Currently, the Russian economy is very dynamic, with six per cent growth in GDP and export revenue is continuing to rise mainly due to high international oil prices.
The Russian market for Education UK products is growing steadily across all sectors. Russian retail sales have increased by 25 per cent in 2005 and Russia is now the 12th largest retail market in the world. Increasing household incomes, higher consumer purchases and the expansion of credit availability are stimulating household consumption. Education, transport and communications, leisure, healthcare and housing are the areas expected to have the major increases in their shares of consumer spending.
The greatest concentration of Russia's population is in the Moscow region, which now has more billionaires than New York. Demand for Education UK products are highest in Moscow, with 50 per cent of all students coming from the Moscow region.
The quality of school-leavers and graduates from prestigious institutions is a major attraction for international student recruiters. International education offers access to skills relevant to Russia's growing market economy; qualifications that can be relied on by employers, and, consequently, enhance career prospects.
Education in Russia is going through a comprehensive reform process, with the reorganisation of the secondary school system, including an additional school year at age 17 to help bridge the gap between school and university education. The government has also introduced a standardised 'unified exam' for school leavers.
The UK is a popular study destination for Russians due to its advantageous geographical proximity to Russia. It is estimated that approximately 250,000 Russians currently live and work full and part-time in the UK.
There is a large number of education and travel agents in Russia, most of them specialise in selling ELT education products. Virtually all agents represent multiple countries.
The most popular Education UK product is English language courses and in 2005 there was an 18 per cent increase in the number of Russians travelling to the UK to study English.
The UK is the preferred option for independent schools. The current housing boom in Moscow and other Russian regions has lead to the development of new elite residential areas, particularly in the outskirts of Moscow. The Russian private school network has been unable to keep pace creating strong demand for international independent schools and colleges as a result.
Further education in the form of foundation, A-level and International Baccalaureate programmes is growing in popularity. British Council Russia has noted a sharp increase in enquiries for these courses as well as short programmes offered by FE institutions.
In undergraduate education, the UK is the preferred destination, but at postgraduate level, particularly in business subjects, the USA leads. Germany, France and Holland are also very popular among Russian students as they also offer courses in English.
Demand for Distance learning has been also growing generating interest from students and institutions.
The UK's biggest market is ELT, especially very short courses for students aged 11 to 15, with small, though increasing, interest from young professionals, prospective boarding school pupils and the general public. There are also real opportunities to recruit from regions outside Moscow.
Typically, Russians planning to educate their children at UK universities send them to boarding school or sixth form college, mainly for A-levels, although the International Baccalaureate is becoming a popular alternative. This is an established market, and it is not yet certain to what extent it will be affected by the newly emerging market for foundation courses offered by the further and higher education sectors.
In higher education, business-related subjects predominate. There is also significant interest in art & design. At graduate level, interest in the MBA is still strong, as is other more specialist Master's programmes. There is growing interest in distance learning MBAs. Other popular subjects include economics, law, creative arts & design, European languages & literature, politics, history and philosophy, sociology, linguistics, mass communications and education.
An estimated 20 per cent of the non-ELT market is accounted for by professional courses, especially art & design, followed by management, finance and teaching. There is strong demand for UK professional examinations in marketing and accountancy. In 2005, demand for CIMA and ACCA grew by 20 per cent.
Education promotion is part of the British Council Russia's broader education programme, which supports the Russian education reform process by introducing UK experience, expertise and resources, and facilitates links between UK and Russian institutions.
There are currently 15 offices in Russia, and all of them have public access. Our main office is in Moscow, but all our offices undertake Education UK market development work.
British Council Russia has been engaged in education promotion work since 1999/2000, when we ran our first exhibition. In the medium- to long-term, our strategy is to grow existing markets for independent schools, higher education and ELT, and develop newer markets for foundation, professional courses and translational education.
We aim to develop our outreach activities beyond Moscow and St Petersburg and to raise awareness of the UK education programmes among Russians. We will increase the number of agents who promote Education UK products and will work to improve the quality of services agents provide to their customers. We will focus our provision of services to UK exporters on access to quality marketing information.
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