“This event gives our agents the chance to talk to the universities directly”

UKWS hosted 45 BOSSA (Beijing Overseas Study Service Association) agency members and senior management figures for the BOSSA Chinese Agents’ Fair– the first of its kind for Chinese agents in the UK.

Licensed agency members met with higher education institutions, further education colleges, boarding schools and English as a foreign language (EFL) schools at a series of workshops held throughout the week.

Minghua Fu, Secretary General of Chonqing Education International Association, was extremely pleased with the event, calling it a “good chance to make new friends, new opportunities to develop overseas study”.

Linda Azzopardi, Director of Studies at Clubclass Malta which also has a campus in the UK, told The PIE News that she had met with around 14 agents in Friday’s EFL Fair.

“It’s important for us to welcome Chinese students because they have a lot of spending power and they will bring in a lot of revenue, particularly to the UK economy,” she said.

Kitty Li, International Marketing Department Business Development Manager at Bole Overseas Education, said that the event served to forge partnerships and strengthen existing relationships.

“This event gives our agents the chance to talk to the universities directly,” she said. “I think that is very good.”

The agents attended evening receptions at London & Partners, the British Council, Liberty Living, INTO and Pearson.

BOSSA agents gather outside the Gherkin

Beverly Nash, UKWS Director, is confident the event will open business opportunities for educators who attended.

“It was a great week for everyone – highly successful, closer working ties between the UK and China and will result in an increase in the number of Chinese students entering our UK education establishments,” she added.

UKWS and BOSSA confirmed they were in discussions to introduce a UKWS UK Study Pack– which organises the essential tasks for international students before they arrive in the UK– to the Chinese market.

Further plans to collaborate include internship and innovation services for both UK and Chinese students in 2014.