Skills Sector International Activity · 3.3 City of Glasgow College (Case Study 1) 27 3.4 City of Glasgow College (Case Study 2) 28 3.5 Cfa - Business skills @ work 28 3.6 Doncaster

Skills Sector International Activity A study of current UK engagement

Contents Page

Introduction1.1 Context 11.2 Methodology 1

The Survey2.1 Survey Logistics 22.2 Who Responded 22.3 Types of Activity Undertaken 32.4 Geographical Range 62.5 Curriculum Focus 92.6 Funding and Partnerships 112.7 Scale of Activity 132.8 Drivers and Constraints 162.9 The Awarding Sector 24

Case Studies 253.1 Bradford College 263.2 Bridgwater College 273.3 City of Glasgow College (Case Study 1) 273.4 City of Glasgow College (Case Study 2) 283.5 Cfa - Business skills @ work 283.6 Doncaster College 293.7 Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College (Case Study 1) 293.8 Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College (Case Study 2) 303.9 Harrow College 313.10 Lancaster & Morecambe College 323.11 Leicester College 333.12 New College Nottingham 333.13 People 1st 343.14 Royal National College for the Blind 343.15 South Nottingham College 35

Interviews4.1 Lobbying 364.2 For profit - or not for profit? 384.3 Staff development 394.4 Success builds 39

Key Points 40

Skills Sector International Activity A study of current UK engagement 1

The Association of Colleges,working in partnership with theBritish Council, commissionedThe Mackinnon Partnership inMarch 2012 to review currentinternational activities carriedout across the wider skills sector(i.e. Colleges, training providers,Sector Skills Councils andawarding organisations), in the UK.

1.1 Context

The AoC and British Council have seen a positive shift in the growth of international activitiesin the skills sector, but it is acknowledged that the sector has insufficient reliable data on whichorganisations are operating, in which countries and at what level. The Prime Minister’sInitiative for International Education, the British Council’s Skills for Employability programme,the UK India Education and Research Initiative and initiatives from many organisationsacross the sector, working individually and in consortia, have all contributed to a growingreputation for the UK as a partner of choice in international collaboration. Working withsector partner organisations, the AoC and the British Council aim to provide a review ofcurrent practice across the sector.

This research was undertaken at the same time as the AoC was coordinating a cross-sectorworking party to respond to the invitation from John Hayes, Minister of State for FurtherEducation, Skills and Lifelong Learning, to develop an “FE Global Strategy”1. The two are notdirectly connected, but better information will clearly inform the developing strategy .

1.2 Methodology

This report draws on a sector-wide survey, conducted by e-mail and interviews to follow-updetail in survey responses and to explore case studies for wider context.

In 2008 the AoC published “Going Global: UK FE/TVET - opportunities in the internationalmarket”. The survey undertaken for that report - which was designed as a ‘baseline’ - coveredonly Colleges across the whole UK, rather than the broader scope of this report. However, itis illuminating to compare the results of the recent survey with those of 2008.

1 The AoC published the first stage - UK Vocational Education and Training (VET): Towards a Comprehensive Strategy forInternational Development – to coincide with its International Conference in May 2012

We hope that you will find this a useful working document, but also that we can now buildon this research in order to provide the sector with the tools to enable them to contributeregularly to keep these statistics and data sets relevant and current.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this report.

1.0 Introduction

2.1 Survey Logistics

In this section we report the results of thesurvey we undertook during late April andearly May 2012. Working throughrepresentative bodies , we sought responsesto a web-based survey from every College offurther education in the UK, every SectorSkills Council and Sector Skills Body, everywork-based learning provider in AELP’smembership (the Association ofEmployment and Learning Providers) andevery awarding organisation in FAB’smembership (the Federation of AwardingBodies).

We were conscious that many organisationsmight be anxious about commercialconfidentiality, so all except the first threequestions were voluntary, in the hope thatthe more reluctant would at least answerthose questions they felt comfortable with.In the event, in addition to the usableresponses which we analyse below, 22others opened the survey and completedonly the first three (compulsory) questions.

2.2 Who responded?

Q1. Which type of organisation are you representing?We had exactly 100 usable responses to the survey, distributed as follows:

Colleges 74

- In England2 50

- In Scotland 11

- In Wales 8

- In Northern Ireland3 5

Sector Skills Bodies4 14

- SSCs 10

- Sector Skills Bodies 3

- National Skills Academy 1

Work-based learning providers 7

Awarding Organisations5 2

Not Known (ie they did not say) 3

100

Colleges and sector skills bodies are well-represented, but other types of organisation areunder-represented. And, numerically, colleges dominate. Both constraints should be bornein mind when reading the results.

2Includes 3 Sixth Form colleges and one specialist college3Includes a response from Colleges Northern Ireland (the representative body)4Except SSCs and SSBs, which we contacted directly. 5As so few Awarding Organisations responded, despite the scale and importance of their contribution, we invited FAB tooffer its own summary of activity in the sector, which appears at the end of this chapter.

Q2. How large is your organisation?This question was carried forward from the 2008 survey (which covered Colleges only), butcomparison is complicated by the fact that the scale of operations varies a good deal betweentypes of organisation: respondents ranged from small charities to very large Colleges.

How large is your organisation? (i.e. turnover related to education and training)

up to £250,000 1% 1

£250 - £500,000 0% 0

£500,000 - £1m 7% 7

£1-5m 16% 16

£5-10m 10% 10

£10-20m 18% 18

£20-50m 41% 41

£50m plus 7% 7

answered question 100

skipped question 0

2.0 The Survey



2.3 Types of Activity Undertaken

Q4. What type(s) of international activity are you engaged in?The table shows the wide range of types of activity currently undertaken. Respondents couldtick more than one option, and most did. On average respondents engaged in 2.9 differentactivities – exactly the same ratio as the Colleges-only 2008 survey.

Teaching students in the UK dominates, involving three quarters (76%) of all responses – justas it did in 2008 with the Colleges-only survey, when it came top with 93%.

Teaching students in the UK is by far the most popular activity undertaken, 34 percentagepoints ahead of its nearest rival, which is ‘staff exchanges’ on 42%. The gap was a littlegreater in 2008 when the lead over ‘staff exchanges’ (and ‘internationalising the College’),both on 55%, was 38 percentage points.

The clearest sectoral pattern is that Sector Skills Councils concentrate in consultancy (bothfor-profit and not-for-profit). Other organisations, especially Colleges, vary a good deal intheir range.

What type(s) of international activity are you engaged in?

Teaching international students in the UK 75.5% 71

Staff exchange 41.5% 39

Student exchange 39.4% 37

Institutional twinning 34.0% 32

Research / Consultancy / Technical assistance – for profit 31.9% 30

Teaching international students outside the UK (i) within educational institutions 27.7% 26

Research / Consultancy / Technical assistance – on a non-profit basis 27.7% 26

Cultural activity, including charitable / philanthropic 19.1% 18

Teaching international students outside the UK (iii) via e-learning 16.0% 15

Teaching international students outside the UK (ii) on employer’s premises 13.8% 13

Other (please specify) 23.4% 22


skipped question 6

Q3. Is your organisation engaged in any international activity?Though we sought to encourage the inactiveand less active to respond, the great majority of responses (94%) were, not surprisingly,from organisations which are already activeinternationally.

94% Yes

6% No

Which are the three most important international activities for your organisation?

Answer Options Financially Overall value Response Count

Teaching international students in the UK 70 62 73

Research / Consultancy / Technical assistance – for profit 31 20 32

Teaching international students outside the UK (i) within educational institutions 20 16 23

Research / Consultancy / Technical assistance– on a non-profit basis 14 17 22

Teaching international students outside the UK (ii) on employer’s premises 12 9 14

Staff exchange 12 27 28

Student exchange 12 24 27

Teaching international students outside the UK (iii) via e-learning 10 6 10

Institutional twinning 10 17 21

Cultural activity, including charitable / philanthropic 7 10 11

Other (please specify) 16


skipped question 9

2.3 Types of Activity Undertaken(continued)

Q5. Which are the three most importantinternational activities for yourorganisation?To get a better sense of the more significantactivities undertaken, we asked respondentsto state which are their ‘three mostimportant’ international activities. We alsoprovided them with the option ofdifferentiating between two meanings of‘most important’: ‘financially’ and ‘overallvalue’.

Teaching international students in the UKremains top of the table, and extends its leadover its nearest rival. In the financialimportance list (which is how the table isorganised), for profit research andconsultancy now comes second, up fromfifth in the previous table. In the ‘overallvalue’ list. However, second place remainswith ‘staff exchange’, though its percentagefalls to 27%.

This question reinforces the finding above -despite the long and growing list of othertypes of international activity, teachinginternational students in the UK continuesto dominate.

It is noteworthy, however, that the two liststo the right – financial value and overallvalue – are quite different. Staff and studentexchanges are highly valued, for example, bya quarter or so of respondents, despite themnot attracting any income, and ‘institutionaltwinning’ attracts the support of one in sixrespondents (17%). (The distinction madehere between the different types of value wasunfortunately not made in 2008, so it is notpossible to judge whether harsher economiccircumstances have reduced interest inactivities which earn no fees).

2.0 The Survey(continued)



The 16 ‘other’ areas specified byrespondents are:

• Promoting sector skills concept;

occupational standards; EQF• Networking and influencing the panEuropean VET sector• The most important financial internationalactivities for our organisation are: 1) English language developmentprogrammes for European students, 2) Teacher development programmes forEuropean teachers and 3) Work experienceprogrammes for European students over17 years of age• Consultancy services to industry overseas• Short skill training programmes;Institutional partnerships• Delivering graded and vocational gradedexaminations in dance• Workplace training• Student activities• Staff overseas visits to share best practiceand develop future partnerships• IELTS testing in the UK• Student mobility• Promoting sectoral approach anddeveloping international opportunities• Currently we do NOT deliver mucheducation outside the UK but very shortlythis will be our main focus and, hopefully,our main international income generator• We intend to develop into an internationalcommercial market• Further scoping missions to new marketsfor analysing and prioritising future markets• We don't currently participate in the othersectors at present.

Most organisations would fit within one orother of the main categories, but the first twoquoted are different, covering promotion (of theUK’s sector skills council model), and influence(of EU-wide qualifications development).

