We just talk about the good stuff

Lancaster University has chosen INTO University Partnerships to run on-campus pathway programs in a tender process. The next intake will begin in October 2023.

The programs – which are currently being finalised – will offer students pathways into a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree at Lancaster. Study Group launched the Lancaster University International Study Centre in November 2011.

“This is an important development that is designed to increase the flow of international students to our Lancaster campus,” said Lancaster vice-chancellor, Andy Schofield.

“We are already one of the most international of universities with campuses in Germany, Ghana, China and Malaysia. Building mutually beneficial links with different countries and people around the world is very much part of our DNA,” he added.

INTO University Partnerships’s CEO Olivia Streatfeild is equally pleased to be working with “one of the UK’s and the world’s leading universities”.

“We are committed to helping the university reach talent from across the world”

“Driven by innovation, we are committed to helping the university reach talent from across the world and to providing international students a highly supportive experience for their academic and career success,” she said.

“We look forward to leveraging Lancaster’s commitment to transformational education experiences delivered within a uniquely collegiate community environment.”

Lancaster works with Navitas at its campus in Leipzig, Germany, and offers TNE degree programs at the Sunway University campus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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The funding timeline for the UK’s Turing exchange program is “deeply problematic”, a representative from the University Council of Modern Languages has warned, as legislators say it fails to measure up to the EU’s Erasmus+ scheme.

James Illingworth, chair of the UCML’s year abroad group, reiterated concerns about how late in the year universities are told how much funding they will receive. Last year, institutions found out in August, leaving students hoping to travel abroad in September struggling to plan ahead.

This year’s funding application round closes one month earlier but universities say this still does not give them enough time to coordinate study abroad placements. In some cases, students are being told to plan for their year abroad as if they will not receive funding, after many institutions did not receive all the money they applied for last year.

“This is at a time when the year abroad has become exponentially more expensive for students who want to go to those European destinations that used to be visa free,” said Illingworth.

“The year abroad has become exponentially more expensive for students”

Many universities used the last of their remaining Erasmus funding to support students in the 2022/23 academic year, but this will not be possible next year. According to Illingworth, this is when the full impact of leaving the EU on modern languages will be seen.

University representatives also told The PIE that uncertainty around the future of Turing makes planning harder, with little transparency around whether the scheme will continue indefinitely. The funding is distributed in one-year grants as opposed to the three-year payments given by Erasmus.

“The students who are going on open days now, we don’t even know if Turing will still exist by the time they go on their year abroad,” Illingworth said.

The Turing scheme was launched by the UK government in 2021 as a replacement to Erasmus+ following Brexit. The program focuses on widening participation and social mobility, offering more funding to students from disadvantaged backgrounds to study abroad.

Baroness Garden of Frognal at today’s @UKHouseofLords debate on financial pressures on UK HE

“The Turing scheme is a poor replacement for the wonderful Erasmus, which the Conservative government assured us would be kept after Brexit” pic.twitter.com/JKBItcgCWB

— The PIE News (@ThePIENews) March 30, 2023

Speaking in the House of Lords on March 30, Lord Davies said that the scheme was failing to do this as “the inability of universities to provide certainty about funding to students only compounds the problems for those from more disadvantaged backgrounds, undermining their willingness and ability to pursue opportunities”.

In the same debate, which focused on the financial sustainability of the UK’s higher education system, Baroness Garden described the Turing exchange scheme as a “poor replacement” for Erasmus. Garden noted that inward mobility and staff placements are not supported by the scheme, unlike under Erasmus.

Baroness Donaghy added that the “inadequacy” of Turing funding and uncertainties around Horizon association are creating “a downward trend in the international league tables”, while Lord Leong described the scheme as “more bureaucratic” and “less transparent” than Erasmus. Lord Wallace called for the government to rejoin both Horizon and Erasmus.

Responding on behalf of the government, Baroness Barran, parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Education, said Turing has allocated nearly £130 million in grant funds for over 52,000 student placements since 2021.

“We have confirmed funding for continuation in 2024/25, but obviously we then enter a new spending review period,” she said.

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Universities Canada has appealed to Canada’s prime minister for more investment in research, international education and student mental health after the government released its federal budget earlier this week.

