In this interview, Sukh Sandhu, one of our editors, had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Mo Kader, the Managing Director of Consultica Worldwide Management Consultants. The interview delves into Dr. Kader's career journey and the founding of Consultica Worldwide, exploring the inspiration behind his venture and the influence of his academic background on his approach to consulting in the international education and business sectors. Additionally, the interview touches upon key strategic challenges facing higher education institutions, the role of Consultica Worldwide in assisting universities and vocational institutions, international business development in the education sector, and addressing cross-cultural challenges.
Dr. Kader also discusses the services provided by Consultica Worldwide for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and trends in the vocational training sector. The interview explores change management in educational institutions, the importance of organisational learning, and effective project management and strategy alignment. Furthermore, Dr. Kader shares insights into the future of higher education and vocational training, emphasizing technology integration and online learning. The interview concludes with valuable advice for aspiring education professionals, highlighting essential skills and qualities for success in the field.
Here is the copy of the interview:
Career Journey and Consultica Worldwide:
Can you share your journey that led to the founding of Consultica Worldwide Management Consultants? What inspired you to start this venture?
What inspired me to start this venture was a desire for independence and being able to make decisions independently. As the business became more established the ongoing inspiration was to help educational businesses improve their operations, given my own personal interest in education.
How has your extensive background in academia influenced your approach to consulting in the international education and business sectors?
It has helped me see things from different perspectives. I try to look at things from a student’s, an academic’s and a manager’s point of view where possible.
Strategic Management in Higher Education:
What are the key strategic challenges facing higher education institutions today, particularly in terms of international expansion and compliance with educational standards like TEQSA, ASQA, ESOS, etc.?
Compliance is obviously a constant challenge given the large number of “moving parts” in educational institutions, but there is also a growing challenge in being able to predict which courses will be in demand and what market segments will be attractive in the future.
How does Consultica Worldwide assist universities and vocational institutions in navigating these challenges?
We generally work with RTO’s and higher education providers in operational areas (the “moving parts” I was referring to earlier). Navigation comes a little later – the first step is to identify the areas of friction. These could be student progression versus student admissions, for example.
International Business and Education:
Based on your experience, what are the essential factors for successful international business development in the education sector?
Going directly to the student through exhibitions and local country-specific contact rather than through traditional or social media channels is often successful. This is, of course, a large investment for most educational institutions so it may not be viable for everyone. If that is the case, a network of reliable and genuine marketing agents remains a large potential source of students for many institutions.
How do you approach cross-cultural challenges in international education consulting?
Through communicating with stakeholders in a realistic and down to earth way to try and see their cultural perspective.
RTO Consulting and Market Development:
Could you elaborate on the services Consultica Worldwide provides for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and how these services contribute to their success?
We help with operational and quality consulting.
What trends do you see in the vocational training sector, and how should RTOs adapt to stay competitive?
Academic integrity and AI are big issues that are growing bigger with time as well as automation more broadly. Adapting will depend on the strategic direction of the institute. Some providers are already well versed and well-equipped to tackle these challenges.
Change Management and Organisational Learning:
How do you approach change management in educational institutions? Can you provide an example of a successful change management project you have led?
We use established models of change management through creating a change committee that brings together stakeholder perspectives. A recent implementation of this is an organisation that was moving from a traditional operations structure to an agile, dispersed structure.
In your view, how important is organisational learning in the context of today's rapidly evolving educational landscape?
It has always been important and remains so. The learning organisation is an innovative organisation.
Project Management and Strategy:
With your expertise in project management and strategic planning, what are some common pitfalls in project execution within educational institutions, and how can they be avoided?
Unrealistic expectations of time. Education is a business, but it runs differently to other businesses and things cannot generally be mass produced, so expectations of time to complete a project can be unrealistic. This is particularly the case in higher education where there is a need for multiple committees to be involved.
Can you share insights into effective strategies for aligning educational projects with broader institutional goals?
Yes, obtaining feedback on the strategy from staff and other stakeholders has tended to work well for an array of institutions we have worked with. Essentially, getting people involved in the design of strategy, where possible, helps achieve this alignment.
Future of Education and Training:
How do you envision the future of higher education and vocational training in terms of technology integration and online learning?
A lot more technology will appear in the physical classroom and perhaps even bridge the gap between physical and virtual classrooms through augmented reality.
What role do you see for MOOCs and other digital learning platforms in shaping the future of education?
They have not been as large as originally anticipated, but have mostly been consistent and so they are a good part of the educational puzzle as they are mostly accessible, free and contain good content. They complement more formal education.
Advice for Aspiring Education Professionals:
What advice would you give to individuals aspiring to build a career in education management and consulting?
Spend as much time in a classroom (physical or online) as possible, because regardless of what you will end up doing in the education sector, you must know what good teaching looks like. You may even be able to teach and this will provide you with better insights into the core component of education. This will help better understand the rest of the business.
What skills and qualities do you consider most crucial for success in this field?
Being succinct and to the point, being kind and being willing to pick up new skills.
Biography
Mo Kader
Mo Kader is an education, business and commerce professional with over 25 years of experience in medium and large businesses. Dr Kader has worked in private education, enterprise and in research, development and in corporate training.
Mo specialises in training, education and in the conduct of quality inspections in vocational and higher education. He has developed 30 courses in the higher education sector and assisted organisations with initial higher education registration and in course accreditation.
He has also published in the areas of strategic innovation, project management and the future readiness in organisations.
He holds post-graduate qualifications in adult education, business and science and is an active trainer and academic.
Mo is a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute, Australian Institute of Training and Development and the Institute of Leaders and Managers. He is a Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM), Certified Practicing Human Resources Professional (CAHRI) and a Chartered Manager (CMrg). He is Managing Director of a management consulting firm specialising in educational business and strategy consulting. In his spare time, he admires cars and enjoys cooking.