What is not evident from this summary, butcame through clearly from our interviews, isthe extent to which different activities supporteach other in enhancing the contacts, reputation,profile, skill and confidence of participatingorganisations, and also practically, with oneactivity leading to another. The Council forAdministration case study below is a goodexample: a brief European funded study visitled to a continuing partnership betweenindividuals and their organisations, andbecame a much more significant EULEONARDO research project.

｝

For which countries do you deliver these activities?

EU + EEA1 52 4

China 46 9

India 44 13

Pakistan 36 1

Other Asia 32 8

Japan 31 1

Saudi Arabia 30 2

Europe, non-EU 30 4

Nigeria 29 2

South East Asia 27 2

Gulf States 27 4

Other Middle East 27 3

Russia 22 1

Malaysia 20 2

Central Asia 20 1

South Africa 18 2

Brazil 16 1

Other South America 16 1

Other Africa 15 4

USA 14 2

Ghana 13 0

Iraq 13 1

Maghreb 11 0

Caribbean 11 1

Canada 10 1

Egypt 8 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 1

Other Central and North America 7 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 9

Australia 6 1 1 1 1 1 3 5 3 0 1

New Zealand 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 0 9

Other Australasia 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 5


skipped question 10



2.4 Geographical Range

Q6. For which countries do you deliverthese activities?We asked respondents to say in whichcountries (or groups of countries) theydeliver each of the types of activity they areengaged in. The table over the page reportstheir responses, using the ‘teachinginternational students in the UK’ score torank them.

The European Union is top of the table –but not by much. It dominates the studentand staff exchange lists, and tops most of the others, including ‘teaching internationalstudents in the UK’. India, however, comestop for two categories: teaching internationalstudents overseas, and on employers’premises. China and India are not farbehind the EU in terms of teachinginternational students in the UK.

In the 2008 survey (of colleges only) the EUalso came top for teaching internationalstudents in the UK, followed by China, with‘Rest of Europe’, ‘Gulf States’ and ‘Rest ofAsia’ equal third, just ahead of India. Chinacame top in 2008 for ‘delivering learningprogrammes abroad’, with India second.

Direct comparisons are imperfect becausethis survey covers a wider range of providersthan the previous one, but what evidencethere is suggests that China is a little lessimportant than in 2008, and India more so.

Some other details in the table areinteresting. Though China and India arefavourites, neither of the other two ‘BRIC’countries – Brazil and Russia – currently getsnotable attention. The AoC mission to Brazil may change that.

1 Because most of this activity is funded by the EuropeanCommission, we included in the definition of “EU”, therest of European Economic Area, and candidate countries.We use ‘EU’ in that sense throughout this report, unlessotherwise specified. We consulted carefully on the list ofcountries and regions, hoping that the broader list weused might continue to be useful for some time, therebyenabling more effective comparison over time.

In the lower reaches of the table, theMaghreb (in practice, probably Morocco,with British Council encouragement) andAustralia stand out for attracting moreinterest for non-profit consultancy.

Taking the range of opportunities in itswidest sense, to include opportunities tolearn from others, it is interesting that theUSA and the old Dominions (Canada,Australia and New Zealand) - whichcommonly get a good deal of policyattention when UK leaders look overseas for examples from which to learn - feature so little in the table.

Teachinginternationalstudents in the UK

Teachinginternationalstudents

outside the UK (i) withineducationalinstitutions


3 6 28 26 17 14 15 9 74

2 4 13 4 11 4 7 2 51

5 5 7 3 8 11 10 1 56

0 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 38

4 4 1 2 3 1 4 2 37

1 1 2 1 3 1 2 1 32

1 0 1 0 0 3 3 0 35

1 3 5 1 1 3 3 0 35

1 2 1 0 1 0 2 0 29

0 0 2 1 1 5 4 0 31

4 1 0 0 0 2 6 0 32

2 1 1 1 3 3 3 0 33

0 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 27

2 1 1 0 4 1 1 0 24

0 1 0 0 1 3 5 0 24

1 2 1 1 2 4 1 2 24

1 1 1 1 0 3 2 1 19

2 1 0 0 0 3 3 0 21

2 1 3 2 2 4 3 2 22

2 2 4 4 5 2 1 1 19

0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 14

0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 15

0 0 2 2 2 6 4 1 17

1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 12

1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 11

1 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 11

1 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 9

1 1 1 1 3 5 3 0 13

1 1 1 1 1 3 2 0 9

0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 5

Teachinginternationalstudents outside the UK (ii) onemployer’s premises

Teachinginternationalstudents outside the UK (iii) via e-learning

Staff exchange

Student exchange

Institutionaltwinning

Research /Consultancy /Technical assistance – on a non-profit basis

Research /Consultancy /Technical assistance – for profit

Cultural activity, including charitable /philanthropic

Response Count

2.4 Geographical Range(continued)

Q7. Which are your three most importantlocations for your organisation'sinternational activity?Following the pattern above, we then askedwhich are the ‘three most important’international locations for respondents’international activity (not further defining‘important’). By this criterion, India cametop, just edging out the EU, with China alittle way behind in third place. Pakistan isfourth, as it was with the previous question,but the Gulf States move up significantly tofifth place. ‘South East Asia’ (which wedefined as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam)also jumps a few places, to sixth position.



Which are your three most important locations for your organisation's international activity?

India 56.2% 50

EU + European Economic Area + candidate countries 53.9% 48

China 41.6% 37

Pakistan 15.7% 14

Gulf States 15.7% 14

South East Asia 12.4% 11

Other Asia 11.2% 10

Other Middle East 11.2% 10

Japan 10.1% 9

Saudi Arabia 9.0% 8

Nigeria 7.9% 7

Other Africa 7.9% 7

USA 5.6% 5

Russia 5.6% 5

Malaysia 5.6% 5

Other non-EU 4.5% 4

Central Asia 4.5% 4

Brazil 4.5% 4

Australia 3.4% 3

Egypt 3.4% 3

Other South America 3.4% 3

South Africa 2.2% 2

Iraq 1.1% 1

Maghreb 1.1% 1

Canada 1.1% 1

Other Central and North America 1.1% 1

Ghana 0.0% 0

New Zealand 0.0% 0

Other Australasia 0.0% 0

Caribbean 0.0% 0


skipped question 11


2.5 Curriculum Focus

Q8. What curriculum areas are youworking in internationally?‘English language’ comes top of the list of curriculum areas which respondents arefocusing on in their international activity,with 63%. English was also top in the 2008 Colleges survey.

‘Business/entrepreneurship’ comes second,on 56%, and ‘creative and media’ third, with45%. Engineering was notably moredominant in the 2008 AoC survey, when itwas equal second with ‘business administration’.(Titles used differ between the two surveys).

The long tail of ‘other’ subjects is interestingbecause it illustrates both the breadthoffered by UK organisations, and the valueof being able to offer real expertise to others,from dance to marine engineering, justicestudies to beauty therapy.

What curriculum areas are you working in internationally?

English language 63% 53

Business / entrepreneurship 56% 47

Creative and media 45% 38

Management 44% 37

Health and care 41% 34

Engineering / manufacturing 39% 33

Hospitality / catering 39% 33

ICT 37% 31

Teaching and related 36% 30

Construction and built environment 24% 20

Land-based 8% 7



skipped question 16

The 24 ‘other’ areas specified were:

• A Levels with English Lounguage added• AS and A Levels in a variety of subjectsdepending on the area of study they wish to pursue in university• Academic = A level and InternationalFoundation programme.• A Level provision - Maths & Science• Sciences• International Baccalaureate• University• Beauty Therapy, Graphic design• Customer Service Languages & Intercultural Working• Dance• Justice Sector

• Logistics / Transport• Mining and Quarrying• A large portion of our activity is related to mining specialisms• Nautical Studies and Marine Engineering• Nuclear, Automotive• Oil & Gas / Science• Private Security• Sport • Travel & Tourism• Travel and Tourism IB Psychology Art and Design• Passenger transport• Sports, Aviation• Various

｝

What level of activity are you working at internationally?1

Entry Level 17.9% 15

Level 1 VQ 16.7% 14

Level 2 VQ 32.1% 27

Level 3 VQ 78.6% 66

Level 4 VQ 56.0% 47

HNC / HND / Foundation degree 67.9% 57

Bachelors degree 29.8% 25

Master’s degree 9.5% 8


skipped question 16

Extract from the 2008 AoC report, “Going Global”, for comparison:

Table 2.6 Courses provided by college - according to level

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Other

Engineering 6 15 33 23 5

Construction 3 12 17 6 4

Other manufacturing 3 8 4 1

Health 3 10 21 8 3

Design / technology 8 18 12 1

Fashion 1 10 6 3

Computing / IT 5 23 42 28 5

Creative performing arts 4 26 10 5

Arts, humanities, social science 1 6 32 5 5

Business administration 1 19 38 34 5

English training (general) 41 53 45 9 10

English training (specific) 18 27 29 9 4

Teacher training 1 6 10 5

Management training 1 4 13 23 4

Entrepreneurship 1 3 4

Other

Base: All Colleges with international activities

Source: AoC Survey of Colleges’ International Activities (IER)

2.5 Curriculum Focus (continued)

Q9. What level of activity are youworking at internationally? In the next question we asked respondentswhat level they work at in their internationalactivity. Many respondents ticked more thanone option.

1To avoid ambiguity we explained to respondents that wehad chosen the English system as our yardstick, andinvited them to refer to the helpful table in WarwickUniversity’s website for the nearest equivalents in Scotlandand Wales. There is no evidence that translation ofequivalents was a problem for any respondent.

The emphasis in the table above is on thehigher levels – Level 3 and above – no doubtreflecting the changing visa rules whichrestrict opportunities for students studyingat lower levels. This is a marked changefrom the 2008 Colleges survey, which offeredno category above Level 4, and which -English language aside - was dominated byLevel 3 courses. Lower level English courseswere the largest categories in 2008.




2.6 Funding and Partnerships

Funding is a perennial issue of particular importance because of the current economicdifficulties, which have restricted grant income and stimulated a search for other possibilities.We therefore invited respondents to indicate the main source of income for their variousinternational activities.

