 State Secretary, Ms. Christine Marek, Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth conference welcome address
Navigating Though the Au Pair Regulatory Landscape - Listen to podcast
Tools and Tips for Weathering Today’s Economic Storm -Listen to podcast
 Tools and Tips for Weathering Today’s Economic Storm -presentation
Trends, Issues, and Solutions in Today's US Work and Travel Market Listen to podcast part 1, Listen to podcast part 2
Seminar descriptions & presenters from 2009 programme
Navigating Through the Au Pair
Regulatory Landscape
Moderator:
Au pairing is one of the most closely regulated and publically visible sectors in the cultural exchange marketplace. Governments with good intention continually seek to enhance the rules and regulations that govern the community. Unfortunately, policies introduced may sometimes overlook the practical needs of host families and Au Pair agencies. At the same time, the media, always on the hunt for the latest Au Pair misfortune, often fail to remember that the majority of placements are by far properly matched, and thrilled with the experience.
Today’s Au Pair organisations need to be able to stay abreast and adapt to ever-changing regulatory demands and to increased scrutiny by the media as well.
As the world’s leading global association for au pairing, IAPA seeks to keep its members informed of legislative changes throughout the marketplace and play an active role in influencing these changes. Through its work with National Au Pair Associations and Pan-European Associations like ECAPS (European Committee on Au Pair Standards), IAPA lobbies on behalf of the community to establish and lift the standards for au pairing around the world and communicate its unique benefits to the international media.
Building on the strength of its seminar presented at the IAPA Conference 2008, this year’s session in Vienna will once again feature prominent government authorities and key industry stakeholders examining the trends, national standards, and current rules and regulations in the industry.
At the seminar, you will discover where the market is moving; which ideas and developments governments are considering and/or implementing, and how standards and regulations can and will affect your au pair programmes. You will learn how agencies around the world are collaborating with each other and with government to meet market challenges through the implementation of comprehensive standards and regulations. And importantly, how you can effectively take advantage of these policies to improve your business.
The market is constantly changing. Navigating successfully through these changes and taking full advantage of the opportunities that changing regulatory measures provide will help you to not only improve your service but your organisation as well.
Susan Goldstein
Susan Goldstein is the Managing Director of the World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC).
Before re-assuming her position as managing director of the conference, Ms Goldstein was Acting Director General of Federation of International Youth Travel Organisations (FIYTO). At the Federation, she was responsible for encouraging the development of strategic global alliances between travel industry specialists and establishing new platforms for cooperation for the global trade association.
With the merger of FIYTO and the International Student Travel Confederation and the subsequent launch of the WYSE Travel Confederation, Ms Goldstein returned as director to the WYSTC conference, a position she held previously for five years. WYSTC serves as the signature event for the WYSE Travel Confederation.
Since the early 1980’s, Susan Goldstein has enjoyed a career in the youth travel arena. Initially at KILROY Travels International, this triggered her genuine interest in the industry. It was also during this period that Ms Goldstein first attended WYSTC and became actively involved in the work of FIYTO.
She has published several articles on youth and student travel, lectures frequently, and is a recognised international authority on the industry.
Susan Goldstein is an American national, a graduate of the City College of New York with a degree in Political Science. She has lived and worked in Denmark since 1980.
Tools and Tips for Weathering Today’s Economic Storm
Presenter:
National economies around the world are reporting various levels of slowdown. How will the global economic situation impact the work experience community?
With so many jobs potentially being cut, where will the placements come from? Is the sector at risk or are there now, more than ever, opportunities to take advantage of? After all, in a recent youth travel survey an incredible 87% of young people polled plan to either travel more or said, “who cares, I’m sticking to my original plans” when questioned if the current economic woes will affect their travel plans.
This seminar will examine the overall state of the work experience and cultural exchange sectors. Drawn from research collected by the WYSE Work Abroad Association, the session will provide an overview of how the industry as a whole is dealing with the slowdown. What are the indices we need to be paying attention to? How is the economy affecting our industry on the global, regional and national levels?
