In northern Iraq, a new scholarship system is being set up that could prove a lucrative student supply route. The Human Capacity Development Programin Higher Education (HCDP) of the Regional Government has allocated US$100million to support study abroad to drive reconstruction, and the UK is reported to be the preferred destination, according to David Mitchell, owner of Levant Education. He explained, “Over 70% of the scholarship awardees are choosing to study in the UK. The HCDP scholarships cover English preparation and postgraduate courses.”

Mitchell organised the roadshow with a small number of British universities and language teaching organisations and said that as well as manning stands at the exhibitions, delegates visited local university and high school campuses in Erbil.

‘The Kurdish Region of northern Iraq is facing huge redevelopment challenges, and the Kurdish Regional Government is clearly committed to education and training to drive the rebuilding,” he continued. “Local government is approachable and keen to work with UK universities and education providers.”

David Mitchell and Dr Ahmad of Salaheddine University, Erbil

At Nottingham University, Senior International Officer, Claire Taylor said, “I’m really pleased that some great universities [attended] UKET – having worked from a distance on this region for many years (long before the government scholarships were initiated) it’s very close to my heart and I really want people to benefit from having a wide choice of universities”.

And Turkey continues to grow as a market for UK academic and language providers, with demographics that local universities struggle to cope with – over 70% of the population are under 35. Higher education is increasingly delivered by the private sector, with tuition fees of US$20,000 per year not uncommon.

Universities attending UKET included Nottingham, Kent, Warwick, Queen Mary University of London, Portsmouth, Middlesex, Swansea and Liverpool Hope. From the language sector ELC Group, Embassy and MLS were represented.

Levant also runs a website, Studybritish.com.