The categories used in 2008 were different, but student fees were top then, too. “Colleges’own funds” was the second most often cited source in 2008, however, particularly under thecategory “activities aimed at ‘internationalising’ the College”. Financial belt-tighteningacross the sector since 2008 has no doubt affected that source of income. EU funds were themost important source of support for exchanges in 2008 as they are in 2012.

Please indicate the main source of funding for the international activities your organisation is engaged in

Teaching international students in the UK 63 8 1 2 5 7 3 4 66

Teaching international students outside the UK (i) within educational institutions 13 10 7 1 1 2 5 2 27

Teaching international students outside the UK (ii) on employer’s premises 6 9 1 0 0 0 1 0 16

Teaching international students outside the UK (iii) via e-learning 9 4 0 0 0 0 4 1 16

Staff exchange 4 4 18 3 23 6 8 0 38

Student exchange 2 1 11 4 22 1 8 2 33

Institutional twinning 4 4 6 3 8 3 9 2 26

Research / Consultancy /Technical assistance – on a non-profit basis 0 5 12 3 9 7 8 1 24

Research / Consultancy / Technical assistance – for profit 0 14 2 2 6 7 5 3 25

Cultural activity, including charitable / philanthropic 2 2 4 1 4 4 7 2 13


skipped question 14

Internationalstudent fees

Commercialfees

BritishCouncilgrants

UK Governmentgrants (inclagencies, anddevolved

administrations,but not BC)

EU grants

Otherinternationalgovernment /agency grants

Organisation’sown funds

Other Response Count

2.6 Funding and Partnerships(continued)

Q11. What partners do you work withwithin the UK on international activities?

Universities and other colleges are the mostcommon partners for international activity,with awarding organisations, employers,government bodies and SSCs following onwith very similar scores. The last category isworth noting: 14% of respondents ticked theoption “we prefer to work independently”. Slightly different categories were used in the2008 survey, but there is no significantdifference between them.

Q12. What partners do you work with inhost countries?

We asked a similar question about whatoverseas partners our respondents workwith. The list looks very similar, withColleges and universities at the top, followedby government bodies and employers. Awarding organisations take a much lowerplace in this table than the previous one:given the distinctive nature of the UK’sapproach, the market is very largely one ofUK-based awarding organisations exportingtheir expertise.

What partners do you work with in host countries?

College (ie nearest equivalent to UK FE college) 63.9% 53

University / HEI 48.2% 40

Government body (including local / regional / devolved government) 41.0% 34

Employer 30.1% 25

Sector Skills Council 15.7% 13

Trade Association 13.3% 11

Work-based Learning Provider 9.6% 8

Awarding Organisation 8.4% 7

Voluntary sector body 8.4% 7

None of the above 12.0% 10



skipped question 17

What partners do you work with within the UK on international activities?

University / HEI 41.7% 35

General FE college 40.5% 34

Awarding Organisation 28.6% 24

Employer 28.6% 24

Government body (including local / regional / devolved government) 27.4% 23

Sector Skills Council / Skills Academy 26.2% 22

Sector Skills Body [ie UKCES-recognised only] 10.7% 9

Trade Association 10.7% 9

Work-based Learning Provider 8.3% 7

Voluntary sector body 8.3% 7

Specialist College 7.1% 6

Sixth Form College 4.8% 4

None of the above: we prefer to work independently 14.3% 12


skipped question 16




2.6 Funding and Partnerships(continued)

Q13. If there was to be a free-standingwebsite with searchable informationabout organisations in the UK engaged in international skills and educationactivity, and available to potentialpartners in the UK and overseas, mightyou be interested in registering on it?

We asked a particular question about interestin a new web-based facility which wouldhelp organisations, in the UK and beyond, tofind the partners they wanted – somethingwhich has emerged as a possibility indiscussions about how the UK vocationaleducation and training sector might developin a more coherent and cohesive mannerand support the sector’s work towards aGlobal FE strategy.

There is clear interest in this possibility: onlyone respondent gave a clear ‘no’ to it. Twothirds are positive, and the remainder hedgedtheir bets a little by ticking either ‘maybe’ or‘only if it was free’.

2.7 Scale of Activity

The next set of questions sought to gauge the scale of respondents’ current, and likely future,international activity. As expected, more respondents chose not to answer some of thesequestions, though the lowest percentage response rate was still a useful 62% (for question 15,which asked what proportion of turnover was accounted for by international activity: it maybe that some respondents were too unsure about their organisation’s turnover figure to respond).

The timing of the survey is not ideal for this range of questions. Falling towards the end of atleast Colleges’ financial year, looking back to 2010-11 seemed a missed opportunity in fast-changing times. We therefore asked respondents to estimate their likely income for 2011-12 -but reporting past fact is usually more reliable than a current estimate. The next set ofresponses should be read with that caution.

Q14. What is the likely scale of your organisation's international income in financialyear 2011-12?The chart below is very clear: international activity is still quite small in financial terms (less,or much less, than £1m) for the vast majority of organisations in the UK skills sector, withnearly 25% earning less than £100,000. But for a few organisations, international activity isworth millions of pounds. For one English College the international market is worth over£5m per annum, and for a specialist awarding organisation, over £10m per annum.

No equivalent question was asked in the 2008 AoC survey, so we have no basis forcomparison.

Yes67%58%

No1%1%

Maybe15%13%

Only ifit wasfree32%28%

Series 1

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Under £100,000

£101-£250,000

£251-£500,000

£501-£250,000

£101-£1m

£2-£3m

£3-£5m

£5-£10m

£10m plus

2.7 Scale of Activity(continued)

Q15. Approximately what proportion of your organisation's turnover in the last financial year came frominternational activity?

62 organisations responded to the question.Given the likely range of responses, we leftthem to answer the question in their ownway, and we have grouped responses as follows:

For a significant minority of the organisationswhich responded, international activity is bigbusiness worth 10% or more of their turnover– in some cases significantly more.

Q16. What is the percentage change inyour organisation's income frominternational activity since your 2010-11financial year? (ignore inflation, andcompare 2010-11 with your bestassessment of this year's likely result)

Twice as many more respondents (42) reportthat their international income has increasedthis year than report falls. 15 (19%) reportthat it is static.

Proportion of turnover Number of respondents

Large: 10%+ 10

Medium: 5-10% 9

Small: 1-5% 14

Tiny: 1% or less 19

New initiative 3

Don't know 6

Total 61



0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Up by more than 100%

Up by 76-100%

Up by 51-75%

Up by 26-50%

Up by 11-25%

Up by 0-10%

Static

Down by 1-10%

Down by 11-25%

Down by 26-50%

Down by 51-75%

Down by 76-100%

Down by more than 100%


Q17. Do you expect your income frominternational activity next financial yearto be ...

For next financial year, more than half of allrespondents (55%) are positive, saying thatthey expect their international income to be‘much higher’ or ‘somewhat higher’ nextyear, compared with 16% who say that it willbe ‘much less’ or ‘somewhat less’. Nearly athird (31%) say that it will be ‘much thesame’ as this year.

Q18. Do you expect the importance ofinternational activity to your organisationin future to be ...

On the broader question of the ‘importance’of international activity (we offered nofurther definition, leaving that torespondents), the great majority – 81% -said that it would be ‘somewhat’ or ‘muchmore’ important than this year, comparedwith 2.5% who said it would be lessimportant. One in six (17%) said it would be‘of much the same importance’ as this year.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

much less than

this year

somewhat less than

this year

much the same as

this year

somewhat higher than

this year

much higher than

this year

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

much less

important

somewhat less

important

of much the same

importance as it is now

somewhat more

important

much more

important



2.8 Drivers and Constraints

Finally, we asked a series of questions aboutwhat drove organisations to do more in theinternational field – or held them back.

Q21. How would you categorise yourorganisation's degree of experience inmanaging international activity?

We began with a question askingrespondents to rate themselves for self-confidence and experience (both depth andbreadth) in the international field. Notsurprisingly, there was a wide range with afew ticking all three ‘beginner’ options, anda few at the other extreme ticking all three‘very experienced’ options. Respondentswere at their most positive when ratingthemselves for ‘self-confidence’, thougheven there the range is great.

The survey software calculates an averagescore for each question, which appears in thesecond last column of the table. Respondentsrated their depth of knowledge a little higherthan its breadth, which indicates a belief thatorganisations are good at what they know,but know there are other options beyondwhat they know well. Self-confidence ratesthe highest score of the three questions.

How would you categorise your organisation's degree of experience in managinginternational activity?

Self-confidence 8 11 15 15 22 13 3.85 84

Depth of experience 10 16 14 16 13 15 3.61 84

Breadth of experience 13 17 13 15 14 12 3.43 84


skipped question 16

Beginner ResponseCount

RatingAverage

Veryexperienced


Q22. In the last year have you used theservices of any of the following inrelation to your international work?

The British Council is top of the list of responses,by some margin, followed by the Associationof Colleges. UKTI also scores highly.

Responses are inevitably related to thenumber of responses from each sector. It isworth noting that for all the help availablefrom government and membership bodies, athird of respondents sought help from theirpeers (‘other Colleges’), and one in sixsought help from private consultants.

In the last year have you used the services of any of the following in relation to your international work?

British Council 85.7% 66

Association of Colleges 62.3% 48

UKTI 40.3% 31

Other Colleges 32.5% 25

TVET UK 27.3% 21

Scotland’s Colleges International 13.0% 10

Private consultants 13.0% 10

Colleges Wales / Colegau Cymru 9.1% 7

Alliance of Sector Skills Councils 9.1% 7

Colleges Northern Ireland 5.2% 4

Federation of Awarding Bodies 3.9% 3

Association of Employment and Learning Providers 1.3% 1



skipped question 23

The 5 ‘other’ sources of assistance specified were:

• FE Sussex; 157 Group• SCDI [Scottish Council for Development and Industry]• SFCF [Sixth Form Colleges Forum] International Committee• NARIC; UKBA• EU Leonardo funded activity

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2.8 Drivers and Constraints(continued)

Q23. Why are you engaged ininternational activity?

We asked why organisations are involved ininternational activity, and most ticked morethan one response. Though the search forincome (‘to earn a profit / margin from it’)comes top, other - non-financial -motivations also score highly.

