UK: Pathway pioneers build bridges to the world

The north of England has a reputation for its down-to-earth common-sense attitude to making a bob or two, so it is no surprise to learn that 20 years ago, 12 universities in the region spotted a business opportunity and formed a consortium to attract overseas students to their institutions. The Northern Consortium UK's slogan is "your bridge to international success" as it pioneered what are now known as "pathway programmes" to prepare students in their home countries to continue studying abroad, mainly in the UK. The consortium has just opened a new centre in Sri Lanka.

When a student successfully completes the programme, he or she is guaranteed a place on a degree course at an NCUK partner university. Jean Krasocki, chief executive of NCUK, explains: "What is unique about us is that we offer links not only to our member institutions but to other universities in the UK and around the world. Normally, these kinds of pathway programmes are linked to one university, but we give students a huge choice."

The key to that choice lies in the quality, standards and consistency of the programmes whether they are provided in Nigeria or China, Krasocki says. "Most universities would be prepared to accept our students. Apart from the academic side, we arrange placements to ensure a smooth progression."

The consortium offers the International Foundation Year which mirrors A-levels in a wide variety of subjects, and the international diploma in business, engineering and IT – equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree. Students can therefore benefit from lower fees and a much reduced cost of living in their home countries for one or two years before going abroad.

About 2,700 students worldwide are now preparing for entry into member universities, says Krasocki. More than 13,000 have progressed to degree level so far.

The consortium, which includes universities in Bradford, Huddersfield, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Salford and Sheffield, already has links with China, India, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Singapore, Vietnam and the UK.

In Sri Lanka, ANC is a leading higher education provider which already runs pathway programmes in the US and with Monash University, Australia. The group wanted to start a partnership with the UK and has been in discussions with the consortium for some time. "We are hoping the scheme will attract a few hundred students," Krasocki says.

A report in the Asian Tribune of the launch of the programme quoted host Jagath Alwis, deputy chair of the Ceylinco Education Group, as saying: "The ANC-UK link will ensure that the best university education options in the world are available in Sri Lanka. Young people have the chance of embarking on a cost-effective world class education with a wide and diverse curriculum."

Sheffield Hallam University, an NCUK member with students on foundation and diploma courses, also has a "major relationship" with the Sri Lankan Institute of IT, says Bob Harris, head of international development. Some 30 IT students go to the university for one term each year to convert their Sri Lankan qualifications into a degree and many stay on to study an MSc.

Twenty-six engineering students from the Sri Lankan Telecom training centre are currently converting their HND into a degree in Sheffield while back in Sri Lanka, the institute offers the university's masters in enterprise applications development on a part-time, two-year basis.
Harris adds that Sheffield Hallam is discussing the possibility of offering the institute some of its undergraduate courses to be taught completely in Sri Lanka and giving staff the chance of doing a PhD in partnership with SHU.

Krasocki thinks the biggest growth area in the higher education sector will be trans-national education with "in-country provision" of the kind that NCUK provides. She also notes the increase in pathway partnerships among British universities and refers to a recent conference in London on the theme of internationalism in higher education which was told that in 2002 there were two such partnerships and now there are 27 within the UK.

She says: "We don't have competition in off-shore provision as we have been going for so long in a cost-effective way. We've thrived because we've concentrated on the practical concerns and we're able to adapt readily to needs of universities. We share development expenses, and standards and quality are protected. We'll be quite hard to imitate. But we are not complacent; we try to be one step ahead."