For the international education sector to continue to thrive, it’s critical that international education advisors can access current knowledge about destination markets, institutions, sector standards, and application processes. Robust sector training built for advisors helps ApplyBoard to ensure our global network understands not only their students but the broader sector.

To help create long-term solutions, ApplyBoard has invested in developing the ApplyBoard Counsellor Course (ABCC) curriculum—available online to anyone, for free—and expanding the TrainHub training ecosystem, which allows institutions to make their advisor training easily accessible and fully trackable.

Strengthening the Sector

In our Strengthening the Sector series, we’re exploring the many ways that ApplyBoard supports the international education sector.

Below, we’ll discuss the international education training tools our teams have developed. These solutions provide up-to-date professional knowledge, as well as a fully trackable training system and all-in-one learning management system for institutions and recruiters alike.

Read the other articles in this series as they’re published:

• Recruitment Partner Vetting
• Ongoing Performance Monitoring
• Application Pre-Screening
• Document Authentication

Committing to Continuous Improvement

Any strong partnership takes work to sustain. One of the principles that has allowed ApplyBoard to build lasting relationships with our network of education advisors is a shared commitment to continuous improvement. Our dedicated team of account managers provides advisors with training and resources which cover everything from the latest government policy updates and student visa application information to unique course offerings. 

Account managers conduct weekly or monthly check-ins with every advisor as part of our Account Management Process (AMP). We also share a detailed business intelligence deck which is updated every month.

By providing regular updates and ongoing support, we can ensure our global network of advisors:

• Comply with ApplyBoard’s terms and conditions
• Meet or surpass the expectations of our institutional partners
• Have access to the latest policy and program availability updates

These professionals also complete sector training via:

• Our mandatory onboarding course for education advisors (ApplyBoard 101)
• ApplyBoard Counsellor Courses (ABCC)
• Institution-led on-demand training via TrainHub

ApplyBoard Counsellor Courses (ABCC)

The international education sector is no stranger to change, from evolving policy guidelines to new technology which changes the student journey. To stay up-to-date with best practices, we’ve developed a series of training modules to equip our advisors with the knowledge they need. This helps to set them—and their future students—up for success.

The first of these training tools is our series of self-paced ApplyBoard Counsellor Courses (ABCC), which launched in 2021.

Developed by ApplyBoard team members with decades of experience in the sector, these free online courses are interactive and approachable, divided into bite-sized microlearning modules. ABCC content goes beyond the basics of an international study experience. It shares critical information about local culture, student visa information, post-study work opportunities, and practical travel tips. Throughout the course, learners also have to respond to different student scenarios they might experience in their workplace.

These six courses, each focused on a different destination (as of 2026: Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and Ireland), help ensure the advisors in ApplyBoard’s global network are as knowledgeable as possible when advising their students.

As of June 2026, over 5,500 education professionals worldwide have completed an ABCC course.

ApplyBoard Counsellor Courses are also fully trackable to ensure transparency in evaluating your team’s course completion. After passing a course, participants receive an electronic certification highlighting their knowledge of that destination.

TrainHub

TrainHub is an innovative training ecosystem and compliance tool. Using TrainHub, academic institutions can share their training materials with all of the advisors they work with in one place. This streamlines the advisors’ access to high-quality training and encourages them to stay up-to-date on the institution’s policies and course offerings.

Plus, training information is fully trackable, enabling institutions to easily verify their partners’ training compliance.

Universities and colleges using TrainHub can:

• Track exactly which training has been completed, and by whom.
• Control which training materials are accessible to which partners.
• Use TrainHub as a learning management system to create and grant access to mandatory training materials.
• Significantly reduce time spent on administrative tasks.

Meanwhile, the international education advisors in the ApplyBoard network can quickly access training modules that they know will be current and approved by the academic institution. Plus, their staff can learn at their own pace, thanks to TrainHub’s responsive microlearning structure.

With support from ABCC and TrainHub, advisors who work with ApplyBoard are well-equipped to advise future international students.

Next Up: Document Authentication

Applications submitted through ApplyBoard always achieve a certain standard of quality, thanks to our pre-screening process. However, document authenticity is a different story entirely. An application might check all the right boxes, but what if key documents, like proof of acceptance, financial support, or language proficiency, are falsified?

Thankfully, ApplyBoard has a solution to that as well: secure document authentication is one of the features of our platform. Learn more in our next entry in the Strengthening the Sector series, right here on ApplyInsights.

About the ApplyInsights Team

FOOTNOTES:

1. All data courtesy of ApplyBoard unless otherwise stated.