The 10 ‘other’ areas specified (some of which would have fitted the categories given) were:

• we believe we have a wealth of expertise which can be shared internationally. We also wish to be recognised for our commitment to contribute to the development ofinternational skills for employability and be a global contributor• to enrich the experience of international learners. To grow the business and secureits future. To deliver a service requested by customers

• innovation• to inform our work and to ensure learning from best practice across the world• historically the College has been involved in international work for many years. Our city,being very culturally diverse, has a history of education and training working with manyskill areas and change management to cope with local demand. This environment createsopportunities for the city to welcome people from many countries and every nationality ismade welcome in the College and also the city.• transport is global activity and a common standard, particularly, across Europe would help to professionalise the sector• knowledge transfer• collaboration and partnerships• to support our employers and encourage investment in the labour force internationally. To enable learning to be more transferable. To support the strategic aim of matching supply to demand and improving economic profitability• networking at strategic and policy level influencing pan European and other internationalVET developments sharing our experience in the development of competence basedqualifications in Europe.

Why are you engaged in international activity?

to earn a margin / profit from it 83% 69

to enrich the experience of our UK-based learners 76% 63

to raise our profile 75% 62

to enrich the experience of our UK-based staff 68% 56

Government encourages it (includes funding agencies) 30% 25

Other (please specify) 12% 10


skipped question 17



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Q24. What holds you back from doingmore (or any) international activity?

Resource issues dominate the list ofconstraints, with nearly half (47%) of thosewho responded ticking the option ‘lack ofresources (excluding staff)’. The comments –noted below – indicate that the problemhere is securing cash to invest, especiallywhen returns are uncertain, or some way off, or both.

40% of respondents gave second ranking to‘lack of trained / experienced staff’ – which is a different kind of issue, because it is onemore readily amenable to sector-wide action.

It is worth noting that 10 organisations tickedthe option ‘not part of our mission / potentialdiversion from our mission’ – some of whichmust be active internationally (and thereforepresumably with some reluctance) as onlysix of the full list of 100 respondents saidthat they are inactive. Six organisations alsoticked the ‘Government discourages it’ option.

What holds you back from doing more (or any) international activity?

lack of resources (excluding staff) 47% 38

lack of trained / experienced staff 40% 32

lack of knowledge / expertise required 28% 23

not part of our mission / potential diversion from our mission 12% 10

lack of confidence 7% 6

Government discourages it (includes funding agencies) 7% 6

not important enough to us / we expect better returns on other activity 5% 4

Other (please specify) 35% 28


skipped question 19

The 28 ‘other’ responses were as follows (our grouping). We have quoted verbatim in every case.

(1) UKBA

• UKBA changes• How the UKBA is viewed overseas• BIS is encouraging us to do more international work. UKBA regulations discourage us.• With changes to the Government legislation (Tier 4) - much of our intake has reduced -factors such as minimum language level requirement, minimum levels for courses etc haveinfluenced our enrolment numbers• Tier 4 impact on recruitment. Government cuts leading to fewer staff members/ fewerhours to devote to international activity. Funding does not always cover staff costs• UKBA regulations primarily. Other external factors such as validating partners resistingoverseas delivery of awards.

(2) Investment issues

• Lack of funding to promote initial meetings and exchanges means it is difficult to getprojects off the ground until they are self-sustaining• Insufficient resources to undertake appropriate research on opportunities and cost/benefitanalysis• The amount of time invested in developing relationships is critical to success. Often there is not a payoff for 2-3 years

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• Colleges require financial investment to explore new markets to establish sustainablerelationships, before contracts appear. Colleges tend to need a return on meagre investmentwithin the financial year ... unfortunately international activity does not work in this way• Management not prepared to invest any money into marketing/research, etc.• Lack of funding to invest in the development of projects• International activity often takes a long time to come to fruition. This requires outlayupfront without a guarantee at the end. We have been involved in many projects,conferences, discussions etc this year which have not come to anything. We have investedconsiderable time and money but have not secured projects for a variety of reasons iecompetition from other countries, Arab Spring unrest, political uncertainty or just the timefor systemic change to embed.

(3) Internal issues

• Pressure of work• Time• Not enough time to attend key international events. A robust marketing strategy focusingon European pan sector developments• The above answers relate to our current policy but with the College merger I expect this tochange in the future• We planned to significantly increase our EU work, particularly in staff exchanges but recentrestructuring as a result of merger has reduced the opportunities to release staff. We wouldlike to increase out international recruitment but due to UKBA changes we are having tocompletely review our markets• Internal and external factors. Small size and specialist nature of the College makes itdifficult to react quickly• Sometimes just don't know how to go about tackling some markets, but mostly due to onlyhaving a certain capacity within the international team and not being able to take on eachand every opportunity!

(4) Other

• Many of the major EU Programmes are fully committed and we are interested in the nextround of funding 2014.• Where in certain countries the number of qualified teachers available to prepare candidatesfor examinations is too low. Where in certain countries the volume of business does notenable us to operate on a secure financial basis• We are a 6th Form College for local students and wish to retain this identity. Internationalstudent numbers cannot therefore increase without limit. At present our 5% total ofinternational student numbers is attractive to many who do not wish to be in an institutionwhich has too many or only international students. • We are a small local charity and tend to concentrate on local concerns but we do have a linkwith a similar training set up in Sri Lanka. We raise money every year to fund the salary ofone of their trainers.• None of the above as such but if any it would be lack or knowledge of opportunities• Nothing

Some of the investment issues appear to be part of the normal process of decision-making,no doubt exacerbated by falling budgets in many sectors. Feelings about recent visa changesare clearly running high, and are of a different nature, because they relate wholly to changesin UK Government policy.



Q25. What single change would be mosthelpful to your organisation in growingyour international activity?

We had 64 responses to the final questioninviting organisations to say what ‘singlechange’ would be most helpful to them ingrowing their international activity. We haveagain grouped the responses, as follows:

(1) UKBA and related – including comparability of treatment with HEIs (21 comments)

• More understanding of our market by the UKBA• More flexible UKBA regulations and a clear intent from Government that internationalstudent recruitment is not at odds with its immigration policy• A more considered approach by the Border Agency in treating genuine FE students fairlyand removing the differentiation they show between an HEI and a Govt Funded HEprovider who is an FE college. If we are a 'listed body' we should be treated the same.• UK Border Agency rules to be more relaxed rather than making it more difficult to workinternationally• Change in UKBA regulations.• student visa regulations for international students• HTS [Highly Trusted Status] System to be aligned to the Academic cycle• Simplification of visa• Changes in visa rules• Easing of UK Border Agency regulations to enable international students to study with FEin the UK• A collaborative approach from UKBA regarding visa issues• A more positive attitude from UKBA• SUPPORT from UKBA [in capitals in the original]• Changes to UKBA regulations to give us parity with Universities.• Overturn the new UKBA rules! i.e. bring back PSW [post study work] and studentdependents and parity between colleges and universities e.g. working hours whilst studying• Transparency and clarity of UKBA regulations• More clarity and stability from the government regarding border regulations• Equality of visas with HEIs• UKBA understanding the FE Sector and lifting some of its restrictions so the we cancompete in the global market• An easier visa process and clearer information on funding available

(2) Investment issues

• Dedicated staff resource• Increased staffing resources in international development• More staff in the International Office• Larger team• Time allocation for member(s) of staff to work on international projects• Funding to support a dedicated post to source and develop projects• Experienced staff to manage projects• Support for staff development in growing international relationships

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• Training in recruiting abroad and working with agents• Greater financial support from government at the early stages of developing contactsinternationally• Financial support for staff costs within funding streams• Start-up funding from UK Government to enable SSCs to engage in overseas markets andpromote the UK model for sector skills world wide• Development of a specialist department dedicated to European and international VETdevelopment. Please Note: There has not been any mention of skills levels of UK organisationswho are involved in pan European projects. This is an important aspect as many discussionsare taking place outside the seminar in mostly French and German. Our organisationcomprises of a wealth of European languages, fluent in German, Italian and French• External "Seed Corn" funding to explore new markets

(3) Other market issues

• Profile building of the VET sector overseas and 'joining the dots' for a strategic notpiecemeal approach by the sector• A coordinated approach which aligns a complete UK offer - ie frameworks,LMI/NOS/Apprentices/Quals -SSC's, Training and Qualification development via AO's,Delivery Providers, etc• Recognising HNC/HND as degree course equivalents and taking them out of the belowlevel 6 3 year restriction.• Informed, targeted visits to international markets• Good intelligence on overseas markets and introduction to those opportunities• Access to information and advice on partner organisations e.g. India• More tangible contacts with International organisations and potential students• Transparency of opportunities available• Solid commercial leads. Experience in this sector• Better understanding of the opportunities for forms of engagement other than internationalstudents in the UK• A network of experienced personnel in the sector• The right type of work with a reasonable profit margin.• Guidance on researching and understanding International needs• Information on opportunities• A 6-college collaboration effort in Northern Ireland• To find one major lead in one of our most advanced sector of expertise such as nuclear• Sharing information with others operating in our sector (sport)• Making the most of opportunities for in-country delivery• Working with other colleges• Expertise, time and pricing models• Competitive and wider provision• Better support from the British Council

(4) Internal issues

• Increased budget - many national initiatives are beyond our budget eg. AoC India office, BCHot Courses. Being represented internationally by a single UK body.• More resources• Developing reliable contacts, planning carefully and incrementally



(5) Other

• Acquisition of external accommodation• The scope of our international activity is largely dependent on the extent to which we canexpand our membership base. As we are funded almost entirely by charging for theservices we offer (notably training programmes, courses and examinations), we arerelatively immune to external factors; however our customers do appreciate the externalrecognition and validation which our qualifications hold, and therefore being able to expandthis recognition, and minimising the bureaucracy involved, can only be a good thing.• A settled financial system in Europe without the risk one or more country in the Euro areaseemingly about to default.• Our College has just merged with another FE college here in North Wales, they have anInternational Department and I am looking forward to expanding our InternationalOperation with them.• None

This long list of suggestions gives a good deal of support to recent discussions between themany sector bodies about a shared initiative to promote the UK’s VET (vocational educationaland training) system.

