RMIT
TRAINING
Annual Report 2014
Positioning
you for a
global future
Our vision
RMIT Training is a successful provider of education solutions supporting
lifelong development goals of clients worldwide.
Our values
Community
We develop strong and
sustainable relationships,
internally and externally,
to produce a professional
and harmonious working
environment and to promote
the growth of business.
Results
We aim to reach the highest
levels of achievement in
everything we do, becoming
the clear leaders in our field,
as evidenced by the results
we produce and the ways in
which we operate.
Innovation
We focus on the future,
recognising the challenges of
development and searching
for ways to improve our
performance and output.
Passion
We believe in what we do,
and are dedicated to and
enthusiastic about achieving
results. We are motivated by
our goals and thrive on our
accomplishments.
Contents
RMIT Training
2
Chief Executive Officer’s message
4
Who is RMIT Training?
6
Making RMIT Training a great place to work
8
Our customers and partners
10
RMIT English Worldwide
12
RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne
12
Tailored English
17
Our partners and community
18
Aviation English
20
Curriculum Core
22
Informit (formerly RMIT Publishing)
24
Knowledge
Supporting our University
28
We recognise the value of
knowledge and embark on a
journey of continuous learning,
for the benefit of ourselves and
the Company.
RMIT University Short and Single Courses
28
RMIT University Press
29
RMIT
TRAINING
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
2
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
Rachel Holthouse
Chief Executive Officer
Christopher De Sair
Director Informit/RMIT Publishing
Gail Parker
Director Partner and Client Support
Ann Wright
Director RMIT English Worldwide
Melbourne
Michael Keating
Director Production
Anne Ridgway
Director Human Resources
Peter Barnes
Director Finance
Dion McDonald
Director Information Technology
Positioning
you for a
global future
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
3
RMIT
TRAINING
Chief Executive Officer’s message
RMIT Training had one of its most profitable years in 2014.
The Company’s financial performance exceeded budget
expectations with a 15% profit from return on sales revenue from
the commercial business units. Net profit from RMIT English
Worldwide and Informit totalled $4.4 million, an increase of $1.3
million or 43% over the previous year. Revenue reached $30
million and the Company contributed a $4 million donation to
RMIT University.
RMIT Training total income 2010–2014
35
30
Income ($m)
25
20
15
10
5
0
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Year
International students studying ELICOS programs in Melbourne
accounted for much of this result. The ELICOS industry
experienced reinvigoration in 2014 and RMIT English Worldwide
Melbourne welcomed unexpectedly high numbers of students.
Many of these students were from China, planning on further
study at RMIT University. IELTS Test candidates also continued
to grow throughout the year, and CELTA programs that award
certificates for the teaching of English as a Second Language
were sold out all year. This combination of activity resulted in a
strong performance from RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne.
Offshore English activity experienced growth in Tailored English
programs that attracted customers from the ASEAN region for
both in country and Melbourne based short programs.
Informit performed well, securing several new international
customers and attracting new content providers to the Informit
Collections. EduTV, the media product which supports education
needs, was enhanced, and the Informit experience as a whole
was improved through various upgrades.
4
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
The Company’s key strategy was Unlocking the Value to reflect
the need to build on the established expertise and achievements
of RMIT English Worldwide and Informit, and to develop new
capability. Make, Retain and Sell were the keywords used to focus
business actions on supporting the strategy and aiming to secure
continued business, meet new needs and reach new markets.
Particular focus was given to future-proofing the two business
units amidst changing industry environments.
Two key projects were launched to pursue the strategy, the
Single Shared Platform and the Curriculum Core, and several
key milestones were achieved during the year. The Single Shared
Platform project reflects the need to protect the future of Informit’s
portfolio and allow for its extension, and improve company
performance across both RMIT English Worldwide and Informit.
The Curriculum Core is concerned with the development of
capability to meet changing English language needs and deliver
English in flexible modes.
The focus on innovation in pursuing the strategy has helped the
Company to mature in its management of projects, commercial
judgement and culture. RMIT Training raised employee
engagement another 7% during 2014, resulting in a score of
58%. The Leadership Team continued to improve its collaboration
and accountability and demonstrate the values of the Company.
This is having a positive impact on the next level of management
and strengthening company performance as individuals become
more engaged. The Company is committed to working with Aon
Hewitt to reach the Best Employer category, which is defined
as employee engagement of 79% and above, and will set new
targets for the coming year.
The Company improved its support of RMIT University by
implementing a series of business management tools and
marketing enhancements to empower the University’s Schools
in scheduling and managing short course activity. To support
this initiative, the CEO chaired Project Control Group sessions
throughout the year with representatives from the University to
ensure the new tools were meeting the needs of the Schools.
This also presented an opportunity to enhance the collaboration
between the Company and the University.
RMIT Training supported the work of RMIT University academics
through a UNESCO commissioned publication released through
the RMIT University Press.
2014 ended on a strong note for the Company, exceeding budget
targets and several KPI targets and demonstrating forward
thinking to ensure future contributions to the RMIT Group remain
profitable and valuable.
Rachel Holthouse
Chief Executive Officer
Throughout 2014, RMIT Training was recognised for its valuable
contribution to the education sector. RMIT English Worldwide
was a finalist in the Victorian International Education Awards for
Excellence in International Education and was also ranked in the
top 10 out of 121 global IELTS test centres. EduTV also received
recognition and was shortlisted as a finalist for the Australian
Publishers Association Educational Publishing Awards.
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
5
RMIT
TRAINING
Who is RMIT Training?
Established in 1887, RMIT University
is one of Australia’s oldest and largest
universities. RMIT is global, urban,
industry engaged and internationally
renowned for vocational education and
technological training.
With an established tradition
in advanced education, RMIT
collaborates with international partners
to create innovative research and
global work-relevant education.
