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Past Olympians and pilot of world’s fastest car join forces at showcase for best of British education

Inspiring the next generation will be the theme at the British Business Embassy today as 250 UK and international delegates will explore how…

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Inspiring the next generation will be the theme at the British Business Embassy today as 250 UK and international delegates will explore how sport, science and technology can be used to inspire young people to further study.

As three UK institutions announce plans to expand their international operations, the event will showcase the best of British education to the world, promoting international collaboration and increased trade in ideas and services.

Steve Cram, former world record holder and Olympic silver medallist, and Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell will speak on how sport can inspire young people to stay in education. They will be joined by Wing Commander Andy Green, the pilot of world’s fastest car, the Bloodhound SSC, which is used to encourage schoolchildren to study science and technology.

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said:

“The UK’s education and skills sectors have a world class reputation. Britain is home to leading universities, excellent vocational education and world-renowned schools.

“The Global Business Summit on Education will provide a unique platform for educators from across Britain and around the world to discuss global education challenges and do business with each other. It will provide a powerful showcase for our education sector and its increasing importance in today’s highly competitive internationalised economy.”

Minister for Trade & Investment Lord Green said:

“The UK’s education sector generates over £14 billion in exports annually and is respected around the world as a global innovator. New partnerships forged today will not just generate new business, but help shape the high-tech skills we need to drive progress and fuel growth.”

Other speakers include Sir Michael Barber, Chief Education Adviser from Pearson, and Professor Geoff Petts, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Westminster.

Jim Wynn, Chief Education Officer of Promethean, a Lancashire firm which makes interactive tools, displays and systems for use in classrooms, said:

“The British Business Embassy Education day will be a great opportunity to showcase over 40 years of education technology innovation. Promethean, a UK company working in 108 countries worldwide, is very proud to be associated with this event.”

**UK-international business

**International business announced today includes:

The New College Nottingham International Lifestyles Academy (NILA), a collaboration between New College Nottingham (a UK Further Education College) and the Batra Group, will be opened in New Delhi in September. The Academy will deliver higher level vocational education for up to 1,000 students and will be the first of its kind in India. It will focus on the delivery of a lifestyles curriculum and advanced English and teacher training qualifications. It is hoped through Batra Group’s large portfolio, businesses will also provide practical experience and enable progression routes for learners. The intention is to replicate this model across India to cover different vocational strands. The project is expected to create over 50 new jobs in the first academy in India.

The University of Salford will officially launch Salford Professional Development, a subsidiary company wholly owned by the University, providing high-quality, research-informed training and professional development courses in Britain and overseas using state-of-the-art facilities. The company aims to secure contracts with an estimated value of £5 million. Ten new jobs will be created in the company and an estimated 300 jobs created across the North West through the economic benefits generated by enhancing workers’ skills and productivity.

Liverpool City College has secured a three-year contract to provide management coaching skills and English language programmes for Chinese students. The programmes, valued at £45,000 over the three years, will commence in September 2012. This is expected to generate at least two new jobs in the UK.

In addition, the British Council has revealed that the UK-Turkey Knowledge Partnership Programme, signed in September 2011, has since achieved 22 partnerships between universities in the UK and Turkey, and Turkish industry. Each is intended to engage academics and industry in collaborative partnerships between the UK and Turkey in key sectors of value to both countries. The British Council is fostering these 22 partnerships with seed funding and working with Turkey to achieve a shared ambition of trebling the number of partnerships by 2015.

**Notes to editors

**1. The programme for all British Business Embassy events is at www.ukti.gov.uk Watch all British Business Embassy sessions live http://www.youtube.com/user/UKTIWeb. Follow events live on Twitter @BritBizClub and join the conversation using hashtag #BritBizEmbassy.”

  1. The Government’s economic policy objective is to achieve ‘strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.’ It set four ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’ (PDF 1.7MB), published at Budget 2011:
  • To create the most competitive tax system in the G20

  • To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business

  • To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy

  • To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.

Work is underway across Government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the Government wants the economy to travel.

  1. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the Government Department that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy. We also help overseas companies bring their high quality investment to the UK’s economy - acknowledged as Europe’s best place from which to succeed in global business. UKTI offers expertise and contacts through its extensive network of specialists in the UK, and in British embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world. We provide companies with the tools they require to be competitive on the world stage. For more information on UKTI, visit www.ukti.gov.uk or visit the online newsroom at www.ukti.gov.uk/media.

**Education factfile **

***** The UK is home to some of the world’s top 10 universities.

  • The UK is a leading innovator in distance and e-learning material and programmes. The University of London was the first university to offer distance-learning degrees, establishing its External Programme in 1858. The Open University is the world’s largest distance learning university.

  • The UK, as the home of the English language, delivers effective English-language learning to students both in the UK and through UK institutions internationally. The UK leads in the teaching of Business English. Over 600,000 people every year come to the UK to learn English.

  • The UK is a leading operator of international schools and universities, with specialist organisations dedicated to delivering high-quality British-style education to countries across the world. An increasing number of leading UK independent schools now have branches overseas.

  • The UK holds key exhibitions and conferences across all parts of the sector, from educational supplies, software and ICT to e-learning and corporate training. They include BETT (educational ICT) every January and The Education Show (teaching and learning goods and services) every March.

  • UKTI helps 1,000 businesses in this sector every year.

Notes to Editors

Contact Information

Name BIS Press Office Job Title

Division Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Phone

Fax

Mobile

Email bispress.releases@bis.gsi.gov.uk

Name Oliver Fry Job Title

Division Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Phone 020 7215 5965 Fax

Mobile

Email oliver.fry@bis.gsi.gov.uk

Published 1 August 2012