It also reinforces the lobbying which the AoC and others have done to make the case forColleges being able to continue to make the most of the business and educationalopportunities afforded through the international student market. The extent of anxiety aboutthe future of the market is clear, as are concerns that Colleges are being unfairlydisadvantaged, by both national policy and its practical implication.



2.9 The Awarding Sector

As so few Awarding Organisationsresponded, despite the scale and importanceof their contribution, we invited FAB to offerits own summary of activity in the sector.This is it.

Summary of Awarding Body international activity

The UK system of awarding bodies is not widely understood outside the UK but thequalifications offered by these awarding bodies are respected and trusted worldwide for thequality of the qualifications they offer and the integrity with which they assess or examinethese qualifications. This has resulted in significant international business for many of the UKawarding bodies developed over many years.

With a few exceptions, UK awarding bodies are privately owned companies and the majorityof them are charities or not for profit organisations*. They compete for business both in theUK and in international markets and therefore the extent of individual awarding bodiesinternational business is commercially sensitive. With a couple of exceptions, they were notprepared to share the details of their work internationally and so it is not possible to draw anyconclusions about the size and scope of awarding bodies’ export business.

Earlier this year the Federation of Awarding Bodies, which represents the interests ofvocational awarding bodies and has over 130 organisations in membership, established agroup for those members who operate internationally. The initial discussions within thisgroup have identified some general features of the awarding bodies’ international business.These include:

• The largest and most well-known UK awarding bodies have a long establishedinternational market with offices across the world and agents operating in a large numberof countries. Many other awarding bodies also have a long established international marketselling qualifications in subjects as varied as dance to hairdressing, from ESOL to healthand safety.

• A significant number of awarding bodies have business in over 40 countries with a numberindicating active business in over 60 countries, with one doing business in 135 countriesinternationally. Other awarding bodies operate in only a very few countries but are lookingto increase this business.

• Awarding bodies get international business in a number of ways. Those with internationaloffices and agents will be selling their qualifications in-country, others bid for business directlywhen opportunities arise, some are members of TVET UK and many respond to approachesfrom international markets including some from past students of their qualifications.

• Awarding bodies have indicated that roughly 80% of their business is direct sales ofqualifications to educational institutions, governments and government agencies ininternational markets. The remainder of the business is generated when UK providers useUK qualifications as part of their own international offer.

• This balance is part of a recent trend among awarding bodies to train up staff in theinternational providers and to cascade this training locally rather than to send in UK basedstaff. A number of vocational qualifications, particularly those offered by professional bodies,are assessed through examinations that are set and marked in the UK. However mostvocational qualifications are internally assessed and externally verified. For these qualificationsthere is a movement to recruit and train regionally and locally based external verifiers and/oralso to make use of new technology in the quality assurance of the qualifications.

*Ofqual Annual Market report 2012 http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/news-and-announcements/130/896

3.0 Case Studies

As part of the survey we invitedrespondents to identify some aspect oftheir work which might make aninteresting case study. A dozen or so didso, with several suggesting more thanone example. The 15 case studies whichfollow draw from those suggestions, andfrom our other interviews, presentingexamples from the great variety ofinternational activity across the sector,from the most experienced players and toorganisations new to the field. Our listaims to illustrate something of the rangeof what is possible but it is, of course, farfrom comprehensive: there is a great dealof good, indeed inspiring, work going onin many quarters, and we could havechosen from many other examples.

Focus Lead Organisation

A partnership of equals Bradford College

Train the trainers support for Saudi Arabia Bridgwater College

Consultancy support to create a new college in Angola City of Glasgow College

Course delivery, part in-country and part in the UK City of Glasgow College

From study visit to complex project CfA - Business skills @ work

One thing leads to another Doncaster College

Norwegian curriculum delivered in the UK Ealing, Hammersmith & West

London College

Innovation in response to market change Ealing, Hammersmith & West

London College

Joint development project with Tanzania Harrow College

UK support for in country delivery Leicester College

International work experience placements Lancaster and Morecambe College

Major commitment to in-country delivery New College Nottingham

Labour market research and consultancy People 1st

Using first class expertise to help others Royal National College for the Blind

Charitable partnership focused on sport South Nottingham College

3.1 A partnership of equals: Bradford College

“From Bradford to Bollywood” is a jointanimation and photography project, led byBradford College and Whistling WoodsInternational University of Mumbai, whichtogether won UKIERI funding for the projectin 2007. The project enabled students fromboth institutes to work on a short animationmovie, which was featured at the 20thBradford Animation Festival in 2010.

Whistling Woods is a private university founded by one of the India’s leading filmmakers,Subhash Ghai. It provides courses in all technical and creative aspects of filmmaking and hasbeen rated amongst the top 10 film schools in the world. Students work with some of themost successful professionals in the Indian film industry and train for employment in the filmand animation sectors.

In 2009 Bradford was declared the world’s first ‘City of Film’ by UNESCO, so the links withWhistling Woods and the film industry fit well with the city’s profile.

There is a creative partnership of students from the School of Film and Media at WhistlingWoods in Mumbai and photography degree students from Bradford. Whistling Woodsprovides expertise in animation and Bradford expertise in stills photography. Staff andstudents from both partners participate in exchanges.

In 2009-10 Bradford photography students collaborated with Whistling Woods Internationalanimation students to develop script and story board for an animation film. Both teamsvisited each other’s institutes accompanied by faculty members. 40 Bradford students,selected for their commitment and attitude, were involved over three years and interviewstook place to choose the ten students who would travel to Mumbai. Initial screening of thefilm “The Music of Life” was at the City of Bradford’s animation festival in 2010, and the filmwas also shown at the Delhi Commonwealth Games.

In another project, and as a prelude to the Delhi Commonwealth Games, fashion,photography, make-up and hairdressing students from Bradford College worked withstudents from Delhi's International Institute of Fashion Technology over a six month periodto stage the “Enchanted Splendour Commonwealth Games Fashion Show”. The showformed part of the Commonwealth Games Cultural Programme, supported by the BritishCouncil's UKIERI Education Exchange programme. A reciprocal fashion event was later held in Bradford, though only staff from India could fly over as students were doing exams.“From Bradford to Bollywood” received a grant of £57,900 from UKIERI, and the fashionproject received a £35,000 grant, also from UKIERI.

The initial “Bradford to Bollywood” project has spawned further developments between thetwo partners. There will, for example, be an exchange of five students each year, irrespectiveof funding, and Bradford will award UKIERI scholarships which give a 25% reduction on fees.Whistling Woods and Bradford are also now delivering joint modules for degree courses, andstudents from Whistling Woods who have reached HND level can transfer to the final year of the degree course at Bradford.

Bradford College first became involved in international activity in the 1980s when itresponded to a request from the British Council for partners to run engineering courses. It is now very experienced in international work, particularly in India and Pakistan. Whilst student recruitment predominates, it also develops joint programmes with partnerorganisations and both students and staff participate in exchanges. The college’s aim is that partners learn from each other: student recruitment is part of a rounded relationship.“Working with partners, we learn from them as well”.

3.0 Case Studies



3.2Train the trainers support for Saudi Arabia: Bridgwater College

Bridgwater College (and two other colleges)has hosted two groups of Saudi students forfull-time “Train the Trainer” courses whichlasted eight months each. The opportunityfollowed a meeting with TVET UK and theBritish Council.

The course was designed for the Ministry of Employment to help them understand betterhow to structure a technical and vocational college: the Government, keen to take leadershipof the framework for assessment and verification within the Gulf, had the money to build thecolleges, but lacked detailed understanding of how to run the courses.

The students were mature male heads of department from a number of Saudi colleges. 15attended the first course and 10 the second. During their time in the UK they made extensivevisits to industries related to their sector, learnt about verifiers’ and assessors’ portfolios and,themselves, built a portfolio of evidence.

The Principal of Bridgwater College later attended an event in Saudi Arabia to represent theUK and explain developments in modern vocational training.

3.3Consultancy support to create a new college in Angola: City of Glasgow College

City of Glasgow College has been providingeducational consultancy advice to enable anew maritime college to be opened inAngola. Summer 2012 will see the firstcohort of 48 trainee officers for the AngolanMerchant Navy - 24 learning ‘deck’ skillsand 24 learning engineering (the two mainpaths in Merchant Navy training worldwide)- with plans to enlarge the intake in time toa capacity of 284 students.

The College’s role has been significant, from advising on the physical design and equipping of the Angolan College, to advice on the curriculum. Two staff, one each on the deck andengineering sides, are being seconded to the College for its first academic year, and City ofGlasgow College has a continuing management contract to run the College in Angola. With College opening now imminent, Glasgow College has been getting interest from other international companies in taking places at the College in Angola.

City of Glasgow College has been paid commercial fees for its advice. The largest part of the major capital cost of the new College has come from Sonangol Shipping, an Angolapetroleum company.

3.0 Case Studies(continued)


3.4Course delivery, part in-countryand part in the UK: City of Glasgow College

For the last 18 years, Glasgow College ofNautical Studies (as it was before the mergerwhich created City of Glasgow College) hasbeen delivering the first year of an HND inIndia. The course, which forms the basicqualification for trainee Merchant Navy officersin both deck and engineering disciplines,was originally established with the Academyof Maritime Education and Training inChennai. The programme now extends tothree partners in India and one in Pakistan,covering more than 200 students in total.

The course is delivered by staff from the overseas partner, using materials from Glasgow, withstaff from Glasgow going out several times a year to ensure quality standards and to invigilateassessments which they bring back to Scotland to mark. The course meets the qualityrequirements of both the Scottish Qualifications Agency and the Maritime and CoastguardAgency (the UK’s maritime regulator, enforcing world-wide standards set by theInternational Maritime Organisation).

Students do the second year of their HND in Glasgow, which takes them up to theinternationally-recognised ‘Officer Of the Watch’ qualification. Many former students returnto Glasgow for more advanced qualifications as their career progresses.

The recent changes in visa requirements disrupted the flow of students to their second year.Because the changes were introduced at short notice, some students overseas had insufficientopportunity to arrange the English language tests which the UK Border Agency required.(The Agency declined to accept the college’s own standards for English proficiency, despitethe college requiring all teaching in-country to be in English).