Our Board of Directors
During 2014, the Board of Directors
were:
Mr John Barnes (Chair)
Ms Rhonda O’Donnell
Professor Gill Palmer
Mr Rob Stewart
Mr Michael Webster
6
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
is part of the RMIT Group and reflects
the global perspective of the RMIT
brand. We support education needs
nationally and internationally through
our Informit products and services
and through English language tailored
training solutions.
In addition, we support the RMIT Group
by managing enrolments and marketing
of RMIT University short and single
courses, and by publishing books
through the RMIT University Press
imprint.
Our international offices
Products and brands under
RMIT Training
China
The China Office, located in Beijing, plays
an important role in securing education
opportunities for RMIT Training in China.
These include new partnerships for
English language programs and new
subscribers for Informit.
is the largest online provider of Asia-Pacific
research, connecting students, researchers
and professionals to core journals, reports
and eBooks from the region’s most
authoritative publishers and associations.
Informit works with library consortia,
associations and international agents
around the world to increase exposure and
readership. It also publishes books under
the RMIT University Press imprint.
United Arab Emirates
RMIT Training opened an office in Dubai in
2013 to pursue educational partnerships
in the Middle East. Educational services
provided by RMIT English Worldwide and
Informit will be offered as part of our global
strategy to provide solutions for clients
worldwide.
has over 40 years’ experience in writing
English language materials and delivering
tailored training and testing solutions. We
have specific expertise in validated and
secure assessment that measures learning
outcomes. Our services prepare students
and professionals to use English with
confidence.
is an English language test designed to
assess pilots, air traffic controllers and light
aircraft pilots for licensing purposes, as
required by the ICAO Language Proficiency
Requirements. RELTA uses aviation
scenarios to reliably and effectively measure
English language skills in both face-to-face
and radiotelephony communication.
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
7
RMIT
TRAINING
Making RMIT Training a great
place to work
Our journey to becoming a Best Employer
Our annual Employee Engagement Survey results indicate that in
2014 we increased employee engagement by 7%.
Since the survey’s launch in 2011 we have increased our overall
score by 24%—an average of 8% per annum.
For the past two years, we have ranked in the top 25% of
companies for improved engagement results.
Year
Engagement score Annual increase
2011
34
2012
42
8%
2013
51
9%
2014
58
7%
24% since 2011
‘Thanks to the team
from RMIT Training,
who helped us out at
Westgate Park today.
You were great to work
with, and we did get so
much done. We do look
forward to your group
coming each year, and
we do hope we will see
you again so you can
see how your plants
have grown!’
Highlights
— In 2014 we increased employee retention, and total attrition
was 7% lower than in 2013.
— 100% of employees said that they were made to feel welcome
on their first day.
— 90% of our leaders and managers were trained in RMIT
Training’s Managing People Change Framework and other
best practice change management tools.
— All project team leaders have been trained in PRINCE2®
project management methodology.
Tony Flude
Friends of Westgate Park
Members of Human Resources
volunteering for Vision Australia
Jill Koolmees and Sandra Scott volunteering at Westgate Park
8
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
— We remain committed to engaging with and supporting
the wider community and one of the ways we do this is by
encouraging employees to participate in our Community
Volunteering Program. In 2014, we recorded the highest
levels of participation since the program’s inception three
years ago. This year 41% of salaried employees (55 people)
participated in a wide range of activities with not for profit
groups or community service organisations, including the
Salvation Army, Friends of Westgate Park, Conservation
Volunteers Australia and Vision Australia.
Our Health and
Wellbeing Program
Our Managers’
Program
The 2014 program
included:
88% of respondents were
‘satisfied or extremely
satisfied’ with the program.
 fresh fruit
 seated massages
Thanking our great employees
At RMIT Training we aim to create a work environment where
employees are acknowledged for their contributions. One of the
ways we do this is by awarding peer nominated Global Future
Awards every quarter.
The key themes were:
Q1
Leanne Whitby
Production Information Systems
Manager
Production
 career development
 flu vaccinations
 a nutrition seminar
 ergonomics workshop
 building people
 change management
Q1
Patty Thomas
Senior ESL Education Manager
Production
capability
 skin checking
enhancing
communications
 vision screening
 hearing screening.
 employee engagement.
Q2
Lawrence Liang
Systems Administrator
Information Technology
‘I received some valuable information
regarding nutrition and healthy eating.
The presenter did a fantastic job.’
Q3
David Threadgold
Language Educator
RMIT English Worldwide
Melbourne
‘I really enjoyed the nutrition session.
The presenter was fantastic—practical,
knowledgeable and friendly. I enjoyed
eating the healthy lunch.’
‘The skin check session was interesting
and informative, and the facilitator was
friendly and knowledgeable.’
‘Thank you for offering vision screening.
It is an excellent service.’
Q4
Pauline Tenaglia
Client Support Manager
Client Services
Our international employees
Our two international offices in Beijing, China, and Dubai, UAE,
focused on our RMIT English Worldwide programs in 2014. Our
employees in these locations play a vital role in nurturing our
international relationships and partnerships and seeking new
opportunities for RMIT Training.
Our Aviation Relationship Manager, based in Italy, supports our
global Aviation English partners with training and testing all over
the world and regularly represents RMIT Training in significant
aviation forums.