The budget, released on March 28, centred around making life more affordable for Canadians, improving health and dental care and growing a green economy. But the organisation representing the country’s universities said it was a “missed opportunity” to keep Canada competitive in science and research.

In a letter to Justin Trudeau, Universities Canada president, Paul Davidson, expressed the “deep disappointment” with the lack of investment in research, international education and student mental health.

“Your government’s own advisory panel on the federal research support system recently issued its final report which recognized that Canada is falling behind international competition in support for research and recommended that your government increase research funding and boost scholarships for graduate students,” he wrote.

“Without action, we will lose out in the global race for talent and the opportunities of new innovation through discovery research.”

To maintain its reputation for attracting international students and faculty, Canada must address delays in work and study visa processing, Davidson continued.

“This week’s budget made no new investments in Canada’s immigration system to address these challenges”

“This week’s budget made no new investments in Canada’s immigration system to address these challenges,” he said.

“International education brings more than $22 billion to the Canadian economy and attracts top talent to study and work here. It is short sighted to put this at risk by failing to adequately fund Canada’s struggling immigration system.”

Canada’s global competitors are “are investing heavily to attract and retain top talent and what is clear from this budget is that Canada is not”, he added.

It also failed to deliver on a promise to create a $500 million fund for student mental health support on campuses, Universities Canada noted.

“Time is also running out to provide the direct support to a cohort of students whose mental health has been deeply impacted by the challenges of the pandemic,” Davidson wrote.

Colleges and Institutes Canada and Polytechnics Canada have both been more happy with the government’s budget.

CICan was “particularly pleased” to see government recognise “the critical role colleges and institutes play in supporting businesses’ competitiveness and resiliency with a $108.6 million over three years investment in applied research through the existing Tri-Council College and Community Innovation Program”, it said.

Polytechnics Canada also welcomed the College and Community Innovation Program backing.

“Because applied research responds to current and emerging challenges identified by business and community partners, it is uniquely positioned to contribute to business productivity and growth,” Sarah Watts-Rynard, CEO at Polytechnics Canada, said.

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The Institute of International Education is launching a new Center for Access and Equity, aimed at expanding access to international education “for all”, The PIE News can reveal.

The Center will work through three focus areas – Program and Partnerships, Global Learning and Access for Underrepresented Communities – to address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion and provide more targeted funding for international education opportunities across the board.

Speaking exclusively with The PIE at The PIE Live Europe conference, Courtney Temple, IIE’s executive VP and chief administrative officer, said the Center’s work would give IIE the opportunity to “be a convenor, and have specific movement in access and equity”.

“We wanted to create an umbrella where we could have more focus on measuring our progress,” Temple said.

“We’ve had programs before, like the one with Dickinson College – and other projects – but we said if we could centralise this under a centre and fund it we’ll be able to better make an impact.”

Under the first focus area, the Center currently lists its partnership with Dickinson College, which initially started in 2020. More recent initiatives together will now come under the umbrella of the program and partnership arm, Temple explained.

“They have a very high percentage of individuals that do international exchange – the partnership was always there, but what we wanted to do was take it a little bit further with the expertise that they have and that IIE has globally.

“We wanted to create an umbrella where we could have more focus”

“We are jointly presenting a workshop that appeals to diversity, equity and inclusion and access in higher education for the global lens,” she explained.

The workshop focuses specifically on intersectionality for higher ed professionals, with experts from IIE’s and Dickinson’s global network facilitating and contributing.

“If we can educate the individuals that are impacting international exchange, then we are actually opening access because what they then take away from that course manifests itself in the programming that they create.”

In addition, IIE’s American Passport Project – aiming to grant 10,000 passports over the course of the next ten years to students who may not ordinarily have access to study abroad – will also come under the Center’s umbrella.

Temple, who also spoke at the PIE Live on a panel discussing diversity, equity and inclusion, explained to delegates that the cost of a US passport, which costs up to $160, can “be prohibitive”.

The passports are officially awarded by IIE’s partner universities, who submit first year undergraduates who are eligible, such as those who are in a socioeconomic gap. IIE funds this program and liaises with the partner universities on who is chosen each time.

At least 40 will be selected in each cycle.

“A passport is the first thing that opens up their world to the possibility of study abroad so we’re starting at the front of the funnel because you’ve got to get individuals in play before you can really make change across the board,” Temple said.