3.5From study visit to complex project: CfA - Business skills @ work

The ECVET Trust project (European CreditTransfer for Vocational Education andTraining), 2009-11, grew out of a Cedefopstudy visit to Germany in 2008, consideringthe wider question of accreditation ofinformal and prior learning (“Möglichkeitender Mobilität in der EuropäischenBerufsausbildung” - Opportunities invocational mobility within Europe).Everyone got on really well and a core groupdecided to create a project to follow throughtheir interest. That group had a technicalcollege in Germany as the lead partner,working with the Council for Administration(Skills CfA – a UKCES-recognised SectorSkills Body) from the UK, technical collegesfrom Finland and Hungary, universitypartners from Denmark and France, and theRegional Government from the BalearicIslands in Spain.

The aim of the ECVET Trust partnership project is to explore the value of a European CreditTransfer system through analysis of three qualifications within two sectors, business andengineering, manufacturing and construction. The purpose of the partnership is to analyse itsfeasibility in concrete qualifications.

Project members met six times in two years, at various partners’ locations across Europe.They explored each country’s national systems for managing accreditation for informal andprior learning, and the shape of a common approach.

The project was funded through the EU’s LEONARDO programme, which covered costs. One of the partners claimed much greater language competence than they possessed, andthe resulting use of a translator slowed proceedings down a good deal. Genuine linguisticcompetence on all sides would have helped the project to flow more smoothly, arecommendation which the lead manager in CfA is keen to emphasise: “Good language andintercultural skills lead to building a strong partnership and business network”. Partners have concluded the project with a jointly-written proposal to develop a trainingprogramme for staff to become competent in designing and managing EU projects. Theproposal will be submitted for European Commission support in the next funding round,with a planned start in September 2013.

CfA has been an active player in the European field since 2005, participating in a number ofLeonardo da Vinci Lifelong Learning projects as well as providing consultancy to a range ofEuropean and international organisations in relation to cross sector skills and training anddevelopment programmes. CfA has participated and hosted CEDEFOP-funded study visits.As a result of its European engagement policy, CfA has formed high quality, long lasting,partnerships with other professional VET organisations across Europe.

As cross sector experts with experience in the development of competence-based standardsand qualifications, Skills CFA is represented on the cross sector advisory panel of ESCO(European Skills Competence and Occupations). ESCO’s role is to design and develop aEuropean online database for transversal skills and competences for the use of industryprofessionals. The project is managed by the European Commission in Brussels.


3.7Norwegian curriculum delivered inthe UK: Ealing, Hammersmith and WestLondon College

For the last 12 years, the college has hosted agroup of 30 16-17 year old students fromStovner High School in Oslo, studying theirfull Norwegian curriculum, in English. TheOslo college uses the - very popular -London link as a key feature of itsrecruitment. The standard curriculum isenhanced by a rich programme of visits.

Given the age of the students, the college provides a number of services to make sure thatthey are well looked after, for example picking them up at Heathrow airport, and ensuringthat all providers of student accommodation (all done through home stays) are CRB checked. The course brings in around £300,000pa to the college, with a margin – and brings additionaleconomic benefit to the West London economy through the further value of students’accommodation and wider spending.

As a development of the programme, the college has been discussing with the new head atthe school in Oslo whether vocational options could be added. As a first step, four studentscame recently for a three-week period to study car mechanics.

3.6One thing leads to another:Doncaster College

Doncaster College is collaborating withESITH (Ecole Supérieure des Industries duTextile et de l’Habillement), a well-equipped,specialist textile college in Casablanca,Morocco. The project, funded through theBritish Council’s Skills for Employabilityinitiative, aims to promote skills developmentand increase the employability of youngpeople in participating countries byencouraging close links between educationand industry.

The project aims to share and develop best practice in employer engagement, qualityassurance and curriculum development. It supports exchanges for both staff and students,joint development work relating to warehousing and enterprise, both equally relevant inDoncaster and in Casablanca, and development of sector-specific English language tuition. The project came about because British Council drew it to the attention of Doncaster College,seeing the scope for a partnership between two expert institutions. The college’s leadinternational manager visited and put in a funding application – which was unsuccessful. Butthe Moroccan college was keen, encouraged Doncaster College to persevere, and a secondbid succeeded. The funded relationship will end later this year, and the relationship is likelyto continue on a commercial basis.

Doncaster College did no international projects or partnership work four years ago, and nowit is a substantial work stream. Most projects are financially neutral, but even they can help toestablish a relationship which might then lead on to something else.



3.8Innovation in response to marketchange: Ealing, Hammersmith and WestLondon College

Faced with losing three quarters of its(multi-million pound) international incomeas a result of the visa changes, Ealing,Hammersmith and West London Collegehas developed a vocational MBA forinternational students (primarily from India),focusing on the hospitality sector. Demandhas built quickly, and with 350 MBA studentsa year, this course now makes Ealing,Hammersmith and West London Collegethe largest provider of MBAs in London.

In a crowded market place, and working within the substantial constraints imposed by thenew visa regulations, the college began by reviewing every aspect of its internationaloperation with a critical eye: the Director responsible knew that a college-based MBA had tobe excellent to succeed. The college was also well aware that it had many internationalstudents who liked the college and who wanted to upgrade their qualifications but who couldnot afford a traditional university course.

The resulting course has the following distinctive features:

• it was designed jointly with employers, to be sure that it would meet their needs;• every student gets a substantial work placement which forms one third of their course,typically six months. The college works with prestigious hotels and restaurants acrossLondon, who are keen to host its students;• there are three start dates every year: September, February and June;• students get close personal support. They are quite different from MBA students at thebest-known providers, and the college puts in a good deal of effort to help them with studyskills, learning support and employability classes (mock interviews, CV support, explanationof what employers look for, employer visits and talks, etc). Unlike other MBA courses, staffknow their students well, and monitor their progress weekly. • it is cheaper for students than university-based MBA courses.

The course is currently accredited by the University of Wales, which has been impressed bythe college’s handling of the initiative, and approved it for other qualifications. The strong employability element has influenced the cross-college curriculum review.


3.9Joint development project withTanzania: Harrow College

Harrow College worked with the MikumiVocational Training Centre in Tanzania todevelop an enterprise toolkit which will helpdevelop students’ enterprise, innovation andinitiative – in both countries. The kit hasbeen accredited by Pearson Edexcel and iscurrently being used by 5,000 students inTanzania and by students at Harrow Collegeto support their development inemployability skills.

Harrow College received £60,000 funding from the British Council under the EducationPartnerships in Africa programme (which is designed for English colleges and universitieswishing to work in partnership with counterparts in sub-Saharan Africa). Harrow Collegematched the grant with staff time and other resources. The college’s main motivation was toget staff and students involved in international work, and to encourage students to look“beyond the horizon”. Its purpose was not to make money.

The toolkits are simple passport-sized documents of around 50 pages, with a page for eachskill. In Tanzania, vocational students spend three months on work placements and they tooktheir toolkit with them, which works well with local employers. Harrow College staff weresurprised that Tanzanian students used the toolkits that way – but they have adopted thepractice for their own students.

To develop the original toolkits, about 10 Mikumi teachers and managers came to London,and eight Harrow staff made the trip to Tanzania. Mikumi teachers were given theopportunity to shadow a number of teachers and managers at Harrow College. The maindifficulty encountered was the need to simplify the language used. A computer room at Mikumi was part-funded by the project and functioned well “as long asthere was electricity”.

Harrow also introduced Moodle and donated some extra materials including a webcam andsoftware. Harrow students and student council were able to communicate via the internetwith students in Tanzania and thus be exposed to another culture. A number of students atHarrow College of East African descent were particularly interested in the project. The project has attracted a good deal of interest in Tanzania, and has now moved well beyondMikumi, to cover the whole country.

Afshan believes that there is a market for the toolkits in the UK and abroad, including theUnited States. She said “There are markets where we would sell it and others where wewould charge a nominal fee. We would never charge Tanzania.” The Mikumi Centreexpressed an interest in selling the kits in Tanzania and Pearson Edexcel have shown interestin supporting this.

The project was Harrow College’s first venture into international activity and thecoordinator offered the following advice to others:

• “Don’t be afraid to ask. Any organisation I’ve approached has been brilliant” – notably theAoC (“very supportive”), TVET UK, and Dudley College (“brilliant – not a sense ofcompetition”). “The payback is we involve those organisations in bids”.• “Don’t re-invent things. It’s all out there for you to find”.• There’s a temptation to get carried away, but do things which fit with your own personalityand interests.

Encouraged by this success, Harrow College has recently successfully bid for a project underthe British Council’s Skills for Employability programme. The project will be a partnershipbetween Harrow College, Dudley College in the UK and an apprenticeship centre in Tunisia,focusing on developing employability, quality and teaching and learning. Other bids are inthe pipeline.



3.10International work experienceplacements: Lancaster and MorecambeCollege

The College is using EU Leonardo fundingto offer work placements abroad across theentire vocational range. Students aretypically able to spend three weeks inanother European country working with an employer or in a partner college. Workplacements are organised by the Europeanpartner colleges. (Student movement islargely one way: only a small number ofinternational students come to Lancasterand Morecambe College).

Example placements include nursing and healthcare in Iceland and the Netherlands, cateringstudies in Malta, IT in Lithuania and the Czech Republic, sports at a camp for deprivedchildren in Bulgaria, sports and leadership in outdoor pursuits in the Tatra mountains inSlovakia, and animal care at Gdansk Zoo, Poland. LMC was one of the first colleges in theUK to be awarded the Leonardo Certificate in Quality for Mobility Projects.

Leonardo funding covers the cost of flights, secure accommodation and living expenses.Before students go on placement, the college gives them some cultural and linguisticpreparation, which is also funded.

Students volunteer for these placements, and are selected in a transparent process only iftheir attendance and work are of a sufficiently good standard. Some cannot attend becauseof family and work responsibilities, whilst others might have never even considered workingabroad. The College has started the process at a relatively modest level and hopes to increasenumbers and embed the scheme across its entire curriculum.

The College might be described as being in an economically deprived area and some studentshave never previously been abroad, so this is their first experience of a new culture.

