[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 72 (Monday, April 15, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22237-22239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-08722]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Trade Mission to Philippines and Malaysia

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce

ACTION: Notice

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Mission Description

    The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS), is 
organizing an executive led education industry trade mission to Manila, 
Philippines and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from October 23--October 30, 
2013. This mission is open to representatives from regionally 
accredited educational institutions offering undergraduate, graduate, 
and associate degree. Undergraduate and graduate programs and community 
colleges seeking to participate should be accredited by one of the six 
regional institutional accreditors in the United States. This mission 
will seek to connect educational institutions in the United States to 
potential students, university/institution partners, and education 
consultants in the Philippines and Malaysia. The mission will include 
one-on-one appointments with potential partners, embassy briefings, 
student fairs and networking events in Manila and Kuala Lumpur, the 
largest cities in two dynamic countries, each of which hold high 
potential for U.S. educational institutions interested in students from 
this region.

Commercial Setting

Philippines

    The U.S. still attracts a commanding share of Filipinos wishing to 
study abroad. U.S. institutions remain a top choice owing in large part 
to the firmly established historical, socio-cultural and political ties 
between the two countries. Due to increased competition from schools in 
other countries such as Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and 
Canada, U.S. schools are encouraged to establish and sustain outreach 
activities and to leverage the support offered by key education sector 
contacts. During the 2011/2012 academic year, 3,194 students from the 
Philippines were studying in the United States. Of these students, 
52.7% were undergraduate students and 32.6% were graduate students.
    The current educational system in the Philippines is largely based 
on the American model. There are about 1,600 higher educational 
institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines, of which 80% are private. There 
are several international schools in the Philippines. Many of these 
schools are concentrated in the Manila metropolitan area and offer 
International Baccalaureate (IB) programs to help prepare students who 
wish to study overseas. Filipino families place a premium on quality 
education, and as long as they can afford it, parents often prefer to 
send their children to private schools. Many overseas schools are 
increasing their recruiting efforts in the Phillipines, particularly 
with respect to certain niche segments of Filipino society, for example 
the socio-economic political elite, legacy students/alumni network, and 
upper middle class families. Meanwhile, there has been a wave of 
international students, notably Koreans, who spend time in the 
Philippines specifically to learn English. Many of them eventually move 
on to pursue degrees in English-speaking countries like the United 
States, Canada and Australia.

Malaysia

    Malaysian parents have historically placed a strong emphasis on 
education. As such, the demand for higher education in Malaysia has 
traditionally been and continues to be strong. Within the higher 
education environment, students in Malaysia generally fall into one of 
two categories: those funded by government scholarships and those 
funded privately. Government scholarships for higher education are

[[Page 22238]]

available. These government funded students typically either study in 
local public universities or for those who excel, overseas educational 
institutions. The majority of privately funded students study at 
private colleges, which often offer transfer, twinning, and external 
degree programs based on U.S., curriculum. Twinning is defined as a 
unique degree program where students can complete one part of their 
education in country and the second part at an international 
institution.
    While a U.S. post secondary education has always been highly 
regarded, the number of Malaysian students studying in the United 
States decreased in the early 2000's as a result of an increase in the 
number of quality local universities and colleges, stronger competition 
from other countries, the Asian financial crisis, and 9/11. However, 
since 2006/7, the number of Malaysian students in the United States has 
increased 21.6%. In the 2011/12 academic year, 6,743 Malaysian students 
were studying in the United States, which ranks Malaysia as the twenty-
first leading place of origin for students coming to the United States. 
Of these students, 68% were undergraduates and 19.7% were graduate 
students.

Mission Goals

    The goals of the U.S. Education Mission to the Philippines and 
Malaysia are:
    (1) To gain market exposure and introduce participants to two 
growing student markets in the region, taking advantage of the strong 
ties and positive reputation that United States educational 
institutions have in these countries.
    (2) To develop market knowledge and relationships that can enhance 
future recruitment of students, as well as potential partnerships with 
local educational institutions and education consultants.

