Communication Skills

Cuts to higher education funding have led to fewer university places being available for UK students. According to the Metro this morning, the cuts will result in a possible 200,000 students missing out on the opportunity to go on to higher education in the UK.

To combat this issue, some British universities are offering A level students places at their campuses overseas. Some of this year's A Level students could potentially be off to centres in China, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates or Holland. This certainly will be strange state of affairs if UK students are forced to study overseas whilst overseas students come to the UK!

Although this initially sounds like a shocking situation to be in, and has apparently led to campaigners and the TUC voicing concerns,  it may not be as bad as it sounds. As the UK job market is so difficult for graduates nowadays, it may be time for some of them to consider working overseas. Think about the opportunities that could open up for students studying in Asia or the Middle East. They would be in a strong position to develop links with local and international businesses and create job opportunities that may not otherwise have arisen.

I discussed this article this morning with some international students who are studying at one of the universities in Northumbria and the majority of them, who are from China, Taiwan and Thailand, thought it would be a positive step to have more UK students studying in their countries. Watch this space!!