Rod Jones is set to take over from former chief scientist, Lyn Beazley, as chairperson at Study Perth early next month, prior to his retirement as Navitas chief executive later this year.
Rod Jones is set to take over from former chief scientist Lyn Beazley as chairperson at Study Perth early next month, prior to his retirement as Navitas chief executive later this year.
StudyPerth is Western Australia’s peak body for promoting the international education sector and receives about $1.3 million in state funding each year.
Given Mr Jones’ plans to retire from Navitas, StudyPerth executive director Philip Payne said the timing was right to approach him to join the education body.
He said he was thrilled Mr Jones was taking on the role of chairperson, and he expected the Navitas CEO would bring a wealth of skills to the job, given his 40 years’ experience in the education sector.
“Mr Jones has obviously made his name in private education but he has the respect of the higher education sector and has worked with three of the five universities in WA,” Mr Payne told Business News.
Mr Jones will be joining a board of education leaders, including senior representatives from each of the state’s five universities, as well as Rob Delane, the deputy director general from the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.
It also has representatives from private training providers Edith Cowan College, DNA Kingston Training, plus the City of Perth.
In addition to Mr Jones’ appointment, StudyPerth will benefit from an additional $2 million in funding, allocated as part of the McGowan government’s Plan for Jobs over five years to develop an international education strategy.
Mr Payne said StudyPerth had shifted its focus away from overseas recruitment, with institutions picking up that role while StudyPerth focused on marketing Perth and ensuring a positive experience for international students.
“StudyPerth has a new mandate in two parts; the first part is destination marketing, promoting Perth as a world class destination for international students, and clearly Rod’s experience will be invaluable in that area,” he said.
“And the second part is enriching students’ experiences once they arrive, so making sure they get the most from the opportunity and giving them the skills, training and networks to go out into the workforce.”
Mr Payne said Perth was not where it should be in terms of attracting international students and he suspected Mr Jones saw an opportunity to use his skills and his experience to help improve Perth’s position.
He said StudyPerth would be implementing a stronger focus on employability into its program, given many potential students were already a part of the workforce and looking to advance their careers.
Premier Mark McGowan said he was looking to StudyPerth to bring more international students to WA and create more jobs for Western Australians," Mr Payne said.
“Mr Jones is a passionate advocate for Western Australia, and I can think of no-one better suited to steer our state’s peak body for international education.”