While all three of the arms of the Center are interconnected, the Global Learning section will be mostly research-based for the time being, specifically focusing, Temple told The PIE, on language acquisition.

The Center will focus on research into language acquisition as a barrier to global learning, study abroad and even as a barrier to future employability across the board.

“A passport is the first thing that opens up their world to the possibility of study abroad”

“What does that look like and how do you start to infuse the language acquisition component to study abroad?

“We’re not just talking about the idea of studying abroad in an English-speaking country; we’re saying, let’s focus on language acquisition because that opens a student’s world in a way that only benefits the study abroad experience.”

Additionally, it will be looking into the idea of onboarding more first-generation students into study abroad programs.

The idea focuses on recommendations for best practice in higher ed to design programming that benefits those students, and opens up their world to study abroad.

The final piece of the puzzle, which is providing support from underrepresented communities, will be interwoven into the entire Center’s ethos and practice.

Temple will serve additionally as the Center’s executive sponsor, while Lindsay Gee Calvert has been chosen to lead the Center as its full-time director.

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As Sarah Todd comes to the end of her sixth and final year as president of the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education, she spoke to The PIE about her takeaways from the 2023 APAIE conference, as well as how she believes sustainability and international education can go hand in hand.

Todd, who continues her role as vice president, global, at Griffith University, describes her time as the association’s president as an “incredible opportunity” but one which she didn’t expect to last quite so long, with her tenure extended due to the pandemic.

“Did I know it was going to last six years? No, I may not have said yes!” Todd laughs.

When the conference last took place in Kuala Lumpar in 2019, the world was a very different place, notes Todd.

After a three-year hiatus, the APAIE conference returned in Bangkok in March 2023 and it wasn’t until her flight left the tarmac that Todd was truly convinced it would finally go ahead.

First held in university campuses, the conference has since grown and in 2023, it welcomed some 2,700 participants from 67 countries and regions, reaching a record level of attendance.

The association itself aims to advance education through enabling greater cooperation between institutions, to enrich and support international programs, activities and exchanges, and to promote the value of international education within the Asia-Pacific region, as well being a conduit to connect Asia-Pacific organisations with the rest of the world.

However, the success of the conference has not been without its challenges, Todd tells The PIE.

“Asia-Pacific is very diverse region and there are different understandings of things and different ways of doing things,” she says.

That’s why the cultural component, including local contribution from a host university each year, is vital, Todd adds.

“We try to make sure that [delegates] not only have a good conference experience, but that they go away with a sense of where they are.

“Personally, I think, in international education, sometimes we do just seem to be at airports, universities, hotels, and home again. You don’t always have a chance to be exposed to a little bit more about the culture, the history and food.”

Distinctively, APAIE’s theme always centres around the Asia-Pacific region, but welcomes contributions from global institutions and organisations, as long as presentations are made in partnership with an institution in the region, or is related to collaboration with Asia-Pacific.

“I’m very enthusiastic about the future of international education and particularly its maturity.

“Like all things, it goes through a lifecycle, and we’ve moved on over the years from signing up with every partner. I used to joke about having an MoU in your handbag.”

Now, institutions are more measured, says Todd, and take time to consider the mutual benefit of each partnership.

“In international education, sometimes we do just seem to be at airports, universities, hotels, and home again”

One of Todd’s biggest takeaways from the conference is new insight on how international education fits within working towards the UN’s SDGs, she tells The PIE.

This year, the theme’s conference was Towards a sustainable future for international education in the Asia Pacific.

“If you look at it very quickly you might think international education is actually contrary to the SDGs, but really international collaboration and partnerships is the only way we’re going to get close to achieving those goals.

“Equally for students, yes, they may be travelling, but we really need to think about what the experience is and what do they go away with.

“Events in the world now and over the last few years I think has reinforced that need to work together and that we are one community.”

As for in-person conferences, Todd believes they are here to stay.

“I think going forward it will be that balance between how we use technology to stay connected, but still providing face-to-face opportunities.”

Todd, originally from New Zealand, was previously the inaugural pro vice-chancellor of international at the University of Otago, and professor of marketing and academic dean at Otago’s business school.

She has her own study abroad experience too, having spent her final year of high school in Japan, at a school which had never had an international student before, and attributes the impact of her experience partly down to experiencing culture shock.

