Davaoeños line up to pre-register during the Flight IDP Study Abroad Expo 2015 held Tuesday at the SMX Convention Center in Lanang. (Medel V. Hernani/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY — Davaoeños were treated to a free journey on knowing the basics on how to pursue their plans of studying abroad during the Study Abroad Expo 2015 held Tuesday afternoon at the SMX Convention Center in Lanang.
From the pre-registration table, the guests were given “a passport and a boarding pass” which includes the list of universities and fields of study offered as their guide. Inside the exhibition hall are the booths of the institutions where a representative can have a one on one interview with an interested student.
IDP Education Marketing Manager, Ada Lopez said the event was meant to “bring closer” the institutions to the Davao market.
“What the students can expect when they come in is not just getting basic information about how to get started on their study abroad journey,” Lopez said.
“Sometimes, people have this plan already, but they don’t know how to start and it seems like a tall order if I get started with my studying abroad plans. IDP makes it easier in terms of what studying abroad would entail,” she said.
Lopez said IDP has also invited institution representatives from Australia, New Zealand and Canada during the expo where students can already talk to a representative of their school of choice and get the information they need on how to get started.
Lopez said the event is an advantage for students who are planning to pursue their studies abroad.
IDP Philippines started 45 years ago, with its headquarters located in Melbourne, Australia. IDP has a track record of one student placed every 20 minutes across the globe.
“Here in the Philippines we’re close to almost 30 years in presence. We have two tranches in terms of the services that we offer the student placement in the country destination like Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States. Apart from that, we are also a licensee, a proud co-owner of IELTS (International English Language Testing System),” she said.
Lopez said they offer free service for the student placement. “We don’t charge anything for students who wish to have their applications processed through IDP and seek our assistance in terms of counseling,” she said, adding that there’s a certain fee for the IELTS.
“In terms of what we’re proud of with our business in IELTS, we follow global standards, the security and the administration of the whole test in itself, so you can be guaranteed when you take the IELTS exam with IDP it will be accredited by all the institutions where you will apply for a student visa,” Lopez said.
Angelo James Ti, 26 years old, saw the event as an opportunity “to grow and help my parents”. Ti’s mother is now staying in Australia where he hopes to pursue a course on engineering or agriculture. Ti is a graduate of Computer Science and an NC II holder for Culinary Arts in Davao City.
Lopez said, studying abroad is “helpful for anybody”.
“When you actually go to a corporate world and you have that awareness with you, then it becomes helpful in terms of strategizing ideas, especially if your clientele is the international market,” she said.
The IDP Education will hold another round of expo next year.
Lopez said they also offer Skype counselling session for interested applicants. “They can just email us and plot an appointment with us and we can schedule the counseling,” she said.
Currently, IDP has offices in Manila and Cebu. To know more about the services they offer or to schedule an appointment with a Qualified Education Agent Counsellor, you may contact IDP Makati at +63 2 8160755 or email info.manila@idp.com or IDP Cebu at +63 32 2362758 or email info.cebu@idp.com. (davaotoday.com)