Rachele Zito
Italy
Zeyad Ahmed
UAE
Polly Wu
China
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
9
RMIT
TRAINING
Our customers and partners
Partners
Academic English
Australia Education Management Group
EduLink Australia, Myanmar
Mastereign Enrichment Group, Singapore
RMIT English Worldwide Bangkok (ITEC)
RMIT University Vietnam
Shanghai University of International Business and Economics
Universitas Pelita Harapan College, Indonesia
Tailored English
Axtra Bright International Education Service, Melbourne
Beijing Century Peace
Chaoyang District Education Bureau, Beijing
Dongguan Municipal Finance Bureau, Guandong
Fengtai District Education Bureau, Beijing
Kansai Gaidai University, Osaka
Tama University, Tokyo
Tongji University, Shanghai
Aviation English
Austro Control
Avinor
CATC Indonesia
Easy Talk
Global Aerospace Logistics
International House
JAA Training Organisation
Language Solutions Algeria
Macau Civil Aviation Authority
Moscow Aviation Institute
Oman Aircraft Control Centre
PNG Air Services
Poland Civil Aviation Office
PT Terrindo
Qatar Airways
Quest Corporate Training
SENASA Spain
ST Aerospace
Tronwell
Turkish Airlines
10 RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
Customers
Informit network in Australia and New Zealand
United Kingdom and Europe
Corporate sector
Government
National, state and local libraries
TAFE
British Library
King’s College London
Lund University
University of Bath
University of Oxford
+21 other European universities
Academic base in Australia and New Zealand
Charles Sturt University
Deakin University
Monash University
National Library of Australia
Queensland University of Technology
RMIT University
Swinburne University of Technology
University of Melbourne
University of New South Wales
University of Technology Sydney
University of Western Sydney
+28 other Australian universities
Asia and Middle East
Informatics Publishing Limited
Keio University
Kuwait University
National Institute of Education, Singapore
National Library Board, Singapore
National University of Singapore
SIL International Mainland Southeast Asia Group
Yellin College of Education
Canada
University of Alberta Library
University of British Columbia
University of Ottawa
University of Toronto
University of Victoria
+22 other Canadian universities
United States of America
Georgetown University Library
Mary Couts Burnett Library
University of Maine
University of Pennsylvania
University of Washington libraries
+15 other American universities
South Africa and South America
University of South Africa
University of Johannesburg
University of Fort Hare
University of Pretoria
Transnet Freight Rail
University of Valparaiso
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
11
RMIT English Worldwide
RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne
What do we do?
RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne is an English language centre
located in the CBD that provides:
— ELICOS (English Language
Intensive Courses for
Overseas Students)
— IELTS Test and preparation
courses
Who are we?
RMIT English Worldwide
Melbourne
—ELICOS
— IELTS Test and preparation
—CELTA
Tailored English
REW partners and
community
— International Academic
English Partners
— Our REW Community
Aviation English
Curriculum Core
12 RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
— CELTA (Certificate in
Teaching English to
Speakers of Other
Languages).
RMIT English Worldwide
Melbourne was a
finalist in the Victorian
International Education
Awards for Excellence in
International Education.
ELICOS highlights
In 2014 we saw a big increase in international student numbers at
RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne, returning to levels not seen
since 2009.
Total number of new
ELICOS students
2000
50000
2014
19.35%
2013
18.76%
1500
99 students voted for their favourite image and 10 images were
shortlisted. The winners were:
Total number of
ELICOS weeks purchased
2014
2013
40000
30000
1000
20000
500
We ran a successful photography competition entitled ‘My
Culture’ and received 68 submissions from students from
7 different nationalities.
— First prize
Yian Chen (Ian)—‘Beijing Opera’ (China)
— Second prize
Yu Tian—‘Inner Mongolian yurts’ (China)
— Third prize
Ni Ketut Efrata Fransiska—‘Balinese
Initiation Ceremony’ (Indonesia)
10000
0
0
Most of these students are enrolled in our English for Academic
Purposes program before commencing study at RMIT University.
ELICOS enrolment 2014
1400
1200
2009
Students
1000
800
2012
600
2014
400
Yian Chen
Yu Tian
Ni Ketut Efrata
Fransiska
200
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Modules
7
8
9
10
Students from more than 54 different countries studied the
English Academic Passport program which prepares students for
the linguistic and academic demands of university study.
ELICOS student nationality profile
PR China
Student survey highlights
93% reported that the course had prepared them for academic
study at university.
95% said the course improved their English language
skills overall.
96% said the teachers were friendly and helpful.
Middle East
Vietnam
93% were satisfied with student support services.
Brazil
Other Asia
Other Latin America
Europe
Africa
Oceania
REW students going to RMIT, 2014
4
VCE
Foundation
659
TAFE
1305
376
102
466
17 11
Associate Degree
Making it easy to study at RMIT
English Worldwide
 We implemented a new service
allowing our students to use
their own mobile devices on
campus.
 We introduced the myDesktop
service providing students with
access to more than 75 different
software packages.
Degree
PG Diploma
PG Doctorate
PG Masters
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
13
Helping students feel at home in Melbourne
Here are some things we did to welcome our students to
Melbourne and help them adjust:
— orientation and city tours at the start of every module led by
student volunteers
— close cooperation with RMIT Link and MATES (a peer
mentoring program at RMIT University)
— workshops on working in Melbourne to help students find
part-time employment, including help with writing resumes and
cover letters
— cultural trips to the museum, Melbourne Now, White Night,
and multicultural events in Melbourne.
Scholarships and support of international English
language learners
Cambodia
CamTESOL
RMIT English Worldwide was a Gold Sponsor for the 10th Annual
CamTESOL Conference in February and also sponsored research
grants for two teachers from Cambodia and Vietnam, which
helped fund their research activities in 2014.
RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne was represented by three
language educators and the Deputy Director, who all presented
sessions at the conference.
‘A wide range of professionals from the region were
all enthusiastic and motivated to learn, ensuring
presenting was rewarding and beneficial for the region.’
Ross Currie
Language Educator and presenter at CamTESOL
Thailand
RMIT English Worldwide awarded a scholarship that provided
10 weeks of ELICOS tuition and homestay accommodation to Mr
Sorranart Rattanarojmongkol, an employee of Thailand’s Office of
His Majesty’s Principal Private Secretary (OHMPPS).
East Timor
A 10 week ELICOS scholarship from the Matadalan Ba Malu
program (MBM), which gives women from East Timor the
opportunity to learn English at RMIT English Worldwide, was
awarded to Ms Luisa Reis Marcal and Ms Teresa Pereira.
