Policy paper

Education Sector Advisory Group minutes 2 November 2022

Updated 11 January 2024

Time, date and venue: 11:00am to 12:30pm, 2 November 2022, Old Admiralty Building and MS Teams

Chair: Minister Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for International Trade (DIT)

In attendance:

• Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary under Secretary of State, DIT - Chair
• Maddalaine Ansell, Director Education, British Council
• Caroline Wright, Chief Executive, British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA)
• Colin Bell, Chief Executive, Council of British International Schools (COBIS)
• Huan Japes, Interim Chief Executive, English UK
• Alex Proudfoot, Chief Executive, Independent Higher Education (HE)
• Neil Leitch, Chief Executive, Early Years Alliance
• Jamie Arrowsmith, Interim Director, Universities UK International (UUKi)
• Emma Meredith, Director of Global Engagement, AoC (representing UK Skills Partnership)
• Wendy Alexander, Vice-Principal International, University of Dundee and Scottish Trade Envoy
• Richard Leeman, Skills Division, Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland.

Apologies:

• Sir Steve Smith, International Education Champion
• Dr Ben Calvert, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Exec, University of South Wales/ Chair, Global Wales

Introduction

Minister Bowie introduced himself and explained education is his big passion and he recognises the sector’s huge offer to the UK. The Minister invited introductions and asked group members what their biggest issues were.

Issues

• the importance of maintaining support for the ambitions set out in the International Education Strategy (IES); especially on student numbers
• regarding the DIT’s pilot UK Trade Tradeshow Programme (UKTP): although the DIT Education team has worked hard alongside BESA to help promote, there are continued challenges with the application process which has resulted in low take up. There are small processing tweaks that could make it more effective, including having the advice element taking place earlier. BESA would like to offer support to review and help better shape the process
• separate from DfE’s UK overseas schools inspection scheme (BSO), COBIS have their own well-established accreditation scheme and would like HMG to formally recognise it in order to support wider recognition for the scheme by Ministries of Education and regulators overseas, for example in Nigeria and Moldova
• teacher recruitment and retention: the sector is engaged in the promotion of and access to iQTS; however, keen to ensure that price points are not prohibitive and that programmes operate as stand-alone teacher training programmes. Significant numbers of COBIS accredited schools, which haven’t selected a BSO inspection, are keen to support and increase the number of newly qualified teachers completing their Early Career Teacher (ECT) induction overseas. Currently, this is not permitted and is viewed as a clear barrier to trade and to teacher supply in British schools overseas
• regulation in the HE sector and Home Office rules require 4 years before overseas investors can set up and run on a level playing field
• graduate route is going well, but it’s not available for Level 5 Further Education qualifications. It was suggested that Higher technical qualification should be on a par with degrees
• the early career teacher (ELT) sector has seen a 50 to 70% recovery post-coronavirus (COVID-19) but only 10 to 20% recovery from EU student groups. A significant problem for junior group course providers is the lack of facility for ID Card travel. English UK’s International Competitiveness Group has proposed the solution of a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) sponsored youth group travel scheme which will go to the Tourism Industry Council, and, if adopted, to the next inter-ministerial meeting
• Early Years can be perceived as having a lower profile in the strategy, so would like to see more input; in the form of an operational plan

Action 1: DIT to set up a meeting between BESA and DIT’s UKTP team.

Value of UK education and future proofing the International Education Strategy (UK education eco-system)

Five key points from the ESAG members’ paper (as above) were presented:

1. Education exports are critical to the UK and all sectors and are a priority for this group. We have a shared ambition but differing starting points to grow and diversify international activities.
2. The value of contribution of exports is likely to be better than the raw data shows as the narrative includes economic and soft power contributions.
3. The International Education Strategy focuses attention on international education. There is scope to rethink some aspects of the IES. Export focus is crucial from a UK perspective and being more outward facing on the partnerships offer would add value. The importance of the domestic market and policy comes across strongly as a vibrant market but what happens in the domestic market and internationally needs to be better understood.
4. All sectors have granular concerns, challenges and priorities on what they can do individually and ideas to stimulate growth. We need to maintain sustainable growth in HE and see what more can be done across other sectors.
5. Sectors have different experiences of the pandemic and of the changes to the trading relationship with Europe. We need to understand the needs of specific sectors to grow exports.

Key discussion points by members were:

• every export sector has a relationship with education and training which can support export strategies
• for recognition and ambition to diversify we need a target on what is needed on the UK offer and ESAG sector members can help with this
• international schools are UK orientated and we need to see greater push for the HE sector - British Council’s promoting online training for agents and counsellors overseas is currently in development. Agents and counsellors can help to address post study work, visa costs and opportunities
• important to build a picture of the whole sector ‘eco-system’ for education exports
• it would be helpful to have country plans

Live education sector risks and opportunities

No new risks have been added, but the members’ risk register is always under review and will be added to as risks arise. Members presented the following risks arising from EU Exit to the sector:

1. For English language students, the messaging on the UK being welcoming, even without policy change would be helpful. There is plenty we can do to raise confidence, and it doesn’t have to be immigration focused. 44% of students are from the EU, but they represent significantly more in terms of total time spent studying. The English with Confidence campaign has been successful.

2. The nature of the independent HE sector means that they had a lot of EU students e.g. on the creative side; but this isn’t included in the track operating record which Home Office require for licensing. They also struggle with recruiting EU freelancers to teach due to visa issues.

3. There is a shift to more postgraduates from the EU. We need to lay groundwork to be able to recruit these and show benefits of UK HE, including instruction in English and the 1-year master’s degree; also, the promotion of UK schools as a pathway to UK HE,

4. Work on increasing possibilities for EU students on work placements. A review of the requirement for a visa to conduct work placements in the UK would benefit all parts of the UK education sector.

On risk of regulatory issues, members highlighted the following.

1. The group want to work with DIT to tackle market access barriers. The ‘report a trade barrier’ service has been well received. There is acknowledgement that we need to work tactically, focusing on, for example, markets where DIT are working, the top 100 and the largest ones. We should seize opportunities when they arise, like Brazil. DIT’s Market Access Database gives updates on the state of play.

2. A lack of recognition of COBIS accreditation, for example in Moldova and Spain, is threatening operability of schools.

3. Safeguarding – as recommended in a report last week, there is the need to reintroduce access to the barred list to ensure safety of young people around the world for UK International schools; this applies to English Language Teaching (ELT) in the UK as well.

4. Doesn’t necessarily require policy change to impact on UK’s ability to recruit students – communications can be just as detrimental.

5. With the High Potential Visa, language is all important.

Action 2: ESAG members to send examples of issues to evidence requests for change.

Action 3: DIT to share with the group details their Market Access Database.

Action 4: DIT to invite Claire O’Sullivan, DIT Trade Policy, to the next meeting for a trade barriers item.

Date of next meeting: 14 March 2023