The future of agent engagement: trust, training, and technology
There has been a noticeable shift in how agent engagement is being approached within the sector. In the UK, the introduction of the Agent Quality Framework (AQF) has encouraged institutions to reflect on the systems they have in place to support transparency and quality across their agent networks. Globally, similar conversations are taking shape, with growing recognition of the need to strengthen oversight and communication between universities and their recruitment partners.
While many international teams already deliver onboarding sessions, regular webinars, and ongoing updates for agents, maintaining consistency and visibility at scale is increasingly difficult. As agent numbers grow, and counsellor turnover remains high in some markets, it becomes harder to monitor who has accessed what, when training needs updating, or whether key messages have actually reached those supporting prospective students.
This lack of visibility often results in more manual follow-ups, repeated briefings, and one-off sessions that don’t always reach the right people. For many institutions, there’s now a growing need to automate and structure parts of this process – not to replace human interaction, but to make it more targeted, timely, and effective.
Embedding structure into engagement
Engagement, like any meaningful partnership, benefits from structure. For universities, this means having confidence that agents are equipped with up-to-date, accurate information, and being able to evidence that this information has been shared and understood. For agents, it’s about knowing where to go for training, how to stay aligned with institutional expectations, and having clarity around policies and processes.
When new agents are signed, institutions often invest time in tailored onboarding. But in fast-paced recruitment cycles, that knowledge can quickly become outdated or forgotten. Without a way to track who has received what, or when a refresher is needed, key information can be missed or miscommunicated.
This is where expiry-based training models can add value. By setting defined timeframes for completion and recertification, institutions can reinforce core messages while ensuring that counsellors remain equipped with the latest updates, particularly as teams change or markets shift.
The role of infrastructure
Managing agent relationships effectively, particularly across multiple regions and time zones, brings a unique set of challenges. From onboarding and training to compliance reporting and maintaining up-to-date communications, the workload can quickly become fragmented, especially when systems are reliant on manual tracking or informal processes.
For many international teams, these pressures are compounded by limited staff capacity and increasing institutional expectations. Without the right infrastructure, it becomes difficult to scale partnerships while maintaining consistency, transparency, and accountability.
What’s needed is a system that supports:
- Structured and trackable training delivery, aligned to institutional goals
- Training expiry options to support ongoing recertification and updates
- A single point of access for agents to find policies, marketing assets, and programme information
- Real-time visibility on agent engagement and training completion
- A clear audit trail to support both internal quality assurance and external reviews
When these elements are in place, international teams can reduce duplication, streamline communication, and focus on strengthening relationships rather than chasing updates. It also creates a stronger foundation for institutional governance, supporting strategic growth while ensuring partners are informed, supported, and aligned.
The JADE App is a groundbreaking platform designed to transform international student recruitment. It enhances engagement, ensures compliance, and empowers agents with the training and insights they need to support students effectively
Amr Fahhad, regional manager, Loughborough University
A new kind of support
It was these sector challenges that led to the creation of The JADE App, a platform developed by higher education professionals to support universities in delivering structured, scalable agent engagement.
The JADE App brings together agent training, document access, engagement tracking, and compliance support into a single system. Institutions can create their own training journeys, assign expiry dates, and see exactly how agents and counsellors are interacting with their resources. And as teams juggle competing priorities, the platform helps reduce the workload by automating essential processes that would otherwise rely on individual follow-ups.
Looking ahead
Agent engagement is no longer an isolated task, it’s an integral part of quality assurance, student support, and international growth strategies. As expectations continue to shift and institutional responsibilities expand, having the right tools in place can make all the difference. What matters now is making engagement consistent, structured, and truly collaborative.
About the author
Kamila Malavia is co-Founder and CCO of The JADE App, a platform supporting scalable and structured engagement between universities and education agents. She is also the CEO of Veritas Mundi Education, bringing over 17 years of experience in international student recruitment, institutional partnerships, and strategic global engagement.
The post The future of agent engagement: trust, training, and technology appeared first on The PIE News.