Orientation day
The program is run by employees, alumni and current students at
RMIT University with support from RMIT English Worldwide, who
provide scholarships to East Timorese women every year.
Brazil
East Timorese
scholarship recipients
14 Thai scholarship recipient
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
We welcomed 99 Brazilian students at RMIT English Worldwide
Melbourne studying under the Science Without Borders
(Ciência sem Fronteiras) scholarship awarded by the Brazilian
Government.
RMIT English Worldwide supports Science Without Borders by
providing students with English language training before they
enter their university program. Typically students will undertake
15 to 25 weeks of English language study.
Talented educators at RMIT English Worldwide
Melbourne
Our Deputy Director, Lynda Beagle:
— presented a paper entitled ‘Developing critical competencies in
a pre-university EAP course’ at the 49th International Seminar
of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation
Regional Language Centre
— gave a presentation on professional development for
language teachers that described a model to encourage the
implementation of professional learning at the English Australia
Conference.
Language Educators, Sara Kablaoui and Rosemarie Paspaliaris,
also presented at the English Australia Conference. Their paper
is entitled ‘Identifying and addressing the relevant factors which
impede ELICOS student progress’.
Brazilian students
left: Sara Kablaoui and Rosemarie
Paspaliaris
below: Lynda Beagle
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
15
IELTS Test highlights
CELTA highlights
Our IELTS Test Centre continues to attract a large volume of
candidates and in 2014 13 955 candidates sat an IELTS Test.
In 2014 88 candidates completed their CELTA programs
with most graduates headed for teaching positions in offshore
locations, including Malaysia, Vietnam, England and Spain. Some
graduates found teaching work in Australia, and a number are
now working at RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne.
Our IELTS Test Centre is consistently ranked the 1st or 2nd test
centre in Melbourne (based on candidate volume on a monthly
basis). On a global basis, we are consistently ranked in the top 10
and we were nominated for the Best Audit Award 2014—
a significant achievement as only 9 centres worldwide were
nominated from a possible 121 centres.
We introduced My IELTS Essentials, an online booking system, to
make it easier for candidates to book their test, which resulted in
almost 14 000 online IELTS Test bookings during the year.
Our IELTS Administrator attended the IELTS Annual Administrator
Conference in Kuala Lumpur.
‘I did the CELTA course with the intention of tutoring
one on one. I expected classroom teaching to be quite
intimidating and stressful, but the course provided me
with the tools to help overcome those feelings, and I was
surprised to find I really enjoyed teaching a full class.’
Jo-Anne King
‘The CELTA course gave me the toolbox I needed to
be an effective teacher in a really student centred,
practical and fun way.’
Naomi Ainge
‘Doing the CELTA course at RMIT English Worldwide
re-ignited my passion and motivation for language
teaching and gave me numerous new teaching and
learning methods. It empowered me to become aware
of how I express myself in my native language and I now
choose my words more carefully as a result. I enjoyed
being around like-minded people and have made great
friends in Melbourne because of the course. I also
now have very exotic places to visit as some of my
classmates moved abroad directly after the course.’
Eimear Hardiman
A message from one of our Language Educators
Hilda Pang, third from right, with other IELTS administrators at the annual
conference in Kuala Lumpur
Over the past four years, working at RMIT Training has
offered me a rich diversity of roles, including teaching
EAP to international students, training beginner teachers
on a CELTA program and also working with experienced
teachers overseas for professional development—not
to mention my current role as curriculum writer on the
teacher development project.
There are times when one needs the opportunity to reflect
and seek knowledge and new directions for oneself in
order to refresh and revitalise. The research I have been
doing in my role as curriculum writer has opened up new
possibilities, introduced me to online researchers, and put
me in touch with cutting edge methodologies. It has made
me excited once again to return to the classroom and
share the fruits of my investigations.
Helen Smith
Language Educator and Teacher Trainer
RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne
16 RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
Tailored English
Our tailored English programs continue to showcase RMIT English
Worldwide as a leader in developing tailored English programs to
respond to the needs of both educators and professionals.
Highlights
Types of Tailored English delivered onshore, 2014
China ELICOS integrated
China study tour
Kasetsart University Engineering faculty, Thailand
A course for engineering lecturers was conducted through our
partner, RMIT English Worldwide Bangkok.
‘Class size is small, teachers can pay more attention
on each student especially correcting writing and
giving more homework on the weak skills. Electronic
whiteboard also supported students to participate
through lots of activities in classes, which are the same
as RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne.’
China teacher training
Kasetsart University Professor
Japan ELICOS integrated
Several partners also sent groups to RMIT English Worldwide
Melbourne to integrate into our ELICOS programs for a short
time. In 2014 groups came from:
Types of Tailored English delivered offshore, 2014
Teacher training in China
Teacher training in Thailand
— Dalingshan Township, China
— Fengtai District High School, China
— Kansai Gaidai University, Japan
— OHMPPS Thailand—DFAT Bangkok Scholarship
— Tama University, Japan.
‘It’s a great chance to improve my English skills.’
We have conducted multiple professional development courses
throughout the year in China, Thailand and Australia for English
language teachers and subject teachers at primary and secondary
level, tertiary lecturers and kindergarten directors.
Fengtai District High School, China
Study tour to Melbourne, July
‘I think the best thing about studying at REW is
communication. I was able to have contact with people
from many other countries.’
Kansai Gaidai University, Japan
ELICOS integrated study tour, September
Chaoyang District Education Bureau, Beijing
We provided training for 100 employees in 3 groups of primary
and secondary school subject teachers, and for 1 group of 40
kindergarten directors.
Fengtai District Education Bureau, Beijing
We provided training for 6 groups of 120 primary and secondary
school English teachers, and 1 study tour of 35 secondary
school students to Melbourne.
