LinkedIn Top Higher Education Voice, publisher of International Employability Insight (IEI) & founder of Asia Careers Group SDN BHD
This is a great article, & we agree the status quo is unsustainable! We also think point two amounts to a taxpayer bailout & will not to come to fruition, with the state of government finances it is “Pie in the Sky.” What is missing from these recommendations is a focus on supporting #internationalstudents returning to their home countries following their UK #degrees & into successful #careers. This is the only way to end the backlash against the #internationalisation of our #highereducation institutions, & evidencing that international #studentrecruitment to the UK is in the majority of cases #immigration neutral. This would quash the arguments regarding pressure on housing, the NHS & jobs - all of which have played strongly in the #election with The Reform Party running second to labour in a large number of constituencies. “The status quo is unsustainable, but cutting international student numbers with no regard for the wider consequences, as the current government has sought to do, would cause more harm than good … First, temporary limits could be imposed on the rate of growth of international students in locations where housing shortages are identified. UK Visas & #Immigration #UKVI has until recently taken a fairly lax approach to #studentvisa approvals, partially because it cannot verify universities’ infrastructure plans. Second, #universities should be compensated for the loss of income from international students with an increased teaching grant tied to inflation to a level that covers the costs of #teaching home students. Opponents of the sector would say the government has no money but Labour, most likely to end up in office, has been clear that it is in the business of pursuing growth & the investment in this area should be seen as a downpayment on the country’s future growth. And also as a way to stop Sue Gray’s fears of an institutional collapse from coming to life. Third, the International #Education Strategy should be updated to enable & encourage the #diversification of international student nationalities & levels of study, so that we are not too dependent on particular markets. Finally, tweaking the student & #graduatevisa regime to allow applicants to spread the cost of application fees, which are much higher than in competitor countries, across multiple instalments could increase the UK’s attractiveness as a destination. It’s true that international students bring many benefits to the UK. But being honest about their critical importance for the sector, diversifying the flows to mitigate risks, & addressing some of the pressures can help secure these benefits for the UK in a sustainable way for the #future.” Asia Careers Group SDN BHD - Investing in International Futures AGCAS British Council BUILA Department for Education Department for Business and Trade Higher Education Policy Institute UCAS UKCISA Universities Scotland Universities UK Universities UK International Universities Wales
NEW on Wonkhe: Zeki Dolen argues that universities need to face up to the challenges to protect the benefits of international students to the UK https://lnkd.in/eCWFJqKq
Louise Nicol
6mo
Does the #UK rebound strongly following policies adversely impacting existing & prospective international students in #Australia & #Canada? UK universities all breathe a sigh of relief because, while they may be subject to cost-cutting & some redundancies, it could have been far worse. The 2nd & more likely scenario is that the damage is already done. The ban on dependants from Jan 2024 & headlines in both the UK & overseas press regarding the #GraduateRoute (GR) review will have put many students off applying to #study in the UK. Plus, with election, & likely opposition victory, there are no guarantees regarding the GR from any party! So, what should leading study destinations do when faced with these challenges & to mitigate present & #future risks to international #studentrecruitment? The policy issues arise from rising #immigration, so #highered institutions must pivot away from a reliance on #poststudywork as a means of #internationalstudent recruitment focus on supporting students’ transition to successful #careers back in their home countries. Building #softpower overseas, much needed considering the present geopolitical tensions, but it also redeploying#skills globally, where most needed!” Asia Careers Group SDN BHD
Louise Nicol
6mo
We ask a pertinent question, are students costs or assets? Looking to the future, how universities are funded needs to change. It is highly unlikely any more funding will be forthcoming from the government, with many demands on the public purse & universities at the bottom of the list when it comes to priorities. It is hard to argue that compulsory #education & health should not be prioritised over #highereducation post-pandemic, with #highered having received that windfall in overseas revenue over the last three years … What if we shifted the narrative? Far too often students are referred to by the public, government, & even universities themselves as a cost – the cost of teaching them! We could instead see students as a #university “asset” not a cost. If universities are to fulfil their social contract, there should be a direct link between those graduating from university progressing into employment, raising productivity, & therefore driving economic growth. In truth universities should be seen as economic growth engines, not education cost centres. If universities were funded differently & students were considered an asset not a cost, huge revenue opportunities open up, read our headline article in UWN. Asia Careers Group SDN BHD
LinkedIn Top Higher Education Voice, publisher of International Employability Insight (IEI) & founder of Asia Careers Group SDN BHD
6moWith #Canada capping international student numbers & the latest announcement regarding #Australian #studentvisas increasing in cost by 225% & possible #internationalstudent caps, the UK should be in a much stronger position to recruit #internationalstudents. That said commentating on the state of international #education in the UK resembles something akin to a slow-motion car crash, as #poststudywork #visas, hailed as essential for the sustained growth of international #studentrecruitment, have become the sector’s de facto crutch in the absence of a strategy to support #internationalgraduates’ transition to successful careers back in their home countries. With UK #highereducation institutions already facing #costcutting & #redundancies, we should all question how we got here. With record numbers of international students & the UK emerging from the #pandemic relatively unscathed, those working in #internationaleducation are right to ask those purporting to act in their interests: ‘What went wrong?’ Waiting another five years to act is not an option, particularly when the #future #employment prospects of #overseasstudents, the UK’s international reputation & #university #jobs are at risk. Asia Careers Group SDN BHD