Singapore – British Council education exhibition caters to burgeoning demand. Many options are available to study either in the UK or in Singapore.
In 2010, the British Council in Singapore pioneered the hybrid education fair: besides exhibitors from UK colleges and universities, participants also included reputable private education institutions (PEIs) offering UK qualifications in Singapore.
The hybrid model works particularly well in a country like Singapore, where recent years have seen a simultaneous increase in demand from two discrete groups of students: those who opt for a campus experience in the UK, and those who choose instead to remain in Singapore to pursue a UK education.
The most current figures bear this out: the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) reported that close to 2,800 Singapore students started their studies at UK universities for the 2011/12 intake. This brings the total number of Singapore students in the UK to 5,715, which is an increase of 18.1% over the previous year.
At the same time, hundreds of thousands of students are now studying for UK degrees without setting foot on British soil. According to HESA, in 2011/12 there were more than 571,010 students pursuing UK degrees in their own country, often through local partner institutions. Singapore has a mammoth share of this market, with more than 51,000 students on such transnational education courses. This impressive figure excludes the thousands of others who are taking UK pre-university or professional courses in Singapore.
In Singapore, the hybrid exhibition model that caters to both types of students attracted so much interest that this year more institutions have signed up for it, bringing the total number of Exhibitors to 63. Together they will be able to advise prospective students on hundreds of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
In addition, 20 seminars will be conducted at the event, to share essential information and offer tips and guidance to exhibition visitors.
Roland Davies, Director of British Council Singapore, says “The UK is home to some of the best universities in the world with a powerful research base and a huge range of choices available to young Singaporeans as they seek to further their studies. This exhibition will showcase the vast choice British institutions now offer students, both in the UK and in Singapore. Singaporeans are savvy consumers looking for good value for money. They demand a high standard of quality and an equally high level of prestige. We think a UK education ticks all of these boxes for them and that is why we have seen interest level increasing for the past few years.”
Details of the event are as follows:
What: Education UK Exhibition 2014
When: Saturday, 15 March 2014
Where: Suntec Convention Centre Level 3
Admission: 10.30 a.m. – 6.00 p.m., free
Full details can be found on our website: www.educationuk.org/Singapore