The College comments: “This is a subsidised work placement and the benefits to thestudents are immense. This valuable programme presents the opportunities of workingabroad that some students will have never experienced before. At a time when employmentprospects are limited in the local area and higher education is often out of financial reach,Leonardo Mobility highlights the often overlooked possibility of working overseas. Often thepersonal and social development of the learners is a key factor.”

The placements impress employers and universities because the students have somethingdifferent to offer.


3.11UK support for in country delivery:Leicester College

Using its expertise in the footwear sector,Leicester College has a five-year, £75,000,contract to work with India’s CentralFootwear Training Institute in Agra andChennai for the Academic Years 2009-14.

The partnership supports delivery of a 1 year certificate in footwear and a 2 year Diploma.Both courses were written by Leicester College staff, working with employers in bothLeicester (the traditional home of England’s footwear industry) and India.

Courses are taught by Indian teachers who have studied footwear courses in Leicester.Leicester College is responsible for course moderation.

Over 200 learners study at each centre, and progression routes include the opportunity tostudy a Foundation Degree in Footwear at Leicester College. The success of the programmehas made a significant impact on the shortage of skilled footwear workers in India.The college is using the information it gains from moderation reports to deepen itsknowledge of the Indian footwear sector, and sees opportunities to develop this relationshipto embrace other aspects of the manufacturing process. It is also working with clients inJapan and Indonesia to develop a range of footwear training programmes.

3.12Major investment in in-countrydelivery: New College Nottingham

New College Nottingham (ncn) has spentthe last three years planning the “LifestyleAcademy” in New Delhi, which will recruitits first students for this September.

The College took expert advice andundertook very significant research to findan Indian partner with the means andexpertise to collaborate including someexperience of education. They explored anumber of possibilities, and in the endsettled on a business conglomerate with theresources to offer significant investment.

Legally, ncn is a ‘technical collaborator’, providing intellectual property. Their partner is puttingup the capital for the building in Delhi, and ncn is providing people, know-how and materials.

The longer-term plan is to open 10 such centres across India. They will spend the first twoyears at least getting the model right, then expand – perhaps with a variant of the currentcurriculum focus – which will easily exceed 10,000 students. Despite the huge scale of thatambition by UK standards, an Indian Government source has encouraged ncn to be muchmore ambitious still.

The current plan is that Indian students will study HNCs or HNDs, and will be able to top-up to afull degree in Nottingham, or possibly through an Indian university (which is why ncn is lookingfor a university partner – a search complicated by the low profile of the HNC/HND in India).

The initial curriculum focus will be “lifestyles” – ie hospitality, fashion, media and retail,though in time ncn will expand to construction, building services and facilities managementplus ‘sustainability’, and logistics. Their Indian partner's business interests span hotels, retailand logistics among others so there will be ready-made opportunities for employer placements.

ncn will support delivery with a rolling programme of short visits by staff from Nottingham,which the Principal hopes will help a shift of mindset in the college, moving internationalwork from the margins to the mainstream.

ncn's financial modelling, undertaken with the help of a major international accountancyfirm, suggests that within 10 years this initiative should bring the college “a multi-millionpound revenue stream”, with “a very considerable margin”. The initiative will also put thecollege at the forefront of higher level vocational skills' development in India. ncn hopes that within 10 years this initiative should bring the college “a multi-million poundrevenue stream”, with “a very considerable margin”.

The project has required long term strategic and financial commitment from ncn's Board. Thecollege was successful in bidding for £15,000 through PMI2, but it has allocated 'many timesthat amount' from its own resources. The College acknowledges that very few other Collegescould afford that level of investment.



3.13Labour Market Research inPanama: People 1st

People 1st, sector skills council for thehospitality, passenger transport, leisure andtravel industries, has wide experience ininternational work offering expertise inresearch, policy, business solutions andvocational education and skillsdevelopment. A recent example of this is aSector Skills Assessment for the Foreign andCommonwealth Office to assist theGovernment in Panama with the design ofTVET for the future.

When working with clients overseas, the overarching aim for People 1st is to supportcapacity building, to help them to learn the process and skills they need to ensure that theirprovision remains relevant and up-to-date.

The recently completed sector skills assessment for the Panamanian government is thereforethe first step in the process of developing workforce skills within the rapidly growing hoteland tourism industry so that Panama can capitalise on its ambitions to become a ‘regionalhub’, and one of Latin America’s top tourist destinations.

In 2011-12 international work has also included advising the Bulgarian Government on itsworkplace competency system, offering workshops and guidance on areas such asApprenticeships and employer engagement in North Africa and the Middle East, and hostingincoming foreign delegations.

People 1st also operates a training company which has been delivering training in managementdevelopment, profit management and trainer training for over 40 years, both in the UK andabroad, with trainers located in the Netherlands, Romania, Jordan and South Africa. Trainingprogrammes are developed to meet the needs of the sector based on in-depth researchconducted by People 1st and to help service businesses become more effective.

3.14Using world class expertise to help others: Royal National College for the Blind

The College works in several waysinternationally, drawing on its highly-regarded expertise:

• RNC provides consultancy support internationally, as part of its ambition to develop its roleas a world-wide centre of expertise in visual impairment. Some of this is done withoutcharge, drawing on the college’s own charitable resources, and some of it is paid for byothers. For example, though the proportion of young people who are visually impaired isfalling, more older people are facing problems, so the college through its project work hasbeen working to get more older people with visual impairment to use web-basedtechnology to help them overcome their problems (eg through internet shopping).

• it support overseas students studying in the UK. These are visually impaired students whocome to the UK to study, both to learn for themselves and to learn how to help othervisually-impaired people when they go back home. They are typically at the further end (ieworse end) of the spectrum of impairment: they can read to study, but usually much moreslowly than other students, so they need to be taught separately from them. Some studentshave other problems, such as a brain tumour (which will have been the cause of the visualimpairment). Each student’s curriculum is therefore created personally for them.

Students are usually sponsored by their home Government, and their funding is sufficientto cover the College’s costs. The UK Government sets a ceiling for how much the RNCBcan charge, using a matrix relating charges to individuals’ level of impairment.

The College also provides some scholarships to people overseas who are in a position topromote the education and welfare of visually-impaired people when they return. Recentgrants have been to students from Morocco and Pakistan.

• RNC also bids – in competition with other voluntary organisations and universities – for EUfunding for a wide range of projects. Examples include development of new technologies,development of new equipment, developing training for friends and carers of people withvisual impairment, research into violence against people with visual impairment, and aproject to create simple, clear, explanations of climate change so that people with visualimpairment can contribute to the debate about it. As with other EU projects, the College is expected to make its results widely available.


3.15Charitable partnership focused on sport: South Nottingham College

Balls to Poverty is a charity based in SouthNottingham College using the internationallanguage of sport to reach young people inthe UK, South Africa and Uganda, to unlockhidden potential through empowerment and inspiration.

Balls to Poverty raises money to buy footballs and rugby balls to take out to South Africa andUganda to young people in townships in the poorest areas of the country.

Students from South Nottingham College (SNC) have visited South Africa for the last eightyears to coach and play football and rugby with children from some of the most deprivedtownships and in April 2012, a group worked in Uganda for the first time. To qualify to jointhe programme, SNC students have to do well on their course and show commitment anddedication. They fundraise both for the programme and to buy balls, and they contract toreturn to their local communities and schools to coach and talk about their trip.

In South Africa and Uganda, the coaching and the distribution of footballs and rugby ballshelps keep children out of trouble. Crime figures have reduced and the Western CapeProvince authorities attribute some of this to the influence of The Balls To PovertyProgramme.

In Nottingham SNC students come from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances. Giventhe opportunity to join the programme, they can alter their own lives and influence others.The college aims to challenge the stereotypes of inner city youth and create mentors who cancreate change for communities.

Since it started in 2005 Balls to Poverty has delivered coaching sessions for 35,000 youngpeople and 16,000 young people across Nottingham. It has bought and distributed 26,000footballs and rugby balls across 32 townships in Cape Town and the Western and the Easternprovinces of South Africa, and over 180 students and 60 staff and students have taken part.

Balls to Poverty was awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize earlier this year.

4.0 Interviews


4.1 Lobbying

“if you ask abroad,the message is thatthe UK is closed”Experienced international developmentmanager, UK college

We followed up many of the survey responses to get more detail and to explore thesuggestions made for case studies as well as contacting representative bodiesrecommended to us by the AoC. Drawing on the survey responses and these furtherdiscussions, several themes emerge, which we take in turn.

Many international staff, particularly in Colleges, expressed concern that the UK Governmentand its agencies appear to send conflicting messages. These can often limit the best efforts ofthe sector in developing international opportunities.

Their concerns are on three fronts, which we explore further in turn:

• Changes to visa regulations, which have greatly constrained the FE international market;• Perceived unfair treatment of colleges in comparison with universities;• Much weaker understanding of FE by key agencies in comparison to universities.

Colleges are confused by the Government’s restrictions on visas for international studentsstudying in Colleges. It appears that whilst the Department for Business, Innovation andSkills is encouraging the sector to make more of the international market, the currentrestrictions placed on it by the UK Borders Agency (UKBA) are proving a limiting factor. One very experienced College manager said that UKBA’s new regulations are creating“enormous amounts of stress and strain”.

Because the great majority of respondents to our survey are already active internationally, it is not possible to say with any certainty how many others, currently inactive, are holding offuntil they get clearer signals about the Government’s intentions. Given the hesitancy ofmany active Colleges, however, it would not be surprising if many of the inactive are choosingto remain so for the time being.

Several Colleges said that the new restrictions appear to be biting much harder on Collegesthan they are on universities. Students enrolled for the first two years of a degree course, forexample, are able to work 20 hours a week if they attend university, but only 10 hours if theyare at College – despite the fact that the College courses are vocational. One manager pointedout that the application of that rule to his College was particularly harsh, as it delivers part,and in one case, all of the content of a degree course for its partner universities.

Some Colleges also complained that the practical application of the new rules appears to bedone in an unduly harsh and unsympathetic way by the UK Borders Agency. During theinterviews for this report we heard reports of providers losing their vital Highly TrustedSponsor status for minor administrative infringements, including for reasons beyond theircontrol such as students making mistakes on their visa applications or leaving for familyreasons – with no realistic opportunity for appeal.

