Tag: UK

EdTech still going strong with £3m investment in UK HE skills training platform Aptem

“The world is rapidly changing, with globalisation giving way to protectionism”

Aptem (MWS Technology Ltd), the market-leading SaaS software provider for apprenticeships, vocational training and employability, has secured £3 additional funding at a valuation of £33 million from long-term investors 24Haymarket and Guinness Ventures. Despite UK crises and talk of funding cuts, alongside a level of disenchantment with online learning in HE, EdTech is still seen as a good bet.

It is no exaggeration to say that the UK is in a political and economic crisis. With a new government (albeit the same political party) every two years and three different education secretaries in 2022 alone, the impact on education has been stark. Reliant on stability and continuity, particularly in an era of funding constraints, the sector is struggling to deliver the skills the UK needs.

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The challenge of attracting international students in an increasingly competitive marketplace

“Universities might not be corporate entities, but they do need to adopt a business mindset to compete successfully”

How can universities in the UK protect themselves from losing ground to other countries hungry to encourage more applications from international students?

Although currently sitting at number two in the global rankings, the higher education sector is facing rising competition from other nations keen to maximise the income and enrichment that international students bring to campuses. And the stakes are high, writes Ian Anderson, Global Enterprise Architect at Ellucian.

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Personalisation is becoming essential in intentional recruitment

“Aspirations are shaped in early years with more than one in 10 international students considering HE abroad before their eleventh birthday”

The past two years have undeniably presented significant barriers to international student mobility. Closed borders, digital learning, social unrest, virtual outreach, visa uncertainties and geopolitics to name but a few – but, far from hitting the panic alarm, millions of students continue to follow their dream of studying overseas.

Within UCAS’ new report, published today in collaboration with the US-based non-profit organisation College Board which delivers programs like the SAT and Advanced Placement, we estimate that during the pandemic, over 155,000 international students chose the UK as their destination of choice and begun their studies. The global HE marketplace appears to have weathered the Covid storm.

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Chinese students are keen to study in the UK but want greater choices – is ‘HyFlex’ learning the future?

“As China begins to emerge from the pandemic, it is important to understand the future for UK China International Education”

Research commissioned by Study Group shows rebounding demand from Chinese students to broaden their horizons at UK higher education institutions. However, the study makes clear there won’t be a return to pre-Covid times – education providers will need to employ innovative approaches to unlock future opportunities, writes James Pitman, Study Group’s managing director UK and Europe.

Unlike the often-fragile relationship between countries and governments, education provides a unique opportunity for students worldwide build solid relationships in a supportive and open environment. Tertiary institutions in the UK have traditionally held high appeal for many Chinese students and their parents. With China representing a fifth of the world’s population and a rapidly growing economy, the UK and China have one of the world’s most important international education relationships.

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International re-birth a step change for delivering “local and global” impact

“All learners will have an international experience, either physical travel or through digital technologies”

It may have escaped the attention of many in higher education, but at the start of this academic year Teesside University Business School quietly rebranded as Teesside University International Business School, writes the school’s dean, Warren Harrison.

Although there was no launch event, or press release landing in editor’s inboxes, for us this represents a step change around our commitment to international education and international students.

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Cultural education – easing the transition to the UK education system for international students

“Telling a Chinese student to critically appraise a text can often make them feel uncomfortable and the word ‘critical’ suggests ‘censure’”

A recent survey from UKI Student and School Forum and featured in The PIE News highlighted that international boarding school students, despite having potentially studied for several years in the UK, still worry about studying at degree level.

The transition to the UK education system is not an easy one for any international young person to make, but Paul Breen, from University of Westminster has some strong views on how the transition could be eased.

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Ready, steady, go? International applicants want more information to inform their study decisions

“When asked about how ready they felt to study abroad ahead of the autumn, half of applicants felt either only somewhat ready or not ready at all”

Demand for UK HE remains strong, though international students want to know more about what’s in store for them, writes Des Cutchey, Managing Director, UCAS International.

As society and the education sector continues to adapt to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, we know international students continue to face uncertainty as they navigate their first academic year, or plan for future study in the UK. What will travel and the student experience look like in the current context? What will life look like as precautions related to the pandemic continue to change?

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Why giving children exposure to a greater variety of languages in schools is crucial to problem solving

“Embracing language learning does not mean simply widening access to modern  European languages”

In 2021, Ofsted published a report into the state of languages in UK schools. It begins with lofty ambition – the second line declares that learning a language is ‘a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures’ – but soon runs aground on the grim statistics of student disengagement, writes Barry Mansfield of Halcyon London International School, Marylebone.

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International students are the key to the future of British science

“International students in the UK directly contribute to cutting edge research and the development of new technologies”

Britain is one of just five countries in the world to have developed a WHO-approved vaccine against Covid-19, a triumph that would not have been possible without the countless hours contributed to the project by international students, says Study Group’s James Pitman.

The UK has earned its place as a global science hub, but the government plans to go even further, turning the country into a “science and technology superpower”. This ambitious goal is achievable, but only if we continue to welcome international students and empower them to work side by side with the top British minds in academia and research.

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How is international learning shifting?

“For international education to move effectively to a blended model involving both online and physical campuses, it is not just teaching approaches that need to be considered”

Digital advancements have given universities an innovative way of offering international learning to students who may not be in the position to move abroad. Whether it is due to family commitments or financial reasons, students can gain an internationally recognised degree regardless of their ability to travel.

With Arden University partnering with its first international partner, Roots Ivy International College, to offer students in Pakistan the ability to gain a UK degree earlier this year, Debra Hinds, associate pro-vice-chancellor of Partnerships at Arden University writes about how international learning is shifting, the opportunities at hand and how universities can aim to give a better learning experience for international students.

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