International Education Strategy - what leaders must prepare for

International Education Strategy: what leaders must prepare for

Author

Shannon Stowers
Director of International Policy and Engagement
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The UK’s International Education Strategy promises major TNE growth, but delivering it sustainably will demand far more rigour than policy rhetoric suggests. Here’s what leaders must consider when expanding globally to protect quality, credibility and trust.

Policy direction: growth is the priority

The government’s new - if belated - International Education Strategy makes no bones about its ambition for transnational education (TNE) growth, aiming for an £40bn export target by 2030, and positioning the UK as a global partner of choice. With political pressure to reduce immigration, it’s unsurprising the government is prioritising TNE over on-shore international recruitment.

But we only have to take stock of the recent domestic policy, press and regulatory scrutiny on domestic partnership provision to know that delivering education in partnership is easier said than done. Add in the fact that your partner could be thousands of miles away, operating in a different legal and regulatory jurisdiction, and the whole endeavour feels much more complex and risky than the government’s shiny new strategy suggests.

Global perception matters

As Director of International Policy and Engagement at QAA, I engage regularly with international stakeholders around the globe. It's not unusual to hear international scepticism about the motivations behind the UK’s growth approach to TNE, not helped by our well-publicised financial sustainability challenges in the sector.

Given the risks, the UK higher education sector must respond to the International Education Strategy with an intentional focus: delivering high-quality, sustainable and equitable TNE partnerships.

QAA is perfectly positioned to support the sector to deliver this. With funding from the Department for Business and Trade, we’re working with countries like Nepal, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to ease regulatory barriers for providers, alleviating some of the inherent complexity when setting up provision in a new jurisdiction.

Why early quality alignment is critical

Providers should be careful that enthusiastic staff involved in scoping new opportunities don’t operate in siloes away from quality teams. Staff working on institutional quality should be involved in conversations early, enabling them to facilitate the alignment of policies and processes that safeguard the quality of education for TNE students.

To support the sector in prioritising quality in TNE partnerships, QAA is refreshing its TNE Scheme to ensure it remains relevant to the opportunities and challenges of rapidly shifting global environment. The scheme has been developed through consultation across the sector, and will help ensure that growth in UK TNE is matched by a commitment to quality.

Packed with insight, resources, training and enhancement activities, the new scheme will act as a stronger platform for providers to demonstrate their quality and build international trust in UK TNE. You can find out more about the refreshed scheme at our online webinar on 26 February.

The next five years will be significant for UK TNE. The International Education Strategy provides policy stability to facilitate growth, but providers should remain realistic about the complexity, risk and resource required to deliver sustainable, equitable, high-quality TNE.

All this leaves us plenty to sink our teeth into over the next year. We’ll be tackling all this and more across our networking communities, new resources and our engagement with policymakers across the UK. And if there’s a particular policy area that’s piqued your interest, do reach out to the team at publicaffairs@qaa.ac.uk.