Greek education conference highlights UK expertise
British Ambassador John Kittmer praises UK's unique place in emerging transnational education trends.
British Ambassador to Greece, John Kittmer, has highlighted the UK’s experience and expertise in transnational education during his opening address to the Conference on Transnational Education (TNE). He also noted the opportunities for growth as technology and free trade in education services greatly enhance UK perspectives.
The conference is organised by the British Council Greece under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Education with the support of the British Embassy and in partnership with:
- University of Piraeus
- University of Macedonia
- School of Pedagogical and Technological Education
- City College/University of Sheffield International Faculty
- IST/Independent College of Science and Technology
- Business College of Athens.
In his address John Kittmer said:
Here in Greece, transnational education has been offered by UK establishments for over 20 years. Some 6,000 students are following UK courses through franchise programmes. And the UK has the largest market share of such programmes in Greece. We see ourselves as a pioneer; the UK Government is keen to champion and promote all such partnerships and collaborations, and to facilitate their expansion.
Despite the large numbers receiving a UK transnational education, the British Universities and Science Minister has recently said that UK universities are only ‘scratching the surface’ in exploiting the opportunities available in offshore delivery; he has encouraged them to engage further with business and foreign markets. We hope and expect that transnational education will be a growth industry for the future. The UK is well placed to take advantage of emerging trends.
You can watch the conference live via the Onassis Cultural Centre’s website