St Giles Schools of Languages, Coventry University and Cambridge English Language Assessment are among winners of this year’s Queen’s Awards which recognise innovation, international trade and sustainable development.

The companies were recognised for their substantial growth in overseas earnings and commercial success exporting education.

“We are delighted to win this very prestigious award in our 60th year”

Hannah Lindsay, group sales and marketing director of St Giles International, told The PIE News that the award was a testament to the longevity of their operations.

St Giles was commended for its growth in overseas earnings over the last six years, helped by its network of 4,000 education agents and an e-learning zone.

“We are delighted to win this very prestigious award in our 60th year; it is a fantastic mark of how far we’ve come during this time,” she said.

“With our long history behind us, we feel it is important for St Giles to learn and adapt so that we are continuing to meet the needs of our students and agents and this award is a great sign that we are continuing to do this.”

The international trade awards highlight either outstanding achievement over three years, or continuous achievement over six years.

Cambridge English Language Assessment saw a growth in overseas earnings of 109% over the last six years.

“We have been growing very strongly over the last few years, at a rate that would be the envy of many businesses,” Saul Nassé, chief executive, commented.

“We work closely with governments, language schools, and professional networks to reach learners across the globe, and winning this award is a testament to the success of those partnerships.”

“We believe that we have the largest student mobility scheme of any UK university”

And Coventry University, which ranked in the top 4% of the world’s universities in 2013/14, according to the QS World University rankings, saw its overseas earnings grew by 184% in the last six years.

Speaking to The PIE News, Pro-Vice Chancellor of International Development, David Pilsbury, said that winning an award in the international trade category reflects the university’s successful global agenda.

“Coventry University has progressed up the rankings very rapidly,” he said.

“We believe that we have the largest student mobility scheme of any UK university. This year we will have more than 4,000 of our students going overseas.”

He added: “What this award does is validate externally what we know about this institution. I think it sends a strong signal to the rest of the world.”

Previously known as the Queen’s Awards for Industry, this year there were 141 winners: 105 in international trade, 24 for innovation and 12 for sustainable development.