Fast-rising UK pathways provider, INTO University Partnerships, scooped two awards at the Education Investor awards last week, a reflection of the growing stature of international education providers within the UK’s mainstream education industry.
INTO, which teams with universities to provide pre-university English and academic preparation for international students, took the Exporting Excellence award for its contribution to international education, beating star players BPP, Kaplan and Study Group.
It also won the Higher Education Provider of the Year, pipping Carfax Education Group and Nord Anglia to the post.
INTO Chairman Andrew Colin said: “Thank you to the judging panel and Education Investor for these awards, which we gratefully receive on behalf of our entire staff team and colleagues in our partner institutions.”
Like others in the pathways sector, INTO has seen rapid growth in recent years, driven by universities’ need for support in building enrolments from the international student market. Established in 2006, the company has grown from a first cohort of 392 to enrolling more than 10,000 students across 10 centres in 2011/12.
the company has grown from a first cohort of 392 to enrolling more than 10,000 students across 10 centres in 2011/12
“INTO’s partnerships with universities in the UK, US and Asia are in the vanguard of a new movement in global higher education, demonstrating that public-private partnerships can deliver higher quality student outcomes and build the capacity of the higher education system to meet global demand,” said Colin, who helped set up Study Group in the 90s before launching INTO.
Prizes on the night were awarded by Daniel Finkelstein, executive editor of The Times. Other winners included the Parthenon Group in the consultants of the year category and Sovereign Capital in the investors of the year category.
