News
February 2005
New Horizons for Wales There are currently 6,798 full time international students studying in higher education in Wales , representing over one hundred countries throughout the world. This week, a new marketing and recruitment mission by the Wales International Consortium will consolidate international student recruitment from volume markets and develop new recruitment markets for Wales .
The Wales International Consortium (WIC) represents all higher education in Wales and is committed to attracting international students to into Wales to study.
The marketing mission will start in early February in China which is considered a volume market bringing over 1,800 students to Wales this year. The mission will include visits to high schools and universities offering WIC-recognised foundation programmes for Chinese students. The one year-courses, based in Beijing , Tianjin and Guangzhou , will guarantee progression into Wales higher education for all successful Chinese students. The courses aim to prepare students for undergraduate study in Wales , enabling them to study academic modules whilst upgrading their English language and study skills.
Virginia West, the Director of the Wales International Consortium said “ China has always been a stable recruitment market for Wales and we have built our success on developing strong relationships with our Chinese partners. We have a shared commitment to seeing these bright Chinese students reach their full potential in Wales and progress into successful careers”.
Following the visit to China , the marketing mission will visit Japan to build on existing links with Japanese agents and institutions and enhance the recruitment of Japanese students into Wales . There are currently 185 Japanese students studying in Wales , many of whom are attracted cultural environment and the diversity of creative courses available.
Dr. Medwin Hughes, the Principal at Trinity College Carmarthen said ”Traditionally, Wales and Japan have always had strong links, originally through trade and industry. Now, Japanese students are choosing Wales to study creative courses such as art, design and media, because Wales has such a superb reputation in delivering these subjects”.
“Japanese students are also very interested in heritage and culture which makes Wales an ideal choice. We are proud of our warm and welcoming culture in Wales which never ceases to impress our international visitors”.
The marketing mission will end with a visit to the two new markets of Russia and Kazakhstan , both of which have been ear-marked for development over the next few years and are expected to bring increasing numbers of students to Wales , as their economies become stronger.
Wales has already experienced initial success in recruiting Russian students and is keen to develop long-term relationships with Russian partners. Early indications for recruitment onto English language programmes have been good and it is expected that this success will eventually be reflected in growth in the undergraduate market.
The inclusion of Kazakhstan in the itinerary is a reconnaissance initiative in order to gain a clearer understanding of the Kazakhstan market and enable WIC to develop a market position. It is hoped that Kazakhstan can be developed as a niche market for Wales , featuring increasing numbers of students over the next few years.
Mr. Iwan Roberts, Head of the International Office at the University of Wales Bangor said “This is a very well organised marketing mission. It makes sense that a successful organisation such as WIC should offer university institutions access to a range of markets. It represents sound business strategy to consolidate volume markets for immediate success and develop medium risk markets for long term recruitment benefit”.