The UK government should recognise the role of education agents in future iterations of the country’s international education strategy, representatives from the sector told an all-party parliamentary group this week.
Asked what the parliamentary group should be saying to government, Bobby Mehta, associate pro vice-chancellor at the University of Portsmouth and BUILA chair, said the “significant contributions” by agents, counsellors and pathway providers should be recognised.
Jacqui Jenkins, global programme lead for international student mobility at the British Council, agreed that agents should be cited in the strategy and added that the priority should be on “maintaining quality first” in order to promote the UK as a study destination.
Jenkins told the group that although the British Council has experienced funding cuts, “huge amounts” of money are being invested into agents via the organisation’s new hub, which she described as a “one-stop shop” for anyone recruiting to the UK.
