The British Council makes a major contribution to prosperity and growth
24 September 2012
- Trust underpins trade. It allows for the efficient operation of markets, reduces transaction costs and enables innovation through the free exchange of ideas.
- The British Council builds trust in the UK around the world. Increasing the trust between the UK and international partners opens up opportunities for growing trade links and international co-operation.
- We use the English language, education and UK culture to create strong links between people in the UK and the rest of the world, building trust.
- The British Council can act in places and reach people that the UK government cannot and acts as a bridgehead for businesses, entrepreneurs and creative professionals.
- Research has found that the probability that people around the world will enter into business relationships with the UK, study in the UK and visit the UK increases substantially as a result of sustained cultural interchange.
- By presenting the best of the UK’s cultural assets abroad, we attract people and inward investment to the UK. International businesses, tourists and students come to the UK and create opportunities for the UK economy.
- We showcase the best of the UK’s arts and creative industries in international markets, generating opportunities for both young and established artists and businesses to grow their order books.
- We support the UK’s education sector in international markets. We build links between higher education institutions in the UK and overseas, improving the exchange of research and innovation. We provide a platform for the provision of English language teaching, and for English and professional examinations.
- The international opportunities we offer to young people transform their career prospects by developing the skills and experience recognised by employers as vital to the success of businesses in a competitive global market.
Research by Chatham House has placed the English language, education and culture as the top three factors in supporting the UK’s overseas reputation.
The British Council helps attract more than 400,000 international students to the UK every year. International student recruitment brings £14 billion to the UK economy per annum.
Our provision of UK exams and qualifications are worth £60 million in export earnings for UK exam boards.
We are the National Agency for large-scale EU-funded mobility programmes in education and training – Comenius, Erasmus and Youth in Action – enabling more than 200,000 young people from the UK to gain international experience and skills each year.
Last year, participation in British Council programmes brought international opportunities for personal and professional development to 2.3 million people in the UK.
Every year, we send 2,500 UK participants to work as English language assistants in schools around the globe.
We work with the education ministries of each of the four UK countries to raise young people’s global awareness, skills and ambitions. In 2011-12 we worked with 30% of UK schools, 50% of UK colleges and 90% of UK universities
The creative industries contribute £17 billion to the UK economy each year. The British Council promotes UK arts and creative entrepreneurship worldwide.
Major UK cultural seasons led by the British Council in China (UK Now) and Brazil (Transform) increase knowledge and awareness of the UK amongst millions of people in these key emerging markets.
Research commissioned from ICM in 2011 found that, in recruiting new employees, 79% of employers considered knowledge and awareness of the wider world as important, compared to those that considered the following important: rated degree subject and classification (74%), A-level results (68%), or A-level subjects (63%).