The session will then zero in on what steps organisations can take to prepare for worst-case scenarios - and to take full advantage of best-case scenarios, presenting specific case studies on how senders and receivers are dealing with the crises. What are the challenges they are facing? What are the solutions?
Key industry stakeholders will deliver insight on best practices and policies on how to manage successfully in a potential economic crisis. The session will also examine how practitioners can help manage their clients’ expectations and prepare for the unexpected - including job scarcity, possible airline failures and bankrupt placement companies.
Lastly, the seminar will examine the public, government and media’s take on our industry. Are we (cultural exchange providers) really taking jobs away from locals? Do we need to increase our lobbying efforts in the face of possible immigration changes that might reflect a more protectionist stance? How do we deal with the press in lieu of the unpredictable challenges the economy might throw our way? Airline failures, stranded students, bankrupt companies, this session will provide you with effective crises management tips to help you react to present risks.
Prof. Dr. John L. Casti
Casti received his Ph.D. in mathematics under Richard Bellman at the University of Southern California in 1970. He worked at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, CA, and served on the faculties of the University of Arizona, NYU and Princeton before becoming one of the first members of the research staff at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna, Austria. In 1986, Casti left IIASA to take up a position as a Professor of Operations Research and System Theory at the Technical University of Vienna. He also served as a member of the External Faculty of the Santa Fe Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, where he worked extensively on the application of biological metaphors to the mathematical modelling of problems in economics, finance and road-traffic networks, as well as on large-scale computer simulations for the study of such networks.
Casti has published eight technical monographs in the area of system theory and mathematical modeling, as well as 11 volumes of popular science, including the book Paradigms Lost, Complexification, Would-Be Worlds, and The Cambridge Quintet.
In 2000, he formed two companies in Santa Fe and London, Commodicast, Inc. and SimWorld, Ltd, devoted to the employment of tools and concepts from modern system theory for the solution of problems in business and finance. In early 2005 Casti returned to Vienna to co-found The Kenos Circle, a professional society that aims to make use of complexity science in order to gain a deeper insight into the future than that offered by more conventional statistical tool. He is also a Senior Research Scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna, where he works on questions of extreme events in human society, social mood and its impact on collective behaviour, the vulnerability of critical infrastructures, and computer modelling of these types of processes.
Trends, Issues, and Solutions in Today‘s
US Work and Travel Market
Facilitator:
Businesses around the world are being affected by the U.S. economic downturn, resulting in job placement cancellations in the U.S. work & travel market. Everyone is impacted: the employer, the agent, the U.S. sponsor, and most importantly-the student.
What is the current and future outlook for the U.S. work & travel market? Can policies be established to protect all parties in the event of job cancellation? How can sponsors and agents best work together to strengthen their partnerships and the industry?
Reporting on US-specific statistics from WYSE Work Abroad‘s Market Barometer, this facilitated discussion will address today‘s U.S. work & travel market: the trends, the challenges, and potential solutions.
David Jones
David Jones is Director General of the World Youth Student & Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation, the global industry association for youth, student and educational travel.
Representing 550+ specialist student and youth travel organisations in 119 countries, WYSE Travel Confederation members serve 10+ million student and young independent travellers each year.
David Jones began his life-long career in student services as President of the Student Union at the University of Toronto, Canada’s largest university. After becoming Executive Director of Canada’s National Student Services Organisation he went onto become Chairperson of this emerging organisation, increasing the revenue to more than 100 million dollars over the next 15 years.
David moved from Canada to Amsterdam where he has served as Director General of the International Student Travel Confederation (ISTC), for over 10 years. David orchestrated the merger of the Federation of International Youth Travel Organisations (FIYTO) and ISTC into the united global organisation that it is today, WYSE Travel Confederation.
David currently holds positions on a number of travel industry bodies, including:
- Vice President, UN World Tourism Organisation Affiliate Members Board,
- Vice Chairperson, European Travel Action Group (ETAG)
- Member of the UNWTO Committee on Sustainable Development of Tourism
- Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Board of Directors
For a look at the seminars presented in 2008 and to download pdf presentations from the 2008 seminars. |
