British students to study in India to improve their skills

There is much hand-wringing among Britain's education leaders and employers who seek to expand abroad but find that students here do not know the language and other life skills to live and function outside UK.

There are several student exchange programmes allowing British students to spend a period of time to study abroad, particularly in European universities, but there is less enthusiasm among the students.

After returning from the recent visit to India, Universities minister David Willetts wants to develop joint undergraduate and postgraduate courses between UK and Indian universities that will allow British students to spend course time in India.
Currently, more than 40,000 Indian students are studying in Britain, but only 500 travelled to India every year, Willets told the Daily Telegraph.

"The number of students going to India at the moment is embarrassingly low. It is a scandal that only 500 British students currently go to one of the world's fastest growing economies. I want to get it up to the thousands quite soon."
Under his plans, British students would be able to complete mainstream qualifications in India after starting them in Britain.

The subjects in Indian universities of particular interest to Britons are Maths, Science and IT, subjects that have suffered considerably in Britain in recent decades due to lack of students and faculty members.

Willetts' move comes after business leaders claimed that young Britons were increasingly missing out in the workplace because of a poor grasp of foreign languages combined with a lack of experience of living abroad.

A report from the Confederation of British Industry earlier this year found that almost three-quarters of companies were dissatisfied with students' language skills while more than half warned of "shortfalls in their international cultural awareness" – potentially jeopardising trade with countries such as China, India, Russia and Brazil.
"Businesses say there aren't enough students with experience of languages, different cultures and the wider world," Willetts said.

He told the newspaper that "British companies want to export abroad but one of the problems they raise with us is that British students don't have foreign languages and an experience of living in another country."

"One of my aims is to try and encourage our undergraduates and postgraduates to study abroad and the best way to do that is to ensure it counts towards a British degree."
There has to be time overseas doing a programme which a British university recognises and validates. It would enrich the outlook of British students and make them more employable, he said.

Last week, Willetts led a delegation of university vice-chancellors and business leaders to India as part of David Cameron's visit.
He said a series of productive meetings had been staged with Indian education and employment ministers with a view to establishing joint projects between the two countries.

Willetts said joint university courses could be established, allowing British and Indian students to switch time between the two countries.
He said the courses would be a full undergraduate or postgraduate qualification developed by two universities.
"We need a structure in place where there is a mutual understanding of qualifications," he added.