Scotland

11 September 2013

 

SCOTLAND

1. We share Scotland’s great cultural assets with the world: its internationally renowned education system, universities, arts and creative industries.

2. We support Scotland’s growth and prosperity.

3. We provide excellent value for Scotland and the UK.

 

We share Scotland’s great cultural assets with the world

•             We promote Scotland’s internationally renowned education system, universities, arts and creative industries.

•             We build trust for the people of Scotland and the UK and support Scotland’s trade, exports and prosperity around the world.

•             We encourage people to visit, study in and do business with Scotland and the UK.

 

Growth and prosperity for Scotland

•             Through education and culture, we increase awareness and opportunities for Scotland and the rest of the UK in emerging economies such as China, Russia, India and Brazil.

•             The British Council supports and assists outward cultural and educational missions from Scotland, connecting them with the right people and institutions around the world.

•             The British Council helped to start the Edinburgh Festival and today promotes it worldwide, bringing world talent to participate and collaborate.

•             We support Scotland’s higher education system, encouraging international students to study in Scotland and international universities to partner with Scottish universities.

•             We connect Scottish schools with their international counterparts, helping Scottish school children to learn languages and learn about the world.

 

Excellent value for Scotland

•             We take an entrepreneurial approach, earning 75 per cent of our income through English teaching, administering UK exams and delivering contracts, as well as receiving funding from all four UK governments.

•             Individuals and institutions worldwide increasingly buy our services and contract us for our skills in education and international development, as well as to access Scottish and UK expertise.

•             Income earned this way funds the majority of our turnover, reducing our call on the taxpayer. This is great value for Scotland and the countries of the UK.

 

FACTS

•             The British Council opened in Edinburgh in 1946 to promote Scottish culture and learning to the rest of the world.

•             The British Council brings Scotland global reach through an international on-the-ground and digital network. In more than 100 countries worldwide, the British Council supports Scotland’s profile and standing in the world.

•             The Edinburgh Festival is now the world’s largest cultural festival and generates nearly £260 million for Scotland annually. The British Council promotes it worldwide.

•             By working in partnership with Festivals Edinburgh, for example, we have helped create new openings, interest and markets in China, India and Brazil, among other countries, bringing economic and cultural benefits and returns to Scotland as a whole.

•             In the arts, we are building partnerships with the major national arts institutions, festivals and companies. Particular attention is paid to international flagships such as Edinburgh International Festival and Festivals Edinburgh, as well as with the Scottish Government, national programmes and national cultural agencies, including, as a priority, Creative Scotland and Scottish Opera.

•             In 2012 we helped the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq come to Scotland, overcoming immense bureaucratic barriers, to perform in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

•             We were one of four partners responsible for bringing culture ministers from around the world to the first ever Edinburgh International Culture Summit at the Scottish Parliament, giving culture a prominence on the international political agenda like never before.

•             And, 50 years after the original event, we brought 50 world-renowned writers to the Edinburgh World Writers Conference to debate topics including censorship, style versus content, the future of the novel, and national literature.

•             We also supported Scotland’s contribution to the Venice Architecture Biennale. Critical Dialogues showcased projects from four emerging Scottish practices exploring the social role of the architect and the creative boundaries of architecture.

•             In education, our most important partnerships are with higher education institutions and national organisations in Scotland, including Universities Scotland, Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework Partnership, Scottish Qualification Authority, Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Development International, Education Scotland and General Teaching Council Created by the Corporate HQ team For use until December 2013 for Scotland; and with the Scottish government, and in particular its Education Directorate and national initiatives. We also work closely with international higher-education policy bodies overseas with an interest in Scotland.

•             In 2012, there were 1,000 international school partnership projects in Scotland, reaching 15 per cent of Scotland’s 2,700 schools.

•             In 2011–12, the Erasmus programme for Scotland led to 1,811 student and 273 staff exchanges, 1,363 study exchanges and 448 work placements for students.

•             Last year, missions by senior academics from 17 Scottish higher-education institutions to China and 14 to India led to £1.09 million of business. Scotland linked with 52 higher education institutions in China, 47 in India, 26 in the US, 15 in Canada, 14 in Pakistan and 13 in Russia.

•             In 2011–12 more than 37,000 overseas students came to Scotland, representing 1.2 per cent of the world’s share and 12 per cent of the UK share.

•             The British Council is a UK-wide body that is politically impartial. Our core UK government funding comes from HM Treasury, via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and we respond to the needs and demands of Scotland in line with our published corporate plan.