The UK’s leading association for independent higher and further education providers, Study UK, has become the second sector association to advocate for more globally competitive government policy in a manifesto launched last week.
The document urges the incoming government to “re-commit to and expand” the ambition for 15-20% growth in international student numbers envisioned in its 2013 International Education Strategy, with a new international student policy to be overseen jointly by the Home Office and the Department for Business, Immigration and Skills.
It also advocates for more opportunities for post-graduate vocational training or work experience as part of a move to provide a “clear, consistent and attractive offer” to international students.
“It’s a marker that we can use when we meet politicians after the election. We can say ‘these are the issues that are important to us'”
The manifesto aims to promote a regulatory framework that is “fit for purpose, consistent and coherent”, Paul Kirkham, one of Study UK’s directors, said at a launch event at the House of Commons.
He called for more equitable treatment of private and public institutions, saying that private providers have been “ignored and tarred with the same brush as those who seek to abuse the system” as he emphasised the association’s call for a Higher Education Bill by 2017.
The HE Bill is central to Study UK’s manifesto. It pushes that sector regulation be “urgently reviewed and replaced by a comprehensive regulatory framework”, led by a steering group of industry experts and representatives of both the public and private sectors, and “might entail a universal registration or licensing process” allowing HE providers to operate.
Recommendations specifically targeting international students include a review of the student visa system, arguing that the Tier 4 route has been “undermined” by unscrutinised changes and across-the-board credibility interviews.
Study UK has also appealed for further support for UK transnational education in the form of financial and logistical backing, market intelligence, local introductions, and coordinating contract bids overseas.
“[The manifesto] is a marker that we can use when we meet politicians after the election,” Alex Proudfoot, Study UK Chief Executive, told The PIE News. “We can say ‘these are the issues that are important to us, and these are some of the reforms that we feel would be useful to improve the sector’.”
Further recommendations include the implementation of tuition protective measures guaranteeing students a refund or transfer to an alternative provider should their course close.