Tongji University, Shanghai
We trained 1 group of 20 university Environmental Engineering
lecturers in how to deliver their subject matter in English.
Xicheng District Education Bureau, China
‘This course is the perfect tool for those who seek
to enhance their teaching ability and maximise the
learning outcomes of their students.’
Kasetsart University, Thailand
Teacher development program for engineering lecturers, May
Highlights of overseas secondment
It was exciting, enlightening and very rewarding. I left
with a feeling that I had gained more insight about their
teaching context and they were left inspired.
Having the chance to really tailor the content to the
needs of the participants was fantastic for gaining
further insights into the effectiveness of our sessions.
We worked with 20 students enrolled in Teacher Training.
Helen Smith
Language Educator and Teacher Trainer
RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne
Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, China
We worked with 19 students engaged in a study tour.
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
17
Our partners and community
International Academic English partners
RMIT University Vietnam
RMIT English Worldwide Bangkok
As a member of the RMIT Group, RMIT Vietnam continues to
showcase RMIT’s commitment to quality education.
Our long standing partnership with International Technology and
Educational Corporation (ITEC) enables our English language
programs to be offered to students planning further study
overseas. Many of the students plan to further their studies at
RMIT University as part of an international double degree program
with Kasetsart University in aerospace engineering.
For over a decade, RMIT English Worldwide has worked closely
with RMIT Vietnam to support the English language needs of
students enrolled in RMIT Diploma programs. This has led to the
successful implementation of our Academic English program
and its continual improvement. With each quality audit, we see
evidence of outstanding facilities, experienced employees and
effective student support mechanisms.
We provided academic English courses to 6573
students across the 3 campuses of RMIT Vietnam.
Shanghai University of International Business and
Economics (SUIBE)
RMIT English Worldwide has worked with SUIBE since 2007, and
this important relationship continues to strengthen through our
mutual commitment to providing English language support for
students entering the RMIT Diploma in Business. 264 students
completed our Academic English program in 2014. We supported
this cohort by providing supplementary materials, assessment
tools and onsite visits. As one student said:
‘The methodology and course materials are engaging
and very effective in equipping [students] with the
English they need to start their careers in international
business.’
In August, SUIBE professors and managers came to Melbourne
for two weeks to take part in a professional development program
designed specifically to support the delivery of our English
language programs. Our language teaching experts worked with
them to:
In 2014 187 students enrolled at either the RMIT English
Worldwide Bangkok School in Siam Centre or at one of the
centres in Chamchuri and Rangsit.
Together with our partner, we ran a two-week teacher
development program for engineering lecturers at Kasetsart
University. A tailored program was developed for engineering
lecturers to help them improve their English teaching
through a series of classes and activities focused on the
latest trends in teaching methodology.
Australia Education Management Group (AEMG)
RMIT English Worldwide works with AEMG to provide quality
English language programs to students planning to study at
Australian universities. Advanced and Advanced Plus courses
from our English Academic Passport program complement the
AEMG English courses to prepare students for direct entry to
RMIT University and other selected universities across Australia.
Universities across China have access to the AEMG/RMIT English
Worldwide English language programs. In 2014 programs were
provided to 272 students at 4 Chinese universities:
— Central China Normal University, Wuhan—18 students
— Yunnan Normal University, Kunming—149 students
— Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine—17 students
— expand their techniques in teaching academic skills
— Inner Mongolia Normal University—88 students.
— workshop the most effective ways to apply tasks and activities
The 18 students from Central China Normal University
successfully gained entry to the School of Education at RMIT
and are now completing their degrees in Melbourne.
— provide further training in assessment.
They also met with curriculum writers and observed our language
educators at RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne.
Together RMIT English Worldwide and SUIBE have been working
to strengthen the writing component of SUIBE’s English language
program for first year students. This effort reflects the
mutual respect and trust of our partnership, as we
ensure the best outcome for students.
18 RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
AEMG and RMIT English Worldwide collaborated on tailoring
English language programs and relevant assessment tools in
order to better reflect the needs of these learners, and two
inductions were held at Yunnan Normal University and Nanjing
University of Chinese Medicine to support the
teachers delivering the program.
Our REW Community
Universitas Pelita Harapan College (UPHC), Indonesia
RMIT English Worldwide worked closely with UPHC to deliver the
English Academic Passport program to 638 students from years
10 to 12 during the first half of 2014. These students studied the
program as part of their college preparation studies.
2014 was the second year of our relationship with UPHC, and
student response to the program was very positive. A survey
conducted at the conclusion of the academic year indicated that
over 90% of students considered the program beneficial for
their future and that their English had improved.
‘I have learned many things this semester. I have
improved my writing, speaking and listening skills. The
RMIT program is great and the final test is so different
from other tests I have experienced.’
Our international academic partners are linked by our REW
Community website which supports ESL/EFL professionals
teaching our programs. It enables them to share ideas and
teaching tips and to engage in pedagogical discussions.
The website actively encourages professional development of
its members, and shares statistical data to demonstrate the
outcomes of its programs and student progress. In 2014 we
reached 186 members.
In 2014 we launched the first RMIT English Worldwide
Community Symposium held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to
take advantage of the CamTESOL Conference—13 ESL/EFL
professionals from RMIT English Worldwide Melbourne, RMIT
Vietnam, RMIT English Worldwide Bangkok and Mastereign
Enrichment Group attended.
‘I liked the English book—it has so many pictures and
stopped me from being bored.’
‘Before I joined RMIT, my English was very bad and I
was too shy to speak English. This semester I’ve been
encouraged to speak English with my teachers and
friends in class, and my English is better than ever
before.’
‘I’m so thankful to RMIT because I can learn new
things about English and upgrade my English
skills. I’m very weak in writing and speaking but
RMIT has helped me fix and upgrade these skills.’