“It was definitely transformative and shaped me but there was much I learned because of the discomfort and the explicit acknowledgement of the difference and not always trying to assume that everything was the same.

“On my first day, I was supposed to do a senior level Japanese test and I couldn’t even write my name.”

Todd doesn’t suggest the sector goes back to those harsher days, but does believe there is something to be said for a student getting out of their comfort zone.

“How do we support students so that they do have a good time, make academic progress and achieve the goals that they sought in international education and make sure that they fit in in the way that they want to fit in if that’s what they want to do?

“But at the same time, how do we recognise that they are in a different country and a different culture?”

“It’s definitely about balance,” says Todd.

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International education company Shorelight has entered the UK with a partnership with Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Under the agreement, Shorelight will recruit for degree programs and “attract a diverse range of students” for Heriot-Watt’s Global College, which offers programs in the UK, Dubai and Malaysia.

The Global College – launched last year – offers pathway programs at foundation and pre-masters’ levels into the university’s degree programs.

“We are looking forward to working with Shorelight and building on their expertise and global network of leading higher education experts,” said Lucy Everest, Heriot-Watt’s global chief operating officer.

“Their exclusive technology and service platform will enable us to further grow international recruitment and enrolment rates.”

“Their exclusive technology and service platform will enable us to further grow international recruitment”

The institution’s ambition is to “provide inclusive access to higher education with innovative student support models that enhance student learning and success outcomes”, Everest added.

Chief executive officer of the US company – which has a market presence in over 200 countries and features more than 7,000 “distribution points” across agencies, schools, and counsellors – is “thrilled” to be partnering with Heriot-Watt and the Global College.

“We say our mission at Shorelight is to help educate the world – and our partnership with Heriot-Watt is another step on that ambitious journey,” said CEO and co-founder, Tom Dretler.

Executive dean of Global College, Anna Fenge, added that the partnership is “an important step forward in achieving our goal of providing an outstanding education to an even more diverse range of students from all over the world”.

Everest previously spoke to The PIE about the new Dubai campus and scaling up the institution’s distance learning provision.

Currently, some 27,000 students from 160 countries study at Heriot-Watt. The partnership with Heriot-Watt University is Shorelight’s only one in the UK.

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Québec’s Ministry of Higher Education and Immigration Canada could be sued for millions of dollars by a law firm that is acting on behalf of over 500 international students, according to a report by CBC News.

The international students lost millions when three private colleges, including M College in Montreal, CDE College in Sherbrooke and CCSQ College, closed early in 2022. The students have been unable to get their tuition fees back.

Between 500 and 600 students requested a refund from the colleges before the owners filed for creditor protection.

The impacted students paid between $10,000 and $15,000, CBC said. Another court filing last year, saw 633 students request refunds totalling $6.4 million.

It is unclear how many students in total have been impacted by the closure, but in February last year, thousands protested in various parts of Canada.

The news outlet said students asked for reimbursements when they were refused or were unable to get a study permit because of the pandemic.

Law firm McCarthy Tétrault was appointed to represent the students’ interests as part of a creditor-protection process and is now working on the lawsuit.

Before they shut down, M College and CDE College had been investigated by the Québec government for what it called “questionable” recruitment practices.

Some of the college’s owners were also investigated by Québec’s anti-corruption unit for financial irregularities, as reported by CBC News.

McCarthy Tétrault is arguing that the Québec government should have stepped in earlier and that the provincial and federal governments are at least partially responsible for the students being unable to recoup their money.

The law firm told CBC News that there is a contradiction between provincial legislation and what students are asked for by Immigration Canada.

“Education is a provincial and territorial responsibility”

Québec law states that colleges are not allowed to ask for prepayment of any fees until the beginning of the school year but on the federal government’s website, it says students need to show they can afford tuition.

“So students, in order to get their visa, prepaid their studies, not knowing this was not legal in Québec and they are stuck today waiting for a reimbursement,” Alain Tardif, a partner at McCarthy Tétrault, told CBC News.

“For us, the federal government — you induced those students to do something they should not have done.”

A hearing in Québec Superior Court was set for March 27 at the Montreal courthouse.

The PIE News contacted the Québec government for comment but did not receive a response.

IRCC told The PIE that the Canadian government knows international students make “immense economic, cultural and social contributions to Canada”.

