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UK colleges powering emerging economies
Over 50,000 international students study at UK colleges but where are they from? QS Top Universities finds out what nationalities are contributing to the diversity of undergraduate education in the UK.
There are many perks of studying and working in a multicultural classroom or office: you can practice that language you’ve been attempting to learn, taste a variety of international cuisine (both home made or bought via duty free) and you’re never short of free places to stay when you’re travelling or studying abroad.
In the UK, there are over three million domestic and international students studying in college, preparing for their undergraduate education at one of the world’s top universities in years to come. A recent study shows students, the majority of international students in this pool hail from China and India.
The study, Going Global?, published by Warwick University in May 2008, shows that of the 53,000 international students studying in the UK, 3,500 are from China and 3,300 from India. These results show that the UK is responding to the huge demand for education from some of the world’s booming economies.
Julian Gravatt, Director of Funding and Development for the Association of Colleges, that commissioned the report, said that the growth of the world’s fastest growing economies was outstripping their ability to teach their workforces. “UK colleges are actively responding to this need. They’re forming new partnerships in the world’s most important markets, taking our own expertise in skills training to areas of the world where it is most needed.”
Some of those UK colleges with partnerships around the globe include:
- London Beijing Colleges partnership - London colleges providing skills training and curriculum development for the Beijing Olympics.
- Preston College providing knowledge exchange and staff training in Omsk, Russia
- Blackburn College developing expertise and skills training for the textile industry with South Delhi Polytechnic, India.
The findings of the report also shows there is huge demand for education and training in India and China for a number of reasons:
- China is seeking help internationally to expand and overhaul its further education system.
- Expenditure of GDP on education in India is set to rise from three to six per cent.
- 50% of colleges see foreign expansion as a key future opportunity
- UK colleges’ key exports are English Language teaching, business administration, engineering and IT
- UK education is most attractive for having a good international reputation, offering all teaching in English and being quality assured
- UK Further Education’s strengths are its qualifications - that reflect industry’s needs, innovative curricula, a wide range of courses, flexible course delivery, a strong emphasis on independent learning and a good track record in international activities
The report also had a number of key recommendations:
- There needs to be better marketing and promotion of UK colleges, skills training and qualifications in foreign markets
- There needs to be better joined-up working between government and UK colleges, to increase economies of scale and support expansion abroad
- The recommendations of the Foster and Leitch reviews should be implemented to give UK colleges parity with their EU counterparts
- UK qualifications need to be made more transferable and more widely accepted around the world
The diversity of UK colleges’ classrooms can only mean good things. As the world of education continues to globalize, the world’s top universities for undergraduate education, and indeed postgraduate education, provide some of the worlds most diverse and multicultural environments. All the more reason for students to consider going global.
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Going Global? UK Vocational Education Opportunities in the International Market. Published by Association of Colleges. Produced by Warwick Institute for Employment Research.
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