Despite its close affiliation with the UK, Ireland has not benefited like its neighbour has from the booming international student market of the last decade. Thanks to assertive policies and the power of its educational brand, the UK has become not just a regional but world leader in the market and educational institutions from high to low end have reaped the rewards.
However, the currents behind this state of affairs may be heading into reverse. As the UK curbs student visas to the dismay of its industry, Ireland is embracing internationalisation with vigour and pursuing a strategy to dramatically increase international student population by 2015.
As outlined in the government’s Investing in Global Relationships, Internationalising Irish Education report last September, Ireland wants to raise the number of English language students from 100,000 to 125,000; offshore students to 4,500; and full time international students in HE by 50% from 26,000 (since raised to 100% by the recently elected government, meaning figures of 52,000).
To achieve this, immigration policies, quality assurance and collaboration with trusted agents will be bolstered. A new international brand and marketing campaign for Irish education, Education in Ireland, was also launched by the new government to lead the promotional charge.
These are ambitious goals which face considerable challenges – intensifying competition from other study destinations and the recession being just a few. But thinking big on internationalisation is long overdue. As an English-speaking nation in the EU, with high quality providers, a friendly reputation and a diverse (if embattled) economy, Ireland has all the ingredients to become a leading study destination but has lagged in exploiting this.
Ireland has all the ingredients to become a leading study destination
Observers complain there was a lack of joined-up thinking within government and the wider education community, reflected in unreceptive visa policies and insufficient marketing strategies. As in the UK, the IE sector was accused of being patchily regulated, with bogus colleges tarring the reputation of quality providers. And with around 7.1% of students in tertiary education who are international – a proportion it wants to raise to 15-20% by 2020 – Ireland performs relatively poorly against comparable statistics in Australia and New Zealand.
So why has the turnaround taken so long? Gill Roe, manager at Education in Ireland, says Irish education has always been international in nature with strong links to both Europe and the USA in particular. However, she says, “We were not under strong financial and governmental pressure as would have been the case in the UK to recruit international students.”
While the government is keen to downplay the economic dimension of internationalisation, it is hard not to see a link between its plans and Ireland’s current fiscal troubles. The international education sector is worth approximately €900million to the Irish economy, and meeting its recruitment goals could boost this to €1.2 billion by 2015 as well as creating jobs.
The new government is also taking a decidedly more business-like approach to international education by placing Education in Ireland under the control of Enterprise Ireland, the agency that deals with Irish business and trade, and boasts a global network of offices and embassy links. There have also been more ministerial visits abroad to promote education, international agreements, and the launch of a highly trusted agent programme in India.
At home, the government is seeking greater collaboration between universities, language schools and government. The Investing in Global Relationships plan calls for institutions to contribute to a central fund to support generic promotion, something Louise Tobin, Director of International Student Recruitment and Strategy at University College Cork says has been missing for years. “We didn’t have a British Council… We’re a small country, we can’t afford to split up the market too much.” [more>>]
Meanwhile the country’s immigration and labour market policies are becoming more competitive, with degree visas being fast-tracked and students on short-term courses treated as tourists, speeding up their entry. Post-study work rights have also been extended to a year for all graduates.
While the plan has support from all quarters, some are cautious about its lofty targets. Tobin believes that doubling students will be a tall order for Cork, despite the steady growth they have seen in recent years. “I am wary about talking about targets, because people can sometimes have unrealistic expectations. I see a slow steady growth. Our numbers are going up 10%-20% each year,” she says.
This sentiment is echoed by Caoimhe Ní Lochlainn, Press Officer at Trinity College Dublin which currently has 2,400 international students. “We do expect more growth but we expect this to be gradual over the next 3-5 years,” she says.
For others, the plan favours some sectors unfairly. “It has taken a long time for them [the government] to realise that the EFL sector is actually as big as it is and also its value to the Irish economy. But they are still very third-level focused,” says Justin Quinn, the managing director of CES, a leading language school. He also believes ministerial claims of doubling student numbers are unlikely to be fulfilled without more investment in the sector.
Another challenge is the public services cuts facing Ireland in the next few years. While the government wishes to boost HE numbers, there has been the suggestion of a cap on student places in the future. Institutions have also been facing staff and budget cuts, which could affect quality of services to international students.
“Public sector recruitment embargoes are resulting in fewer front line staff in higher education institutions dealing with higher numbers of students and this is bound to have an impact on service quality,” says Sheila Power, director of the Irish Council for International Students, which is lobbying for the ring-fencing of fee revenue, for reinvestment in student support. “There will be no growth unless we can offer a quality educational experience to international students in a welcoming environment.”
“The recruitment targets are challenging but realistic”
Regardless of the obstacles, its full steam ahead for Education in Ireland which completed a promotional tour of the USA last year, its biggest HE student market, as well as launching a US student ambassador programme.
According to Keith Moynes, assistant principal officer at Department of Education and Skills, the recruitment targets are challenging but realistic. “The main challenges are the same ones that affect everyone… the state of the world economy and macro-level trends in international recruitment. But this presents opportunities as well,” he says, pointing to the growing global desire to up-skill and the clear advantages the Irish education system can offer.
If his wishes become reality, Irish education providers will have a golden opportunity to capitalise not only on their potential, but also the demand the UK will be turning away in the next few years.