Attendees at the RMIT English Worldwide Community Symposium
Mastereign Enrichment Group, Singapore
During 2014 we continued to explore opportunities with our
partners in Singapore to deliver RMIT English Worldwide products
as the Mastereign Group pursued new strategies to support the
education needs of international and local Singaporean students.
Flexible delivery models and revised assessment tools to meet
the demands of the Singapore market were
identified.
EduLink Australia, Myanmar
RMIT English Worldwide began working with EduLink Australia
based in Yangon, Myanmar, to consider opportunities to provide
English language tailored training, as well as academic English for
the rapidly developing Myanmar market. Opportunities explored in
2014 included UNESCO, Myanmar Ministry of Finance, German
Ministry of Economic Cooperation and the
hospitality industry.
Delegates in a session at the RMIT English Worldwide Community
Symposium
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
19
Aviation English
We worked in these
regions this year.
Europe
Asia
 Middle East
Australasia
 South America
Africa
Aviation English
Training
RELTA (RMIT English Language Test for
Aviation)
RELTA training for
examiners, raters and
administrators was
conducted for:
For over 10 years RELTA has been supporting the English
proficiency needs of the aviation industry. During that time
28 350 RELTA candidates have attained an ICAO (International
Civil Aviation Organization) proficiency level.
 CATC Indonesia
RELTA is endorsed by 28 nations as the preferred Aviation English
test for pilots and air traffic controllers.
 Hong Kong Airlines
 Oman Aircraft Control
College.
We are currently working with ICAO to achieve recognition for the
RELTA Pilots test.
RELTA highlights
— 1011 candidates completed a RELTA test.
— We made improvements to our RELTA online delivery system
to support partners in remote areas with unreliable internet
connections.
— New versions of RELTA have been developed and will be
trialled in early 2015 by our valued partners, Qatar Airways and
ST Aerospace.
— We continued to work with ICAO to achieve full recognition of
RELTA for Pilots by delivering multiple upgrades to our RELTA
online speaking and listening products.
— Free test support materials were provided on the website.
— CATC Indonesia commenced RELTA testing.
— Hong Kong Airlines re-established their RELTA Test Centre
with new examiners and administrators.
— Turkish Airlines completed their purpose built RELTA Test
Centre with five test rooms and underwent further RELTA
examiner and rater training in preparation for testing in 2015.
— Language Solutions Algeria, with our support and
assistance, was re-endorsed as a RELTA provider by their Civil
Aviation Authority.
— Avinor, the air navigation service provider in Norway,
increased their RELTA examiner pool to facilitate more testing
in 2015.
— Slovenia Control, the air navigation service provider in
Slovenia, committed to establishing their RELTA Test Centre
in the first quarter of 2015.
— Aviation English teachers were trained in Indonesia for our
training partner Terrindo, which has used our aviation training
products to deliver courses to airport employees, such as
airport management and fire fighters.
20 RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
Beyond Level 4 (BL4)
RMIT English Worldwide research into the progression of English
language proficiency among RELTA candidates indicates that
during the period between mandatory testing, an average of:
— 50% of test candidates maintained their level of English
language proficiency
— 25% improved their proficiency
— 25% showed signs of English language erosion.
The importance of ongoing English language training is addressed
through our Beyond Level 4 (BL4) training products which
ensure that pilots and air traffic controllers continue to build on
improvements in English language proficiency and help them
succeed when they next sit an Aviation English test.
New ideas
While the aviation industry has been focused on pilots and
air traffic controllers over the past years to comply with the
requirements of ICAO, the requirement for all sectors of the
industry to have a certain level of English language proficiency is
becoming more accepted. For example, our trainers delivered two
Aviation English training sessions to fire fighters in Indonesia.
We commenced working closely with Joint Aviation Authorities
(JAA) in the Netherlands to develop Aviation English training
material to meet the needs of a broader group of aviation
employees.
BL4 is an online self paced program that offers assessment
and feedback from our academic staff and is used by aviation
employees to maintain their mandatory International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) Level 4 English language proficiency between
testing cycles.
BL4 highlights
Success in Russia
An agreement was signed with LingvoAlliance, a company
affiliated with our long-term partner Moscow Aviation Institute,
which has been delivering RELTA to pilots and air traffic
controllers in Russia since 2005. The new agreement will allow up
to 2500 air traffic controllers across the Russian Federation to use
Beyond Level 4 ATC to improve their English language proficiency.
Our contribution to aviation safety discussions
We presented and contributed to debates by attending
conferences and seminars including:
left to right, front row: CEO RMIT Training, Ms Rachel Holthouse; Director
Lingvoalliance, Mr Nikolai Chalov
 IATA Global Training Partner Congress
back row: Department of Foreign Languages, MAI: Director of Studies,
Ms Maria Ovsyannikova; Director, Dr Alexander Kalliopin; Assistant
Director, Ms Irina Anikeeva; Senior Regional Manager—Asia Pacific, RMIT
Training, Mr Grant Taylor
 UK CAA Language Proficiency Testing Conference
 China Aviation Training and Education Summit.
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
21
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— moving from static to flexible delivery
— transforming the platform that supports our key products to
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The development of the Curriculum Core project now allows
RMIT English Worldwide to access previously developed
English language content and repurpose it for new customers
and in new models. The result will be blended learning and
digital English language products.
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Curriculum Core
To support this project, the RMIT Training Production Team
has been:
— implementing a workflow and production system for faster
development of teaching and learning materials
— developing a new Moodle based learning management
system.
.
Supporting our current English language products
 Improved the English Academic Passport program through
the renewal of the Pre Intermediate course.
 Developed and validated assessment related to the
English Academic Passport and Academic English
programs.
22 RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
23
Informit
(formerly RMIT Publishing)
Who are we?
Informit brings together research information sourced from
publishers, unique specialist content providers, associations and
peak professional bodies and makes it searchable and accessible
for students, educators and researchers by placing it onto our
Informit online databases. These collections are divided into:
—indexes
— plus text
— full text
 80+ databases to choose from
—video.
