Mr. Tony Yeung, CEO of Danford College Profile

Mr. Tony Yeung
CEO of Danford College


Mr. Tony Yeung, CEO of Danford College Certificate

“Academic Program excellence”

Star Gazers Education Pty Ltd trading as Danford College is a Registered Training Organisation and a CRICOS provider for international students since 2007. The organisation is managed and controlled by the CEO Mr. Vikas Wadhwa assisted by the General Manager and Head of Compliance, Mr. Tony Yeung.

Tony Yeung is also a Certified Education Manager. Those admitted to the ITECA College of Vocational Education and Training Professionals as a Certified Education Manager (CEM) join an elite cohort of executives recognised for the leadership in building the sector's reputation for excellence. The CEM credential puts Tony in the top-tier of professionals in the Australian vocational education and training sector.

The philosophy for Danford College is proudly displayed at the front entrance – Believe Achieve Grow. This refers to a need to believe in ourselves to be the best that we can be with the aid of trained professionals to achieve the targets that we set for ourselves and grow to reach our full potential. This simple premise guides the development of innovative ideas to provide the most engaging learning experiences for students. It also drives the requirement for quality systems to maintain the best products and services to support that learning journey.

Star Gazers Education Pty Ltd has 3 campuses in Melbourne CBD: William St Campus – King St Campus and Queen Street Campus and an offshore campus in the island of Mauritius with a capacity of servicing 1529 students. Our international education sector includes the export of VET courses to international students studying both here and in offshore location.

"Danford students acquire the practical skills and knowledge aligned with the key employability skills to succeed in today’s competitive global job market."

Danford College is one of Victoria's largest providers of vocational education and training. We offer a diverse range of courses from Business, International Business, Leadership and Management, Project and Program Management, General IT, IT (Networking), Social Media Marketing, Banking Services Management, Civil Construction Design, Building and Construction (Management), Telecommunications Network Engineering, Conveyancing, Travel and Tourism Management, Management (Learning), Strategic Procurement and Information Technology and Strategic Management.

Level of Qualification offered at Danford College is from Level 3 to Level 8: Certificate III - Certificate IV – Diploma - Advanced Diploma - Graduate Certificate - Graduate Diploma

The campus is endorsed by ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority) in Australia and by MQA (Mauritius Qualification Authority) in Mauritius Island.

We are also an official Test Centre for (ITTS) International Testing and Training Services Ltd conducting exam on behalf of Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and ACCA in Australia.

We also conduct ISO Compliance Exam for PECB. PECB is a certification body which provides education¹ and certification under ISO/IEC 17024 for individuals on a wide range of disciplines: Information Security & Resiliency; Information Security - Continuity, Resilience and Recovery, GRC and Privacy - Governance, Risk, and Compliance - Privacy and Data Protection - Anti-Bribery; Quality and Sustainability - Quality and Service Management – Sustainability and Health and Safety Excellence in education goes well beyond the classroom. Continued innovation is essential to protect Danford’s market position says Tony Yeung.

Just as COVID-19 has created a worldwide health crisis, it has also had a reverberating impact on education especially the international education sectors. According to The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), at least 60 percent of students around the world have been affected by the pandemic.

The unprecedented circumstances have led education providers to carefully weigh priorities, financial needs, health and safety measures, access and opportunity, daily crisis management and longer-term, strategic decision-making.

The destructive spread of this pandemic has in some cases crushed International Education leaders’ rhetoric under the weight of reality.

If there is any Education leader in Australia who thinks it is going to go back to where it was a pre COVID-19, they are just ignoring the real situation post pandemic.

What this crisis brings perhaps most to the forefront is the need for effective leadership in education, at every level of the system.

It has been a challenging time for the international education sector resulting in lower enrolments today due to border closures will have impact the international education sector globally. However, any disruption also creates opportunities to rethink business models and look at possibilities for the future.

In such disruptive times, Leaders cannot emulate the leadership practices they witnessed or enjoyed in a period of stability, continuity, and relative calm.

Leading in disruptive times means being able to adapt to the new norm, to create new pathways through the disruption. Our journey is defined by our determination, our hope, and our belief that whatever happens, whatever the cost, whatever the scale of the challenge, I will continue to do everything in my power to safeguard the survival of our business while minimising the effects towards our students.

The reality is that we need to understand what our staff and clients are going through, what they need right now and deliver this as best as we can.

The ability to understand and share the feelings of another in leaders has been shown to improve engagement, productivity and business results. With effective leadership, crisis challenges can be overcome.

SGE did not lose any time in readjusting and think of how we can pivot our business into new ways of operating.

For example, shifting to online learning, focusing on new demand course development, running short courses and many more.

Leaders who support their people and learn to adapt will not only survive these challenges but come out the other side stronger than ever.

Whilst the current environment has presented some significant challenges, and many providers have shifted their focus to profitability targets for survival, Danford College has resisted the temptation for compromise and shown continued determination towards its vision. This has not been easy, but as the market environment opens up for post COVID-19 opportunities, Danford College is well placed to build on its strengths.

Once the Australian economy rebounds, and it will, those who rise strong will be leaders who embrace the uncertainty with a bias for action.

Tony Yeung believes that the degree to which the international education sector is impacted by the economic downturn will be determined by our resilience and through:

• Our strategy to adapt quickly and imagining new possibilities and ways of doing things

• Our ability to build hope and confidence in ourselves and others with a plan for pivoting through reform by modernizing to integrate classroom and distance learning as well as social innovations such as working from home during lockdown.

Our 2021 tactic for survival is if we can't control what's going on now with businesses suffering, unemployment and uncertainty on a rise, we just need to reprogram our mind to be defined by the memories of the future. This will help us to move forward, instead of being chained to bad experience of the past.

We all know it’s hard, but the changes we are making now will set the path for our future and we can emerge from this crisis stronger than before.IE


Company

Danford College

Management

Mr. Tony Yeung
CEO of Danford College

Description

Danford College is a young, dynamic and friendly college right here in the heart of Melbourne. The competitive advantage for Danford College is clearly ‘Quality Education’ in a competitive environment. This is backed by experienced teaching staff, quality materials, professional facilities and a professional management team. Our trainers/assessors are highly experienced and successful in their relevant industry.


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