“Education is a provincial and territorial responsibility. Learning institutions are approved by their provincial or territorial government to host international students. Provinces and territories inform IRCC which institutions are designated to host international students,” a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson explained that a prospective student who intends to study in Québec must first apply for a Québec Acceptance Certificate before they are able to apply for a study permit from IRCC.

“It is important to note that international students are not required to pay for their tuition in advance.

“In order to obtain a study permit, they are required to prove they have enough money to pay for their tuition fees, living expenses for themselves and any family members who come with them to Canada and return transportation for themselves and any family members to Canada.

“It is important to note that international students are not required to pay for their tuition in advance”

“Generally speaking, a study permit holder is expected to remain enrolled at their school and to continue making progress toward completing their program while in Canada.”

The spokesperson said that a study permit holder affected by a school closure is considered to be on “authorized leave” from their studies. While on authorised leave due to a school closure, a study permit holder is not eligible to use the work authorisation for on- or off-campus work.

IRCC said that students are expected to resume their studies at a different institution, apply for a different status (i.e. as a worker or visitor) or leave Canada in most cases within 150 days of the school closure.

“Foreign nationals with a valid study permit at the post-secondary level may change their school without having to apply for a new study permit,” the spokesperson added.

Practices at some private colleges in Canada have recently come under the spotlight.

One charity has said that private colleges in British Columbia are using “unethical business practices” to refuse international students refunds.

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A key part of the purpose of UK universities is to transform lives and change the world for the better. The UK to Ukraine university twinning initiative is an incredibly impactful example of universities truly living this purpose – showing significant solidarity along the way.

“I have a feeling that our people have started to breathe again. They’re getting hope. It’s because of your university that they start to smile again,” said Tetyana Kaganovska, president at Karazin Kharkiv National University, addressing a colleague at their UK twin, the University of York, several months ago. These are words that have stayed with me ever since.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the UK higher education sector stepped up to support their counterparts in the country. The most significant development of this has been the twinning initiative.

Developed by Cormack Consultancy Group and Universities UK International, twinning enables UK universities to support their Ukrainian colleagues through short-term aid and longer-term strategic activity, via institution-to-institution collaboration.

Today marks one year of the initiative, which has seen the University of Sheffield help to rebuild air raid shelters at their twin, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic’s campus, facilitating the return of in-person teaching; the University of Glasgow fully fund 100 students from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy to study with them, empowering those students to continue their education; and the University of Liverpool provide an extensive database of online learning materials through a purpose-built platform for over 100 academics at their twin, Sumy State University, so they can continue to teach.

The impact on transforming Ukrainian lives is evident – from enabling efforts to preserve vital rail networks, to training up Ukraine’s next generation of psychologists to fix the country’s mental scars – UK universities have played a pivotal role in helping to support Ukraine.

“The #TwinForHope campaign was designed to open a window into extraordinary things”

But has the work of UK universities brought other impact; impact on our own reputation as a sector, for example? As Rachel Sandison, deputy vice-principal (External Engagement) at the University of Glasgow recently said, perhaps the best way to maintain and enhance reputation is to be true to who we are, to understand our mission and purpose, and to really live it.

The #TwinForHope campaign was designed to open a window into the extraordinary things that are happening right across the universities involved in the initiative. As we reflect on the impact of a year of twinning, there are now over 100 UK to Ukraine university partnerships, most recently funded by a £5 million investment from Research England.

With all the criticisms levelled at universities, it would have been a tremendous shame if no-one saw the wonderful way in which they have stepped up to work with Ukrainian colleagues. In fact, there has perhaps never been a better time to openly live our purpose and tell, proactively, the positive and powerful stories of just how UK universities can best serve society.

And we should not limit this storytelling to schemes such as twinning – there are so many stories about how universities are changing the world for the better; stories that we can come together as a sector to speak of. From universities developing cures for cancer, and treatments for many other illnesses, as global health becomes a significant challenge for governments around the world; to developing technologies that will enable us to move toward a more sustainable future, aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Whether it’s scientists at the University of Manchester making breakthroughs in the treatment of breast cancer, Cardiff University furthering research to stop the onset of dementia, or academics at the University of Bath harnessing soil to generate green energy – we must find a way to collectively build strong narratives around the positive impact universities are delivering.