 Two thirds of content is available electronically only in
Informit is the leading dedicated source of authoritative research
from Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region. Informit
content is aggregated in 80+ bibliographic, media and full text
databases. Its broad coverage includes peer reviewed journals,
specialist journals, monographs, reports, conference papers
and bibliographic indexes—collated with a focus on regional
perspectives and otherwise hard to find research.
Informit
 500+ content partners
 8 million index, abstract and full text articles
 10 million+ article searches performed globally each year
 Free access for over 60 developing countries to the
Informit Health Collection as part of the World Health
Organization’s HINARI project
Our research databases
Engineering
Business
Education
Humanities
Health
Indigenous Studies
24 RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
Law
Social Sciences
Highlights
— We produced 44 152 Informit Collection records contributing
to an overall total of 448 363, representing an increase of
9.8%.
— We released important updates to Informit’s media database,
EduTV, including full compatibility with mobile, desktop, laptop,
tablet and TV platforms.
— Unique visitors to the Informit site grew by 17% from
2013 following initiatives including social media promotion
and search engine optimisation to continually improve our
discoverability online.
— The new EduTV boasts enhanced search capabilities, intuitive
clip creation, a new section for users to group their favourite
content, more programs and a project feature allowing users
to collate content from multiple sources.
— Outside of Australia, the US maintained its place as the
second largest market to access the Informit site directly from
Google with a 76% increase in visits compared to 2013.
Growth in visitors from each of our key markets was also
recorded with the United Kingdom (70%), Canada (68%),
Germany (49%), Malaysia (25%), China (21%), New Zealand
(19%), India (8%) and Singapore (6%) making up the top 10.
— Other key features of EduTV include improved registration
and password management and enhanced analytics. The
expanded database now houses more than 20 000 programs
and is continuously updated with 80 to 100 new programs
every week.
— We recorded an excellent 97.66% retention of customers,
showing an increase of 1.2% from 2013.
— We maintained over 70% of content exclusive to Informit.
— Informit v4.0 moved from Beta to a fully functioning platform
in March, enabling researchers around the world to quickly
and easily find relevant information via one search field. The
Google-like search experience allows users to search by
subject, database name or topics of interest.
— We added over 65 000 news video clips to the TVNews media
product.
— EduTV was proud to be shortlisted as a finalist for the
Australian Publishers Association’s Educational Publishing
Awards Australia 2014, in the Tertiary (Adaptations): Teaching
and Learning Resources category.
— We upgraded Informit to meet Counter 4 reporting
requirements.
— We made EduTV, TVNews, the AGIS Plus Text, A+ Education
and APAFT (Australian Public Affairs Full Text) databases
searchable via Primo in leading universities.
— During the ALIA National Conference in September, Informit
and the National Library of Australia officially launched the
enhanced version of the APAFT Collection. The Collection
contains more than 60 years of bibliographic history. In
partnership with the National Library of Australia and Copyright
Agency, 2014 saw APAFT updated to a full text collection
resulting in an increase of usage by 26% over the year. In
addition to the 100% full text content, APAFT has seen 10%
more full text records, higher quality PDF files, syndicated
metadata and daily updates (previously twice per month).
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
25
Continuously improving our service
New relationships
As part of our ongoing commitment to listening and responding
to customer needs to help improve the way we conduct our
business, we invested in the net promoter score (NPS) survey.
The survey follows a simple model designed to measure the
likelihood of our customers recommending our services to their
friends or colleagues. Since its introduction in May to the pay-perview component of Informit, the NPS has consistently recorded
positive readings.
The Journal of the Royal
Asiatic Society Hong Kong
Branch (RASHKB), regarded
as the premier society for
the study of Hong Kong
and South China, joined
the Informit family. RASHKB
creates content related to
the history, art, literature and
culture of China and the Asian
region, with special reference
to Hong Kong. This fascinating
collection is released annually.
In addition, we launched a quarterly newsletter to all our clients.
These initiatives improved customer retention from 96.4% in
2013 to 97.6% in 2014.
The Journal and
Proceedings of the Royal
Society of New South Wales
became available in the
Informit Humanities and Social
Sciences Collection. The Royal
Society of New South Wales
is the oldest learned society in
the Southern Hemisphere, with
its origins in the Philosophical
Society of Australasia, founded
in 1821. The Journal features
a wealth of content that aims
to advance knowledge through
studies and investigations in
science, art, literature and
philosophy.
Informit/RMIT Publishing’s stand at the VALA Conference
2014 sponsorships
 Formal gala dinner of the 37th Annual UKSG
Conference in Harrogate, England
 Pre-conference VALAtech Boot Camp, a series
of technical and practical sessions in using new
technology in Melbourne
 Australia and New Zealand Festival of Literature and
Arts in London
26 RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
‘The Royal Society of New South Wales
is very happy to be working with Informit
in making our Journal publicly available
and accessible via search engines … This
brings a rich source of history recording the
development of science in New South Wales
and in Australia since the days of the early
colony to a wide audience, and makes it
easily accessible.’
Professor Michael Burton
Editor, Royal Society of New South Wales
New ideas
The National Library Board of Singapore (NLB) accepted our
tender and subscribed to the Informit Humanities and Social
Sciences Collection for three years commencing in January 2015.
This Collection is a new subscription for NLB which has been a
valued customer of Informit for many years. NLB manages the
National Library of Singapore, as well as a network of public
libraries and national archives. The
tender win aligns with Informit’s ongoing
international relationships with national
libraries throughout the world and in
Australia.
Oxford University subscribed to Informit A+ Education, which
features over 200 000 records from 169 resources,
dating from 1978. Subjects include classroom
dynamics, education policy, student learning,
teaching methods and teacher training.
