New unit aims to boost education exports

By David Matthews. A new government unit will help universities expand abroad in an attempt to boost export earnings from the sector. Education UK has been launched by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and UK Trade & Investment, the government-run agency that aims to help British interests abroad. It will specifically target markets in India and the Middle East. Matthew Hancock, the skills minister, said that despite the UK's excellent reputation for education, the sector could make a bigger contribution to economic growth.
"It is essential that we realise the potential of the largely untapped resource that is our education exports. There is a fast-growing demand for high-quality education, and we are lucky to have a dynamic and entrepreneurial sector that is well placed to contribute," he said.
"We are in a global race and other countries are presenting attractive and coordinated offers, so Education UK is a vital step in bringing together the UK sector to drive its international engagement, particularly on high-value opportunities," Mr Hancock argued.
According to BIS, education exports are currently worth £14 billion to the UK, but this could rise to £21.5 billion by 2020. Read more...