Market environment

Venezuela lies on the northern tropical Caribbean coast of South America. Venezuela borders Brazil to the south, Guyana to the east, and Colombia to the west. North of the Venezuelan coast lie the islands of Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles and Trinidad and Tobago. The Venezuelan population is 25.7 million over 65 per cent of which is aged between 15 to 64 years old.

The oil industry predominates, with other activity centered on gas, mining, telecommunications, petrochemicals and latent capacity in agriculture and tourism. Venezuela’s main trading partners include the USA, the Netherlands, Brazil, Columbia and Mexico. The main UK investors include BP, Shell, Unilever, Astra Zeneca and Glaxo Smith Kline.

English continues to be an important requirement for enhancing top-level career prospects. The job market in Venezuela is no exception and young Venezuelans have realised the importance of acquiring a good command of the language for their professional development and are going overseas to study English. For example, recently, British Council Venezuela has administered a “study English in the UK” scheme. The number of placements has increased steadily over the past year. There are over 25 agents representing UK institutions across Venezuela.

Despite the economic difficulties the country is facing, the British Council Venezuela receives an ever increasing number of education enquiries.

Market characteristicsMarket characteristics

The Venezuelan education system comprises nine years of basic compulsory education combining primary and secondary from the age of 6 to 14. At secondary level students can choose to train for the Bachillerato in science, arts and/or humanities; or they can train for the Técnico Medio at an Educacion Media Profesional. Studies are divided into industrial husbandry, commercial and health sectors. The medium of instruction is Spanish.

Admission to university level and non-university level studies (technical/vocational type) requires students to have obtained the Bachillerato with the minimum mark of 10, and sit the Prueba de Aptitud Académica aptitude test.

English is taught at all secondary schools and is a compulsory course during the secondary level education. Nevertheless, the majority of students obtain basic proficiency. Private English courses are very popular.

Most Venezuelans are conscious of their education, after completing undergraduate studies are keen to pursue postgraduate studies. The main barrier is the cost of these courses overseas as well as maintenance fees.

The USA has a strong cultural influence on Venezuelan society and it remains the first option for overseas education. Europe continues to be the main alternative destination, with Spain, France and Germany attracting those not going to the UK. The greatest advantage of studying in the UK is the British education system’s reputation for quality. In particular, the one–year master’s programme is a key selling point for the UK, attracting students from the public and private sector.

British Council promotional activities have contributed to the change in perceptions among Venezuelans with regard to studying and living in the UK.  Europe, in general, is perceived as a very expensive destination, Venezuelans are surprised that the UK’s cost of living is, in some respects, no more expensive than Venezuela (for e.g. accommodation and food). Opportunities to find temporary jobs whilst studying and NHS coverage for students staying more than six month have made the UK option very attractive, as our main competitor, the US does not offer these benefits to international students. There has also been an increase in the number of Venezuelan students studying in Canada.

Market opportunitiesMarket opportunities

The biggest market opportunity is in the oil & gas sector. This is not the only main economic activity in Venezuela but the one were major training gaps have been identified. There is an increasing demand for education (mainly postgraduate studies) in this sector.

Our infrastructure and strategic education prioritiesOur infrastructure and strategic education priorities

British Council Venezuela provides support to Education Agents in the form of information sharing and enquiry handling. Most of our customers refer directly to the Education UK website or are redirected there by our Customer Service Team.

We continue to administrate the Chevening Scholarships scheme following FCO guidelines and selection criteria. Our priority subject areas are: Human Rights, Climate Change and Sustainable Policies, Energy, Oil & Gas, Public Administration.