Ten Canadian universities subscribed to the Informit
Indigenous Collection following Consortia Canada (ConCan) listing
the Collection as part of its university offer. The subscriptions
are a direct result of a trial established by Informit allowing
access to the Collection for ConCan member universities. The
Informit Indigenous Collection comprises more than 15 700
full text records from 111 resources dating back to 1977.
The Collection includes specialist journals, conference papers,
reports, magazines, eBooks and grey literature (not formally
published) about research within the
global community. The subscribing
universities are:
— Durham College
— Nicola Valley Institute of Technology
— Royal Roads University
— Ryerson University
— University of Alberta
— University of British Columbia
— University of Northern British Columbia
— University of Ontario Institute of Technology
— University of Regina
— University of Saskatchewan.
Informit and Australian Policy Online have successfully completed
a project linking our data sets and exposing relevant Informit
content to the public policy development community. Australian
Policy Online is the major research database and alerting service
for Australian policy grey literature. This partnership will enable
Informit content to reach a focused and active user group,
increasing use and promoting pay-per-view access. This work
was funded by a grant from the Australian Research Council
for linkage infrastructure, equipment and facilities. The grant
represents the cooperative effort of several educational institutions
and government departments.
Managed services
Informit has begun offering its extensive experience in digitising
and indexing to organisations looking for solutions to manage
their research content. This service supports some of the niche
research providers across Australia whose objective is digital
management and improving customer access to their content.
Clients in 2014 included two contributors to our popular
HSS collection—Arena Journal and Magazine and Australian
Entomologist.
Informit is also exploring a new initiative in managed services to
support our clients’ need for digital repositories. We hope to offer
a centralised access point designed to store academic data as it
is gathered by researchers and provide unique access to a range
of existing digital data sources.
Building on our unique capability
Leveraging off the platform that supports our product suite has
allowed Informit to pursue new and augmented services to the
academic market and consider other markets looking for service
solutions related to managing and manipulating data.
As part of Informit’s 2014 theme Unlocking the Value, a major
project, the Single Shared Platform, was launched which will
deliver:
— improved performance for Informit
— capability to extend Informit’s services to the academic
sector and other market sectors
— support for activity across RMIT Training that will enhance
current business models and enable us to consider new
ones
— the potential to deliver managed services to support the
academic community.
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
27
RMIT
TRAINING
Supporting our University
RMIT University Short and Single Courses
In 2014 RMIT Training continued to assist RMIT University to
deliver a wide range of short and single courses through our Short
and Single Courses Team, part of the Client Services Unit. The
Team delivered a high level of customer service:
— enrolling over 7000 students
— responding to more than 21 000 customer enquiries
— supporting RMIT Schools with a range of services
—answering 89% of calls within 30 seconds.
July - December
2014
Surveys revealed our students are very satisfied with our
service:
 94% rated their experience with the short and single
courses website as good or very good
 92% rated their experience with our contact centre as
good or very good
 more than 340 000 users from all over the world visited
our website
Upgrade
Yourself
 over 7000 people furthered their education by doing one
of our courses.
Short Course Guide
Highlights
July -
In 2014 we:
ber
Decem
2014
—implemented new digital marketing strategies to increase
our search engine visibility and our social media presence
www.shortcourses.rmit.edu.au
de
Upgrrase
lf
u
Yo
Single
de
Gui
Course
— launched a video to promote our social media short courses
— made it easier for users, especially those using mobile phones,
to navigate and enrol online—62% of bookings are now made
online
— initiated a lead generation campaign providing a responsive
new database of people interested in short and single courses
— developed a new system to improve the process of following
up on enquiries.
28 it.edu.au
rses.rm
glecou
www.sin
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
RMIT University Press
Quick Wins Project
— A survey of past students was implemented to examine the
needs and motivations of the market.
— Course evaluation surveys were standardised.
— Analytical tools were developed to support business
management in relation to costing, bookings and a
forecasting template.
‘I found the Financial Management course very well
taught and I enjoyed meeting with fellow students from
various backgrounds, so I enrolled for Recruit, Select
and Induct Staff, which was a very interactive course
and helped me learn new perspectives.
I would recommend short courses to anyone who
prefers small interactive classes.’
Jennifer Fun
Courses: Diploma of Management—Financial Management and
Diploma of Management—Recruit, Select and Induct Staff
Informit manages the RMIT University Press imprint that supports
the work of RMIT University researchers. Many of the publications
reflect RMIT’s unique contribution to technology and design. Titles
relating to qualitative research, social sciences and engineering
have been among the publications produced.
In 2014, RMIT University Press released Engineering education:
transformation and innovation, a UNESCO commissioned
publication that highlights the importance of welcoming change
in the way engineering education is delivered. The publication
draws on a lifetime of experience gathered by authors Emeritus
Professor David Beanland and Professor Roger Hadgraft to
underline the need to adapt engineering education to meet
the demands of changing global conditions. Engineering
education has been a cornerstone of RMIT University’s historical
development, and this new publication highlights the need for
continuous change by offering key messages from its prestigious
authors.
‘I was quite nervous about being out of my depth
working with “real” art students but I discovered that
there were lots of students enrolled whose main study
area was not art.
I liked the fact that I was enrolled in a formal course
with a clear structure, an end date and a folio of my own
work. I had two lecturers in the course and both of them
were excellent. They were knowledgeable, personable,
encouraging and challenging. Doing the course gave me
so much pleasure and a real sense of achievement.’
Michael Francis
Course: Painting Elective
‘I would recommend this subject for those people
who need to improve their maths skills either for their
profession, or for future studies. I enjoyed the challenge
of trying to solve numerical problems. Many of the
concepts were explained in a way that related to realworld engineering situations, which gave me a good
scope of where the maths can be applied.
Completing this single course enabled me to be
accepted into an Engineering program at RMIT.
Tom Abbott
Course: Engineering Mathematics B
RMIT Training Annual Report 2014
29