With Colleges anxious not only for hard-won business opportunities, but also for theirstudents: it is hard for them to know how to guide them about student progressionopportunities with any certainty.


The third area of concern relates to the profile and understanding of the UK FurtherEducation sector overseas. Some respondents indicated that regional staff of UKorganisations who have a role in contributing to representing the sector internationally, aresometimes more familiar with the role of universities. Respondents also indicated that BritishCouncil’s role as UK’s cultural relations organisation took precedence over colleges’ need toseek profit from its international activities

There was therefore a good deal of interest in work to improve the understanding ofintermediary bodies of what the UK skills sector can offer – and to find ways of providing a more coherent story to overseas partners and prospects, who find our arrangementsconfusing. This thinking is very much in line with the ideas in the recent AoC publication“UK Vocational Education and Training (VET): Towards a Comprehensive Strategy forInternational Development”. Our interviewees seem to favour targeted action, focusingparticular messages on particular organisations.

As an example of what is possible, Colegau Cymru reported a recentevent with overseas staff from the Welsh Government (the core ofwhose job is inward investment) where colleges and universities inWales, briefed them on what they could do.

Existing knowledge of FE was generally poor, and Colegau Cymru concluded that it needs to build their knowledge and provide more case studies of what colleges are doing.

Despite these worries, (but exacerbating them), organisations across the board see greatopportunities in the international market – and great strengths in the UK to be exploited. They report huge appetite for the UK’s expertise, especially in vocational matters – well-illustrated by several of our case studies. They want the Government and its agencies tocelebrate this expertise, and help UK organisations to promote it, for both commercial andphilanthropic benefit.

4.0 Interviews(continued)


4.2 For profit – or not for profit?

Interviewees were typically forthright abouttheir motivation. As two different peopleput it:

“as governmentfunding gets slashed,we have to look atother ways”and

“we’re scratchingaround for everypenny”And yet there remains a good deal of activitywhich makes no margin/profit (organisationsvary in their use of language), and some whichis clearly run at a loss (i.e. subsidised by thehost organisation), in order to benefit students.

As we explain above, the survey does not enable us to say whether the balance is shiftingbetween for-profit and not-for-profit activity, but we were struck by comments from someabout the balance between EU and other international activity – and their perception thattheir counterparts on the Continent are much more active in EU projects.

The cost recovery basis on which the European Commission funds its projects offers no usefulscope of making a margin. Projects often require language skills, which the UK notoriouslylacks, and the management of EU projects requires quite different skills from themanagement of other international projects. (One interviewee with a good deal ofexperience in the field suggested that there is a shortage of people with experience ofmanaging EU-funded projects). Despite the prominence of EU-funded activity in the tablesabove, we felt that UK based organisations may be missing out on opportunities in Europe toenhance the experience of their students while they search for markets - arguably more exoticmarkets - further afield. The possibilities are, again, illustrated amongst the case studies.

One College which has been very successful in delivering a range of international projects ona not-for-profit basis reported that it is struggling to re-orientate relationships now that it isunder pressure (financial pressure) to make a margin on all its activities.

Our observation is that both for-profit and not-for-profit activity is beneficial, not least tostudents and staff, and there is a case for organisations like the AoC to articulate the manybenefits of non-profit activity to avoid a narrowing of ambition at a time of financialconstraint. The case can be made that non-profit activity builds relationships which mightlead on to something which makes money, but the case is stronger than that.

Though several interviewees talked in terms of their students living in a global society, wealso heard of quite a few examples where international students, (in practice, by design), tendto keep to themselves. And we heard relatively little attention given to enhancing the culturalexperience of home students through the presence of international ones.

Edinburgh’s Telford College told us that their international studentsare not kept as a separate entity. They are learners at the college whosometimes need additional help. “We look at how we caninternationalise the college”.

The college hopes that all their students benefit from a “fantastic international impact,learning from all students with diversity of culture. It’s also exciting from the staff point ofview to be engaged with students from all over the world”. In a class of 20 students, therecould be representatives from 12 countries. International students are enrolled in access,foundation and HND courses.

As an example of the excitement generated by the international mix, the college gave us theexample of a visiting partner from a Chinese construction school: a passionate artist, he tooka master class with the college’s art students.


4.3 Staff development There is clearly a wide range of experience across the sector: some organisations are veryactive, with large international teams and hard-won success to protect, manage and develop,while others are at a very early stage, struggling to make the case internally for investment ata particularly unpredictable time, and struggling to show that the typically modest earlyreturns are worth persevering with.

That variety, in what is arguably a maturing market, indicates that a quite differentiatedapproach to development activity is now appropriate. A College looking to get intointernational activity for the first time will have quite different needs (from practical how-toadvice, to counsel that the prizes are likely to take some time, and require persistence andflexibility) – to experienced hands keen to develop new opportunities in new markets.

Several interviewees also supported the findings of the survey that there is a shortage ofpeople with appropriate skills and experience – and that training programmes may be part ofthe solution.

No one said it is so many words, but we interpret interviewees’ comments to mean that theywould strongly prefer practitioner-led development events. And despite the obvious cautionin some quarters about sharing what they believe to be commercially sensitive knowledge,there is also clearly a strong commitment to open sharing by many.

One person suggested that Colleges’ international teams had something to learn from theirmarketing colleagues. Another was keen to see training in inter-cultural communications –for both UK organisations and their international partners.

4.4 Success builds The most positive conclusion is that success builds. One thing leads to another, andpersistence pays off. “You have to keep at it”, as one very experienced practitioner put it. It is clear that those organisations which have ‘kept at it’, have benefitted greatly and aredeeply committed, despite all the current worries. The prize is to get more organisations toshare those benefits.

The research findings have shown usmany things we already knew but theyhave also provided some insights intothose challenges that pose the biggestbarriers to success in internationalactivity within the UK skills sector.

4.0 Key Points


We found that:

• There is wide ranging experience and engagement internationally with varying levels of success;• Most respondents access advice and guidance from reliable sources when they need it;• Whilst the financial value of international work is rated highly, in terms of non-financialValue, emphasis is placed on the benefit of staff and student exchanges;• Any one particular international activity can lead on to others and therefore there can bebenefits in engaging in capacity building projects which might lead to commercialsustainability in the longer term, or in EU student mobility projects which act as goodmarketing material to attract home learners;• English language training is still the most important area of international work for thesector. However, the breadth of provision delivered by the sector is clearly reflected in thesurvey findings with many organisations focusing on ‘niche’ provision;• The sector is working predominantly at Level 4 and above which reflects the restrictionsimposed upon it by UKBA’s Tier 4 visa system;• In spite of current challenges, and given that it is still a relatively low percentage of mostorganisations’ income, most respondents expected income from international activity to rise;• Whilst it is clear that the primary reason for getting involved in international work isfinancially driven, it is also apparent that other non-financial motivations are almost asimportant. There appears to be a commitment to ‘internationalise’ the learning experiencefor UK learners and the working experience of staff (particularly in Colleges) as well as adrive to raise organisational profiles.

However, the main barriers to international success lie primarily with visa issues and a lack ofparity with HEIs one of the top concerns.

Additionally, it was indicated that there is a lack of appropriately skilled and experienced staffwhich can be a limiting factor and this is further clarified in relation to the need for sectorprofessionals with funding or bid writing expertise.

Internal issues are also key – in particular the lack of time and resources given by seniorleaders and governing bodies to develop activities. International business and projects oftentake time to develop before any return on investment is seen. There is a need for seniormanagement to provide up-front investment in order to develop profitable work.

Colleges, in particular, still suffer from a lack of understanding of sector when workingoverseas – not only from international institutions, but also international stakeholderorganisations and intermediaries. This can add to the length of time it takes to build businessrelationships abroad.


Whilst not exhaustive some of the main areas for development then are:

International practitioner supportColleagues working within the sector internationally often do so in isolation (within theirorganisation or from other UK organisations). The opportunity to discuss and debate withtheir peers and to share ideas and issues has proven to be hugely beneficial. The reportshows that groups such as AoSEC’s International Managers group, FE Sussex, the EMVETconsortium and the FE International Network events organised jointly by UKCISA and AoCprovide a forum for sharing and support and that these should be encouraged to developand grow.

Specific support around bid writing (either for EU or international projects) could beconsidered at national level, either through bid writing workshops or mentoring support fromexperienced practitioners/professionals.

A co-ordinated approach to promoting UK Vocational Education & TrainingFollowing on from the recent recommendations in the AoC’s report ‘UK Vocational Education& Training: Towards a Comprehensive Strategy for International Development’ our findingsalso show that those working internationally in the sector also indicate the need for a moreco-ordinated approach to present the sector to international partners.

Reliable market intelligence on current activityIt is widely recognised that there is a lack of reliable data on international activities within thesector, which can limit us when needing to leverage support either internally withinorganisations or across the sector. As part of the research we asked those respondingwhether they would support the development of a web-based facility for capturing andupdating key statistics on international activity within the sector. There was clear support forsuch a facility and initial discussions have also looked at a facility for international partnerfinding database which will assist the sector when looking to develop funded projectproposals. It is hoped that, pending some initial financial support, this web facility will bedeveloped for the sector.

We would like to thank all those who contributed to the research.

The Association of Colleges (AoC)

The Association of Colleges (AoC) exists torepresent and promote the interests ofColleges and provide members withprofessional support services.

As such, we aim to be the authoritative voiceof and the first choice destination forguidance and advice for members.

Our membership includes General andTertiary Further Education Colleges, SixthForm Colleges and Specialist Colleges inEngland and Northern Ireland.

We work with and represent Colleges inWales and Scotland through affiliation ofAoC and partnership with sister bodies inboth countries via the UK Council of Colleges.

[email protected]: 020 7299 6980

The BritishCouncil

The British Council is the United Kingdom’sinternational organisation for educationalopportunities and cultural relations. Ourpurpose is to build mutually beneficialrelationships between people in the UK andother countries and to increase appreciationof the UK’s creative ideas and achievements.

[email protected]: 0161 957 7755

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Documents

Skills Sector International Activity · 3.3 City of Glasgow College (Case Study 1) 27 3.4 City of Glasgow College (Case Study 2) 28 3.5 Cfa - Business skills @ work 28 3.6 Doncaster