I once heard Vivienne Stern, CEO of Universities UK, quote from the University of Aberdeen’s founding statement: “…to found a university, which would be open to all and dedicated to the pursuit of truth in the service of others.” Through higher education, we have the power to change lives.

Let’s remember our true purpose, focus on championing the work we do to live it, an communicate to the wider world what we already know – that we are truly a solution to the global challenges of today.

About the author: Andy Howells is the Assistant Director of External Affairs at Universities UK International, and has worked in senior marketing, communications and leadership positions in higher education for over a decade, winning multiple awards for his campaigning work.

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The UK risks a decline in international student numbers if the government drastically changes policy on post-study work and students bringing dependants, stakeholders have warned.

In recent years, the UK has had “a privileged position” where an “eager” government introduced a strategy featuring the 600,000 student and £35 billion value targets, as well as opened up the postgraduate work route, according to Lil Bremermann-Richard, chief executive officer of Oxford International.

“We’ve seen an influx of student numbers and then we have on the flip side, now the post-Brexit, post-Covid hangover, as I would call it, the see-what-we-are-going-to-do-environment,” she said at PIE Live Europe in London.

“The government is saying we need to reduce migration,” she said, and international students are seen as something that needs to be “controlled”.

“That rhetoric is having a negative impact in source markets”

“The government hasn’t [announced any policies], but that rhetoric is having a negative impact in source markets and also among international students arriving. Am I worried? Yes,” she explained.

Home secretary Suella Braverman has proposed reducing the Graduate route to six months from two years and government is reviewing the dependants issue.

“I don’t want this to be a culture war issue,” member of parliament for Kingswood and former universities minister Chris Skidmore said, mentioning two specific aspects.

“One is this false narrative that somehow international students are crowding out the availability for domestic students to study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The reality is that some of these courses wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for international students cross-subsidising them,” he said.

Institutions act as if the reliance on international students is embarrassing, he suggested, calling on universities to “lean into” evidence showing the importance the students bring to UK higher education.

“We’ve got a new department,” he said, indicating the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and ambitions to make the UK an “international technology superpower”.

“When it comes to discovery-led research, R&D in universities, it is international student fees that are cross subsidising some of that research and to be able to demonstrate that that is taking place I think it’s quite important,” he said.

“You can’t be a science superpower without international students.”

Folabi Obembe, president and CEO of Worldview International Group, shared that Nigerian students choose to come to the UK because dependants can access work.

“They [realise] that the education can pay for itself [if the students’ dependants work]. That has helped in increasing the numbers,” he said.

There needs to be more clarity on any potential policy changes, UKCISA’s Anne Marie Graham stated, adding that those advising students are coming under pressure to answer questions that the do not have answers for.

However, founder & CEO at LeverageEdu Akshay Chaturvedi accepted that changes are necessary.

“If we have to give up a few things to make the sector’s perception better or clearer, I think you should do those things collectively from the sector [rather than somebody imposing the rules] from the outside,” Chaturvedi said. “It’s the sector’s responsibility to take this to the right people in the government.”

Other speakers throughout the first day of PIE Live Europe weighed in on the state of the wider UK sector.

“The fact we are still delivering this fantastic strategy is worth celebrating”

Independent HE’s Alex Proudfoot noted that the UK is currently in a strong position with record numbers and “fantastic” satisfaction rates.

“The fact we are still delivering this fantastic strategy is worth celebrating, despite all of the negative rumours in the press,” he said. But he also questioned whether the 600,000 and £35bn ambitions achievable together, with one already reached but the value target some £10bn off.

“What that says to me is that we aren’t going to get to that target by delivering the first student number target… we aren’t going to get to £35bn by just increasing the number of university places,” he said. The sector is also facing capacity in the current accommodation challenge, he indicated.

Skidmore also asked how the £35bn target can “be reached sustainably”.

The UK ELT sector is “bullish” and expecting a strong summer, especially in the junior market, according to English UK membership director, Huan Japes.

“Other countries are rolling out the red carpet for international students,” he said, pointing to Canada, Australia and other destinations in Europe.

Work opportunities for adult learners at language schools would bring the UK in line with competitors in Ireland and Malta, he reminded.

“If there’s one thing I’d like to see, that other countries have that we don’t, it’s a limited number of work rights for our long-stay adults student – that will really help the market,” he said.

