The Student Accommodation Association (SAA) was proud to extend an invite by Study NSW to SAA members to participate in the NSW Education Showcase virtual event series held throughout March and April 2022.

Ron de Haan, National Committee Member of SAA, and Anouk Darling, Chief Executive Officer of Scape and SAA Executive Member spoke on behalf of all NSW members at the ‘Sydney education showcase: A world-class education in an iconic city’ virtual event on Wednesday 30^th of March 2022. Ron and Anouk spoke about quality SAA member property options across Sydney and NSW, and the integral role SAA plays in the student accommodation industry.

“SAA is proud to support Study New South Wales by providing quality accommodation options to international students who choose NSW as their preferred study destination.” Ron declared.

“Scape is really proud to be a member of SAA, playing our part in promoting the importance of quality student accommodation to the international education experience… in addition to meeting SAA industry standards in every property, Scape buildings are purpose built to ensure students will have the best experience and will have the best experiences that last for a lifetime.” Anouk stated.

Showcasing the best of the state, Study NSW promoted Sydney and NSW to future and current international students, parents, and agents to learn from industry leaders and other international students about studying, living, and working in Australia’s leading study destination.

To watch the exclusive interview in full, click here.

To watch the NSW Education Showcase Virtual Event Series, click here.

We would like to thank StarRez for their ongoing support of the student accommodation sector and the Student Accommodation Association, and are proud to continue working with them as a SAA Corporate Sponsor in 2022.

StarRez has over 850+ customers worldwide, helping to create thriving residential communities that value wellness, connection, and great resident experiences, ensuring that they are easy to manage and have high retention, attraction, revenue, and occupancy. As a global leader, StarRez provides the most comprehensive Student Accommodation and Conference & Event management solutions to universities, colleges, and purpose-built student accommodation providers. StarRez is committed to security and ensures the privacy of your data (SOC2, PCI, FERPA & HIPAA ready, GDPR compliant), providing end-to-end solutions.

Partnering with the Student Accommodation Association can provide your organisation a multitude of opportunities and benefits. If you would like to be involved with SAA, we have a number of packages available – for any budget and needs. We stand to provide the industry significant value from a strategic alignment with SAA, with packages that can provide you an excellent opportunity to connect with student accommodation stakeholders nationally.

Contact us to find out more about how you can benefit from one of our packages.

The Student Accommodation Association would like to thank our Discussion Panel and members for joining the conversation at our Preparing Student Accommodation Providers for Recovery Virtual Roundtable held on 9 March 2022.

Bringing in a new year means welcoming new and returning international students back to Australia. In a post pandemic world, it is vital that we continue to ensure the safety of our residents and that student accommodation providers are supported in applying COVID-19 Safe protocols.

Our Discussion Panel shared insights into the challenges student accommodation providers face as international students return in 2022. Experts in the Australian international education sector like our speaker Alison Dell emphasised the economic importance to the Australian Government of international students returning and shared recent data on the return of international students to Australia.

We appreciate the input from all panel experts including Anouk Darling, Kimberley Roberts, and Geoff Denison who provided solutions to further challenges faced by the student accommodation sector currently. The discussion panel stood together as a united front in how we can move forward and support international students who are returning to face-to-face learning with COVID-19 Safe student accommodation.

Once again, we thank our sponsors StarRez, Inc., Western Union Business Solutions and Insurgo Insurance Broking Pty Ltd for their ongoing support and partnership.

We look forward to SAA members joining the conversation at future events.

Even though not everything went as planned, the SAA Networking Lunch in Adelaide was a great success!

Thank you to our keynote speaker Denise von Wald for sharing her experience and views in her 'Lessons and Lasting Effects of the Pandemic' keynote presentation, which highlighted the resilience and community spirit at St Ann's College (NPAS Accredited).
 
We also appreciate the input from our panel experts David Riordan, Melissa Tracey, Denise von Wald and Geoff Denison who talked us through the path to recovery for the student accommodation sector.
 
During the event we had an opportunity to congratulate St Ann's College Inc, North Adelaide on their recent NPAS accreditation and
personally say goodbye to Karyn Kent.
 
Special thank you to our sponsors StarRez, Inc., Western Union Business Solutions and Insurgo Insurance Broking Pty Ltd for their ongoing support and partnership.
 
We look forward to seeing SAA members together in Brisbane,
Melbourne and Sydney early next year.

Thank you to the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) for the invitation to join the IEAA Roundtable: Student Return and Quarantine held on 24 November 2021. 

As we continue to navigate the ongoing challenges and announcements relating to COVID-19 and the return of international students, the sector united and calls for a commitment for collaboration, the need for consistent and clear information and resources, and processes that place the student at the centre.

Among other topics, participants had a chance to discuss how international students will access accommodation on their return with the share and private rental markets across the country being so tight; and the role of the National Property Accreditation Scheme will play in promoting a strong and consistent accommodation message during the post-pandemic period, ensuring that international students are no longer left to their own devices.

In the photo below, Hayley Shields (Edified) led a panel discussion with Robert Chasse (Sonder), Geoff Denison (Student Accommodation Association), Kasun Kalhara (Council of International Students Australia Inc.) and Susan Cullen (Medibank). 

