CFE’s report from the Association of Graduate Recruiters and the Council for Industry and Higher Education said that UK students were "lagging behind" in the skills needed by employers in a global economy. The report said major employers, operating across international borders, wanted competencies such as "global knowledge", "a global mindset" and "cultural agility".
The British Council's Richard Everitt also backed an increase in students moving between the UK and US. "Increased mobility between students in both directions can only strengthen our current ties, and create mutual opportunities for greater prosperity," he said.
Within four years, a quarter of sixth formers at a leading UK independent school will be heading for universities in the United States.That's the prediction of Anthony Seldon, head of Wellington College in Berkshire. Dr Seldon, one of the UK's most prominent head teachers, says that ambitious teenagers are looking further afield than ever before in their university choices.
The lure of well-funded US universities, with more broad-based course options, is proving increasingly attractive to youngsters in the UK, he says. At a recent talk with pupils, he said that about 40% claimed to want to go to US universities, with the expectation that many of these will actually go on to enrol.
This surge in academic wanderlust reflects the experience of the Fulbright Commission, which promotes educational links between the US and UK. The level of interest is "rising sharply" this year, says commission director Lauren Welch. They were taken aback when 4,000 students turned up for a US university recruitment fair in London last month - double previous years
The introduction of higher tuition fees at UK universities, up to £9,000 per year, is pushing students to think much harder about their options. It's also changing the balance of what is affordable.