Colin Bell, CEO of Council of British International Schools noted the recently revised education export for 2019 was £1.5 billion higher than previously reported was “a great news story”.

“Granted, that was pre-pandemic, but in terms of how that fits across other sectors, the UK educational export actually outstrips food and beverage, pharma and also the sales of legal services. So I think there’s every good reason to be to be buoyant,” he said.

Bremermann-Richard called for more joined up thinking from policymakers.

Parts of the government have “messages saying we have a significant skills gap in this country, we want the country to be a science hub in the world, but others say ‘we don’t want talent’”, she noted

“On one side, you say you don’t want that talent and on the other side you said you need the talent. There needs to be a conversation happening between ministers.

“We need to connect the dots.”

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International students have been arriving in Australia on university courses and then switching to vocational or private colleges which have more flexible study options to benefit from the country’s uncapped work rights, an agent association has warned.

President of agent association AAERI Ravi Lochan Singh said that the practice of switching has been facilitated by on-shore migration agents in Australia and has resulted in retention concerns for universities.

“This has also impacted the offshore education agents as they have been denied their commissions,” he added.

Universities Australia deputy chief executive Peter Chesworth told The PIE News that there are many reasons why students decide to change their study arrangements, including to meet their career interests at any given time or due to personal circumstances.

The PIE understands that there is currently no data that exists to illustrate the extent to which university students are switching to vocational pathways.

Australia lifted a 40-hour fortnightly work limit for international students in January last year, in the face of growing skills shortages. Some in the sector criticised the move saying it ‘could damage’ the country’s reputation.

“Unlimited work-rights have been a distraction for students”

Since, there have been concerns that the policy has led to a rise in non-genuine student visa applications, with organisations such as Navitas warning that “unscrupulous providers and agents” have been exploiting the policy.

Reports have also highlighted the role that some private for-profit institutions have allegedly played in facilitating exploitation of students, with some charging low student fees and turning a blind eye to student non-attendance at classes.

Australia’s government announced last year that it would put the cap back on the number of hours international students are permitted to work and from July 1, 2023, work restrictions for student visa holders will be re-introduced and limited at the increased rate of 48 hours per fortnight.

It is hoped this will ensure that student visa holders are able to focus on obtaining a quality Australian education and qualification, while remaining able to support themselves financially, gain valuable work experience, and contribute to Australia’s workforce needs.

“Universities support the cap on working hours to ensure students are receiving the full benefits of the world-class education they seek in Australia. This is what sets them up for a fulfilling and rewarding career, here or back home,” Universities Australia’s Chesworth said.

However, stakeholders have warned of system abuses ahead of the July 1 date for the reintroduction of the cap.

“It is true that unlimited work-rights currently allowed in Australia have been a distraction for students,” said Lochan Singh.

“AAERI has been recommending that there needs to be a cap on the number of part-time work during study semester,” he said.

“However I can confirm that strict code of conduct and advertising norms for our members has meant that we have no instance of any of our members who may have promoted the current arrangement for student visa as a de facto work visa,” Lochan Singh added.

Phil Honeywood, executive director at the International Education Association of Australia, noted that the country’s Home Affairs Department recently chaired the first meeting for the year of its longstanding Education Visa Consultative Committee.

“Noting abuses of the current uncapped work rights entitlement, peak body representatives strongly endorsed the government’s reinstatement from July 1, of a cap,” he said.

Honeywood noted that in other recent stakeholder forums with the federal government there has also been momentum gathering for education agents to be regulated.

“Such regulations would likely include penalty provisions for false advertising and abuses of Australia’s student visa system,” Honeywood added.

In a response to the department of education, Skills and Employment’s ‘ESOS Review 2022’ discussion paper, Universities Australia set out a series of recommendations around course transfers.

The response notes that Standard 7 of the National Code, which regulates overseas student transfers between providers, does not fully restrict students from transferring within six months of commencing their principal course.

However, it does prevent them from being able to do so automatically. Instead, they must apply to their existing provider and give an appropriate reason why the provider should release them.

Universities Australia’s recommendations include retaining a six-month restrictive period for principal courses and coordinating with the Department of Home Affairs to revise the Simplified Student Visa Framework to ensure a new provider assumes full SSVF risk for a transferred student.

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