We're delighted to announce that the Student Accommodation Association (SAA) will be presenting at the 2021 ISANA International Conference, which will be held online on 1-3 December. 

The 2021 ISANA Conference will provide an opportunity for all delegates to stay up to date, hear from industry leaders and make new connections with many opportunities for to share ideas, engage, collaborate and network.

Geoff Denison, SAA President, will be presenting on the first day of the conference. Geoff will be speaking about the recently launched National Property Accreditation Scheme as a tool designed to further enhance the Australian international education offering.

See the full Conference Program and register online at http://www.isanaconference.com/program.

On Wednesday, 3 November the Student Accommodation Association, in collaboration with our members, Y Suites China Insights, Scape and Student One, presented the Insight into the China Market From a Student Accommodation Perspective webinar. 

Attended by more than 50 participants, the webinar provided an exclusive opportunity to hear from the industry experts about how the Chinese international student market was impacted by COVID-19 and discuss whether it'll present similar opportunities for Australian student accommodation providers in the future.

Hosted by David Riordan, Secretary, Student Accommodation Association, webinar participants had an opportunity to hear from the keynote speaker Karen Welsh, Minster-Counsellor (Education and Research), Australian Embassy Beijing, and the panel of experts, including Eric Wang, Regional Manager, Business Development, Y Suites, William Ye, Manager | Partnerships & Business Development | China, Scape Group (Scape, Urbanest, Atira) and Sandy Kam, Sales Representative, Student One.

The webinar recording is now available, please, contact the SAA team at admin@studentaccassoc.com.au to request the access.

If you would like to keep up to date with development in the China market as we move closer to the return of international students to Australia, please subscribe to the fortnightly newsletter here.

The newsletter is delivered by Y Suites, an Executive Member of the Student Accommodation Association. Through their well-established team based in China, the Y Suites team started collating the most current information on China, which spins off to the launch of the China Insights Newsletter.

With China being one of the key markets for International Students in Australia, any policy changes, announcements, or economic changes within China could inevitably affect the overseas education and student accommodation businesses in Australia.

By launching the China Insights Newsletter, Y Suites hopes to add value to the student accommodation industry by bringing you current insights and exclusive updates on the latest happenings and trends in China.

SAA is proud to announce that St Ann’s College (South Australia) is now NPAS accredited, confirming that the property meets the full set of industry led minimum standards and operates accommodation for the exclusive use of students. 

“University students spend a great deal of time in their accommodation, especially if they’re living in a Residential College. Consequently, it’s vitally important providers are guided by standards which can be trusted.” said Denise von Wald, St Ann's College Principal.

"St Ann’s is proud to demonstrate to our students and their families that the College follows the guidelines set out by the national industry body. In particular, we are committed to ensure we meet acknowledged standard for our amenities, as well as the safety and wellbeing of our students. This accreditation demonstrates our commitment to the highest possible standards for our students."   

For a student accommodation property to be NPAS accredited, it must comply with the minimum SAA standards in terms of amenity, facility, security, customer service and management processes. 

Read more about NPAS

A submission to present the National Property Accreditation Scheme (NPAS) on behalf of SAA members was accepted by the organisers of this year's AIEC conference which was held during the first week of October.

While originally being accepted as a face-to-face presentation the conference format was forced to move to a virtual platform and the NPAS presentation converted into a short video which was made available to conference delegates as an INSPIRE video presentation.

The AIEC conference is renowned for bringing local and offshore stakeholders in the Australian International Education sector together on an annual basis. Introducing NPAS to the conference audience will significantly increase the profile of the associations work amongst key stakeholders and Australian education providers and continue to drive the sectors interest in the program. 

As states and territories move to opening their borders to international students the quality of their education experience has never been so important as it will be in a post-COVID world.

The Student Accommodation Association (SAA) National Property Accreditation Scheme supports post-COVID recovery for Student Accommodation.

The NPAS stamp of quality helps identify student accommodation (i.e. accommodation for the exclusive use of students) that meet a set of minimum industry standards which have been developed in consultation with Student Accommodation Providers nationally. 

SAA is currently rolling out the NPAS program, with two properties already accredited and an impressive pipeline of applications for accreditation currently under assessment.

Not only will NPAS serve to distinguish student accommodation over other accommodation options in Australia, but the robust set of minimum standards will also provide Australian education stakeholders with the protection and confidence required to actively promote and endorse the NPAS accommodation message as part of a post-COVID recovery strategy.

International students will no longer be left to their own devices in sourcing accommodation which in the past has led to mixed results with some students finding themselves the victim of exploitation or in some instances feeling unsafe, which ultimately detracts from their education experience.

In a post-COVID world NPAS accredited student accommodation will play an important role in providing “home quarantine” style solutions as well as keeping students safe, secure, and most importantly healthy.

We would welcome the opportunity to invite Australian Education Providers to partner with SAA to support and promote NPAS to potential international students.  Please visit npas.org.au/support for more details or feel free to contact SAA President Geoff Denison at president@studentaccassoc.com.au.