Wales

11 September 2013

 

WALES

1. We build trust and international opportunities for Wales.

2. We support Wales’ growth and prosperity.

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

 

Trust and international opportunities for Wales

•             The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of Wales and the UK, and builds trust for Wales worldwide.

•             We share Wales’ great cultural assets with the world: its distinctive education system and internationally renowned arts and cultural sector. This builds trust for the people of Wales and the UK and supports Wales’ prosperity around the world.

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

 

Growth and prosperity for Wales

•             We increase awareness and opportunities for Wales and the rest of the UK in major global markets like China, India and Brazil.

•             We support Wales’ higher education system, encouraging international students to study in Wales and international universities to partner with Welsh universities.

•             We connect Welsh schools with their international counterparts, helping Welsh schoolchildren to learn languages and learn about the world.

•             We promote the best of Welsh culture and learning to the rest of the world; bringing international academics, students, policy makers and artists to Wales and taking their counterparts abroad.

 

Excellent value for Wales

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

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

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

 

FACTS

British Council opened in Cardiff in 1944 to build an international profile and partnerships for Wales, helping to achieve greater global engagement with Welsh culture.

The British Council brings global reach to Wales through an international on-the-ground and digital network. With offices in over 100 countries, the British Council offers Welsh institutions and creative professionals the overseas knowledge, experience and networks to support Wales’ profile and standing in the world.

We collaborate with the Welsh government to develop cultural relations activities that build on the distinct features of Wales. For example, we helped develop a special relationship with Chongqing in China through long-term co-operation in education and the arts.

On 7 December 2011 a concordat was signed between the National Assembly for Wales and the British Council that set out principles which underpin the relationship between them and outlines how the two bodies will work together.

The British Council supports and assists visiting cultural and educational missions to and from Wales, connecting them with the right people and institutions. We also work closely with our offices overseas and international education policy bodies to connect incoming visitors to Wales with the local organisations and individuals that can provide the expertise and support to meet their interests.

Through our partnership agreement with Arts Council of Wales, Wales Arts International has established a new strategic programme of international art from partnerships with leading arts organisations in Wales.

In 2012 we launched Wales International Young Artist Award – this annual award aims to identify a new pool of young talent across the creative sectors and nurture it further by offering young artists from Wales, national and international exposure.

British Council Wales is leading on the international programme for the Dylan Thomas 100 Festival through the Starless and Bible Black initiative.

In education, we work in partnership with institutions, representative bodies, strategic partners and governmental departments to ensure the British Council’s global programmes and locally devised initiatives are attuned to the needs, strategies and expertise of Wales.

In 2012 we commissioned a strategic analysis of the Welsh higher education sector. The comprehensive review identified work in the higher education sector in Wales that is outstanding, unique or distinctive at the UK or international level. The report will be used to highlight Wales as an education partner/destination of choice.

Working in collaboration with the National Assembly for Wales, ‘Women Making a Difference’, and other community organisations, the British Council is supporting programmes to increase women’s participation in public life and economic participation in the Middle East and North Africa region.