt the colour and style of advertising could improve for all three TAFE institute ads. Though the ads play very little part in influencing the students to join the TAFE institutes, their marketing activities like promotional campaigns, scholarships and low fees do attract several students. Creating ads featuring these important specialties of TAFE will help in influencing more students to join the institution. Measures like offering a discount for two or more students from the same family studying in the same institution or offering scholarship for one child if three or more children from the same family study in the same campus will also boost the admission rate. Operational Issues Most of the TAFE’s have to go through tedious process to get approval for extra funds. Further the promotional department heads are experienced but elderly people who are unaware of the modern advertising means. They consider many modern means of advertising like the social network sites a waste of time and money. They are reluctant to approach modern advertising consultancies for help as they do not want a commercial image on their TAFE institutes. Recommendations for the TAFE institute Ads Steps to Solve Immediate Problems The colleges should come forward to advertise themselves in a better way highlighting the number of students who gained employment and seats in universities by earning a diploma in TAFE institutes. They should promote themselves as an easy and economical way to earn a degree without bearing the burden of the student loans. Critical Points to Be Addressed To Get Maximum Benefit The TAFE institutes should increase the attractiveness and frequency of their public campaigns. While the major universities will be busy canvassing the top scorers in the schools, the TAFE people can target the mediocre students and lure them into entering the institutes quite easily. They should resort to advertising online frequently throughout the year in all famous student famous websites. This will help the students consider TAFE as a valuable option when they analyze various colleges for their studies. They should also increase the frequency of their newspaper and television ads. Advertising during the admission period alone will not help much. Out of sight, is out of mind. Hence, they should resort to regular advertising in all possible Medias to tackle competition. Taking Advantage of Indentified Opportunities The age old means of advertising like radio ads still reach the rural students better than the urban ones. So, they should set up promotional campaigns in rural areas and create awareness about the benefits of earning a diploma. The rural areas have high number of high school dropouts. Such targeted canvas will serve as a valuable marketing arrangement if they are able to make even a small portion of these dropouts pursue a VET course. Decisions to be taken based on the conclusions in the findings Just like the MSIT, the colleges should try and canvas the parents along with the students. Earning the parents trust is an important part in gaining more admissions. It is also quite important to fetch sponsorships and donations to improve the infrastructure and offer more courses. Though many of the TAFE colleges are well equipped with necessary ground and laboratories, they will need substantial development in the infrastructure, if efficient marketing will fetch them more students. Conclusion The survey conducted clearly states, the students and the parents have very little knowledge about the TAFE and its uses. Reforming their marketing strategies will help these colleges as well as the needy students. Several students get rejected by universities every year. They either turn up to be school dropouts or go to a different state to continue their university education. They do not consider TAFE as an alternative form of building skill. A school dropout student with no experience and skill will be able to earn thrice as much as the normal pay they receive if they have an advanced diploma from the TAFE. Further it opens the gate for them to continue the regular education sooner or later. The courses offered here help them to become a skilled labour instead of staying manual labours for the rest of their lifetime. It is the duty of the TAFE colleges to create awareness about such opportunities and reforming the marketing strategies is the first step in doing so. Bibliography 1. Leesa Wheelahan, Gavin Moodie, Stephen Billett and Ann Kelly, Higher education in TAFE, Research report published by National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), September 2009. Lessa Wheelahan and her group provided a resourceful insight on the operation and usefulness of TAFE colleges in Education. Her Research provided the much necessary empirical proof for the employment rate of TAFE diploma holders. 2. A Report on the destinations of Year 12 completers from 2011 in Queensland. Brisbane Regional Report. 2012. The survey provides details about a set of Year 12 students and how they ended up in various jobs after 6 years. Their educational qualification and the rate of employment among the diploma holders as well as the university students is presented in the survey. 3. A Report on the destinations of Year 12 completers from 2011 in Queensland. Brisbane Regional Report. 2011. The survey provides a distinct classification of Year 12 students who continue their higher studies, get employed and end up doing various other things. It provides gender wise data on the employment statistics in and around Brisbane area. The survey also takes into account the major workforce in the area and classifies their educational qualification and in how many years they obtained the job after completed Year 12 examinations. Appendix Questionnaire Part 1 1. Name: 2. Age: 3. Gender: 4. Yearly Family Earning: 5. Grade in the last Exam: 6. Surveyor Type: School student Existing TAFE Student Part 2 1. Where did you last see/ heard a TAFE add for Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE, Southbank Institute of Technology and Brisbane North Institute of TAFE? Newspaper Radio Internet Promotional campaign Mobile ad 2. How frequently do you come across such ads? Once in three months One in a month Once in six months 3. How frequently do you come across university ads? Once in three months One in a month Once in six months 4. Name your favourite TAFE Institute advertisement. 5. When and where did you see it? 6. What do you think is the most attractive feature in a TAFE ad? Part 3 1. Did you join/ will join TAFE because of the ad? 2. What prompted you to join TAFE institutes? 3. Are your parents influenced by the TAFE ads? Which feature attracts them the most? Read More