The Chief Executive Officer of international education specialist Study Group,which partners with more than 50 leading universities, has today visited Dhaka to ensure that accomplished Bangladeshi students are aware of new opportunities to access the worldclass education available in the UK.
On his first visit to Bangladesh, CEO Mr. Ian Crichton demonstrated how British higher education, although grounded in tradition, is continually evolving to meet the changing ambitions of Bangladeshi students seeking a successful future.
Bangladeshi students are prioritising programmes with strong industry connections and internship opportunities, in highly skilled fields aligning with the UK’s emphasis on career-oriented education. With business and management related degree programmes already attracting a significant number of Bangladeshi students, there’s a growing interest in computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, law, renewable energy, marketing and entrepreneurship. The UK excels in many of these areas, attracting students seeking cutting-edge education and future-proof skills.
“UK universities provide safe access to high quality learning which is amongst the best in the world,” says Crichton, Chief Executive Officer, Study Group, “It is the product of hundreds of years of development and today the UK continues to lead the way in delivering truly inclusive global education backed by world class research.”
“However, while we anticipate a growing number of Bangladeshi students will pursue their higher education in Britain, we believe that many are unaware of the International Year One route to university,” continues Mr. Crichton. “Study Group’s International Year One programmes are designed in collaboration with our partner universities for international students who have demonstrated the aptitude to enter an undergraduate degree but need additional language instruction and support designed around the academic skills associated with that level of study. Successful students can then go on to achieve a degree at their chosen university within two years. We are delighted to introduce a number of new International Year One programmes this year.”
Typically, applicants to an International Year One programme will have high-level qualifications in their own country but these may not be considered immediately comparable to UK qualifications. Through an intensive one-year period of study in smaller class sizes, and with substantial additional support, motivated students will be prepared to succeed to the standard agreed with the university as appropriate for progression to the second year of their selected degree. With the benefit of intensive teaching and support, last year, 94% of Study Group students who completed their International Year One, or International Year Two programme in Scotland, were deemed by our university partners as eligible to progress to their chosen university.
For Bangladeshi student Sanjida Prachee, the life-changing decision to study in the UK at the University of Huddersfield International Study Centre was an easy one. Sanjida says: “I want to study Hospitality Business Management. I think that I can gain more knowledge here. When you apply for jobs and they see you have a British degree, they think that you’re better at everything, so there is a higher possibility of them hiring you for the job. The teaching standard is more practical at the International Study Centre,we have presentations and practical classes as well, so you learn these skills, which is nice.”
Provost and Chief Academic OfficerProfessor Elena Rodriguez-Falcon overseesS tudy Group’s academic staff and teaching at the International Study Centres deliveredin partnership with universities. She says: “Our International Year One programmes are intensive preparation courses for further study at one of our partner universities. They provide our students with the knowledge and skills equivalent to that of the first year of a specific undergraduate but even the most successful student may doubt themselves at times. They may lose their confidence, miss their family, experience moments of culture shock or feel the effort to learn is overwhelming. This is where our staff really come into their own. The care they put into student confidence and wellbeing from arrival, to making friendships and creating roots in a new city is second to none.”
Mr Crichton noted the importance of offering high-quality routes to respected universities for Bangladeshi students with the ability and dedication to succeed at degree-level study. Global education he said was a tremendous good, bringing together talent from across the world and opening up opportunities for all who benefit from it. The work of Study Group was to support this endeavour, preparing students to succeed and ensuring those deemed by universities eligible to study had the study skills, language ability and academic capacity to do so.