Mission Scenario

    Participation in the mission will include the following:
     Pre-travel briefings/webinars;
     Embassy/consulate and industry briefings;
     Networking events in Manila and Kuala Lumpur;
     Pre-scheduled meetings with university heads in Manila and 
Kuala Lumpur;
     Educational consultants and guidance counselors fairs;
     Visits to private high schools;
     Student recruitment fairs in Manila and Kuala Lumpur;
     Airport transfers to hotels and to and from sites in 
Manila and Kuala Lumpur associated with the trade mission.
    The precise schedule will depend on the specific goals and 
objectives of the mission participants.

Proposed Mission Schedule--October 23-30, 2013

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

    Arrive Manila.

Thursday and Friday, October 24 and 25, 2013

    Embassy breakfast briefing, meetings with agents and guidance 
counselors, student fair, networking with local schools All scheduled 
events in Manila will end Friday evening.

Saturday through Monday, October 26, 27, and 28, 2013

    Per clients' suggestions on previous missions, we have left this 
time open for mission participants to stay in Manila or go on to Kuala 
Lumpur for potential business meetings. All participants must be in 
Kuala Lumpur by Monday evening.

Tuesday and Wednesday, October 29 and 30, 2013

    Embassy breakfast briefing, meetings with agents and guidance 
counselors, student fair, visits to local schools.

Participation Requirements

    All parties interested in participating in the Mission to the 
Philippines and Malaysia must complete and submit an application for 
consideration by the U.S. Department of Commerce. All applicants will 
be evaluated on their ability to meet certain conditions and best 
satisfy the selection criteria as outlined below. The mission will 
include a minimum of 40 and maximum of 50 qualified, regionally 
accredited U.S. educational institutions.

Fees and Expenses

    After an educational institution has been selected to participate 
on the mission, a payment to the U.S. Department of Commerce in the 
form of a participation fee is required. The participation fee is 
$1,800 for one principal representative from each non-profit 
educational institution and $2,350 for for-profit universities with 
over 500 employees. The fee for each additional representative is $500. 
Expenses for lodging, some meals, incidentals, and all travel (except 
on group site visits) will be the responsibility of each mission 
participant.

Conditions for Participation

    An applicant must submit a timely, completed and signed mission 
application and supplemental application materials, including adequate 
information on the applicant's accreditation, courses offerings, 
primary market objectives, and goals for participation. If the U.S. 
Department of Commerce receives an incomplete application, the 
Department may reject the application, request additional information, 
or take the lack of information into account when evaluating the 
applications.
     Participants must also travel to both stops on the 
mission.
     Each participant is subject to and must meet the US&FCS 
service eligibility requirements.

Selection Criteria for Participation

     Consistency of the applicant's goals and objectives with 
the stated scope of the mission
     Applicant's potential for doing business in the 
Philippines and Malaysia, including likelihood of service exports 
(education)/knowledge transfer resulting from the mission
     Applicant must be appropriately accredited as per 
paragraph one
     Referrals from political organizations and any documents 
containing references to partisan political activities (including 
political contributions) will be removed from an applicant's submission 
and not considered during the selection process.

Timeframe for Recruitment and Applications

    Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, 
including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the U.S. 
Department of Commerce trade mission calendar (http://www.trade.gov/trademissions) and other Internet Web sites, press releases to general 
and trade media, direct mail, notices by industry trade associations 
and other multiplier groups, and publicity at industry meetings, 
symposia, conferences, and trade shows. Recruitment for the mission 
will begin immediately and conclude no later than August 1, 2013. The 
mission will be open on a first-come, first-serve basis and 
applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications received 
after that date will be considered only if space and scheduling 
constraints permit.

How to Apply

    Applications can be obtained by contacting Melissa Branzburg or 
David Edmiston at the U.S. Department of Commerce (see contact details 
below.) Completed applications should be submitted to Melissa 
Branzburg.

[[Page 22239]]

Contacts

    Melissa Branzburg, U.S. Commercial Service, Boston, MA, 
[email protected], 617-565-4309.
    David Edmiston, U.S. Commercial Service, Minneapolis, MN, 
[email protected], 612-348-1644.
    Thess Sula, U.S. Commercial Service, Manila, Philippines, 
[email protected], 632-888-4088.
    Tracy Yeoh, U.S. Commercial Service, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 
[email protected], 60-3-2168-5089.

Elnora Moye,
Trade Program Assistant.
[FR Doc. 2013-08722 Filed 4-12-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-FP-P