In today’s blog post, we speak to Rachel Elliott, General Manager at Education Services Australia (ESA), which is the sole authorised registrar for domain names ending in edu.au. In addition to domain names, ESA provides a range of other educational services, and today we find out about the foundation of ESA’s operations and the benefits of Australian educational providers having a trusted .edu.au online presence.

How did ESA come about in Australia? Who founded it and why?

Rachel: Education Services Australia (ESA) is a not-for-profit company owned by Australian Government education ministers. ESA was established in 2010 through the merger of two organisations, Education.au Limited and Curriculum Corporation.

Our domain registrar service (edu.au) was originally part of Education.au and has been operating since 2003. ESA is aligned with the interests of our ministerial owners and their aspirations for education in Australia. Therefore, we operate with the sole focus of improving student outcomes, enhancing teacher impact and strengthening school communities across all education sectors.

These are very important outcomes indeed, and we understand that the details may vary depending on the service being provided. What can you tell us about this?

Rachel: The needs of our clients can vary depending on which sector they operate in (e.g. higher education, vocational education, schools, childcare, industry/research organisations), and also by the jurisdiction in which they are providing services. This may be at a federal, state or territory, or regional level – each with different requirements and procedures. This can change the means by which an applicant for a new registration is assessed against the eligibility criteria, and the services and support we can provide.

Based on your experience at ESA, what are the benefits of educational entities/training providers having an online presence?

Rachel: Educational entities use websites to share information about their services, courses and qualifications, enrolment procedures, history and culture and more. It’s important that these websites are credible, discoverable, clear and accessible to a wide range of users. An online presence can also provide opportunities for community interaction and online course completion; therefore, robust privacy and security protocols become critical, particularly when dealing with student data. When it comes to how they establish their online presence, the edu.au domain with its strict eligibility and allocation criteria, combined with being universally recognised as representing Australian education, provides a trusted online brand to build that upon.

Aside from domain names, what other solutions does ESA provide?

Rachel: ESA delivers a wide range of solutions for the education community, from design and delivery of online platforms, hosting and interoperability services, curriculum resources, skills and career information, student support and wellbeing programs, school library services, to solutions for early childhood educators. It’s our wide range of projects and our highly skilled and diverse workforce that makes ESA such an inspiring place to work. We exist to make a difference in education.

Thanks so much for your time Rachel, we can see that ESA provides a range of valuable solutions that we are sure is making a difference in education for many Australians.

Rachel: Thanks for the opportunity to chat.

Please visit www.esa.edu.au to get in touch with a representative from ESA, or for more information.