About PMI2

PMI2 overview
Who is delivering PMI2
PMI2 history

PMI2 overview

The PMI2 programme came to an official close in March 2011 (although many activities are still on-going). For a summary of how the programme performed and what it achieved, you can Download PDF Document find out in this report (2MB).

International education provides the UK with a dynamic, high-skill and sustainable industry, estimated to be worth more than GBP 10 billion. International education, however, is not merely an export industry. It helps us to build friendships with people from around the world, enabling us to understand more about each others' cultures and opening the doors to greater trade, investment and political influence. By internationalising its education provision, the UK is able to attract intellectual capital – enriching the UK's capacity for research, technological growth and innovation.

Launched in April 2006, the Prime Minister's Initiative for International Education (PMI2) is a five-year strategy which aims to secure the UK's position as a leader in international education and sustain the growth of UK international education delivered in the UK and overseas.

International student recruitment to the UK is an important element within the strategy, but our ability to attract students increasingly depends on our reputation in the international arena. Not only is this about the quality and value of our education, it is also about the contribution we make globally and the strength of the partnerships we build.

Aims
PMI2's aims are to:

promote the benefits of a UK education to international students
ensure international students have a positive experience of their UK studies
help UK and international education providers to build strategic alliances and partnerships, and demonstrate the value of the UK as a partner in policy and delivery
diversify and consolidate markets.

Specifically, our targets for 2011 are to:

attract an additional 70,000 international students to UK Higher Education, and an additional 30,000 international students to UK Further Education
achieve demonstrable improvements to student satisfaction ratings in the UK
achieve significant growth in the number of partnerships between the UK and other countries
double the number of countries sending more than 10,000 students per annum to the UK.

Strategy
PMI2 focuses on new countries as well as strengthening relationships in countries where there are well established ties. It sets out four interconnected strands:

UK positioning: marketing and communications
The first PMI taught us that students wanting to study abroad choose the country first, and then an institution. With a strong reputation for education worldwide, the UK is well positioned to address this; however, competition is growing dramatically, with more and more countries seeking to attract international students.

Developed for PMI2, the Education UK brand and marketing and communications campaigns tell students around the world what benefits a UK education offers them. The Education UK website and publications enable students to find out about their study options. We also work with agents to ensure they are able to explain the benefits of UK education to potential students.

Ensuring the quality of the student experience
Studying abroad can be one of the most exciting and rewarding times of your life. Learning new ideas, meeting new people, exploring new cultures and landscapes… it can be an experience that leads to life-long friendships and relationships. However, students now have more choice than ever before – both from within their own countries as well as overseas study. As a result, their expectations are growing.

PMI2 aims to ensure that all international students undertaking a UK education have a positive experience at every step of the way. We do this through support in four areas:

visas, pre-departure information and orientation
student experience
marketing and communications campaigns
employability

Strategic alliances and partnerships
The dramatic changes in international education suggest a very different landscape by 2011 – one in which both the UK's positioning and many of its markets will depend on strong strategic overseas partnerships. If we are to reach our goals, we must achieve a major step change in this area.

PMI2 provides funding and support to UK FE and HE institutions to help them build partnerships with international institutions and industry. At government and policy level, we bring together education leaders to address global education challenges through policy dialogues.

For more information, see the PMI2 strategic alliances and partnerships section.

Market diversification and consolidation
If the UK education sector is to achieve its ambition of internationalisation, building relationships with people from around the world and learning about each others’ cultures, we need to engage with a wide range of countries.

PMI2 priority markets are:

Australia The Gulf (including
Saudi Arabia and UAE) Malaysia Sri Lanka
Bangladesh Hong Kong Mexico Taiwan
Brazil India Nigeria Thailand
Canada Indonesia Pakistan Turkey
China Japan Russia USA
Ghana Korea Singapore Vietnam

Find out more
Download PDF Document Making it happen – The Prime Minister's Initiative for International Education (2.04MB) - updated 13 April 2010
Download PDF Document The Prime Minister’s Initiative for International Education: Strategy brief (32KB)   [Education UK Partnership password required] - published 18 April 2006
Download PDF Document Prime Minister’s Initiative for International Education: launch press release (17KB)   [Education UK Partnership password required] - published 18 April 2006

PMI2 briefing documents and progress reviews.

DCSIMG