The UK government announces a warm welcome for international students whose numbers are expected to grow up to 20 % over the next five years. The estimate is part of the UK government’s new industrial strategy (International Education: Global Growth and Prosperity) for international education. The new report makes it clear that there is no cap on the number of students who can come to study in the UK. According to the strategy, the UK will provide brokerage and support for countries wishing to send large numbers of students to the UK on government scholarship schemes such as Science without Borders from Brazil, and expand alumni programmes to maintain relationships with UK graduates. For e.g. expansion of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s successful Chevening scholarships, which encourages high-fliers from around the world is also part of it.
The Government will focus its international education engagement on the following priority countries: China, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Turkey, Mexico, Indonesia and the Gulf. DFID plans to double its investment in development higher education partnerships. We will also increase the number of scholarships we fund for students from Emerging Powers and to ensure that the relationships are reciprocal, our higher education sector has developed an outward mobility strategy for UK students.
UK Technology Strategy Board will also launch a design call asking innovators for designs to exploit modern education technology.
A new £1 million Small Business Research Initiative competition for education technology will also be launched. The UK will take advice from experts on how technology can be used to improve learning across the skills sector, and will continue to support education globally through DFID projects.
The Education UK recruitment service has also been refreshed to make it easier for overseas students to research opportunities in the UK.
The UK is a world leader in education and has a wide range of expertise across Higher Education, Further Education, overseas schools, English language training and education technology, products and services. The UK was the second most popular destination for international HE students in 2011 with 13% of the global total. UK education exports were worth an estimated £17.5bn in 2011. The sector supports jobs and investment and our wider relationships with partner countries around the world.
An infographic illustrating the key statistics and the entire strategy is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-education-strategy-global-growth-and-prosperity
- Higher education institutions interested in exploring education opportunities overseas: www.heglobal.international.ac.uk
- Start-ups interested in the Technology Strategy Board’s design call asking innovators for designs to exploit modern education exports: www.innovateuk.org
- UK businesses looking for advice on international education exports can contact UKTI: www.ukti.gov.uk
- Companies of all sizes can benefit from support for exports from UK Export Finance, the Government’s export credit agency: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-export-finance
International students interested in studying in the UK: www.educationuk.org/global