Pro-active international university, the University of Nottingham, has launched a unique training programme via its Ningbo campus in China which will enable Chinese students to become the integrated circuit (IC) designers of the future. Integrated circuits are crucial in the manufacture of digital devices.

The British Council has honoured the vital contribution East Asian education agents make to British education with a major conference and awards ceremony in Guangzhou, China last month. The Council said The East Asia Education Agent Conference 2013 was the first event of its kind and vital to lending "credence and exposure to an often-misunderstood industry".

Professor Christine Ennew will take over as provost and pro-vice-chancellor next year at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia - one of the UK's best known offshore university campuses - as it enters a period of increased competition in the student market.

Using or reappraising relations with education agencies, or outsourcing other aspects of international student recruitment – whether that is social media management, enquiry management or regional representation – is on the rise within UK higher education. Jim Butler reports on the new recruitment environment, as competition intensifies for overseas students and operating conditions also turn the screw.

I think there’s no doubt that more universities are starting to look carefully at offshore provision. It does offer a route to access international markets without falling foul of the visa regime.