10 | NEWS | UNIVERSIT Y BUSINESS


W: www.universitybusiness.co.uk | T: @UB_UK UB Britain 'shooting itself in the foot'


A major report from Hobsons shows that the UK is falling behind in the global race for higher education. International students are being put off by government policy and the perception that the UK won’t welcome them. The Hobsons’ report entitled ‘Beyond


the data’ surveyed 18,393 students from over 195 countries. It found that the majority of potential international students are not motivated by a desire to live in the UK after graduation: shat ering the myth that international students use British universities as an immigration loophole. However, international applicants are


concerned about visa changes which aff ect their ability to come and study in the UK. Hobsons’ Director of Client and


External Relations, Duncan Findlater,


said: “The UK needs to understand that when a student is thinking of coming here to study, in most cases this means they don’t want to live in the UK after they fi nish their course.” Mr Findlater said the report


highlighted the damage to the UK’s position as a global higher education leader just as the government proposes further policies aimed at placing further restrictions on international students. Department for Innovation, Business


and Skills research has placed the value of international students to the UK economy at £14bn. With 73% of potential international students telling Hobsons that the ease of get ing a visa to study would aff ect their choice of destination country, the potential impact is clear.


Duncan Findlater


Smart cities for the future


SHEFFIELD VOTED TOP FOR STUDENT HAPPINESS


The University of Sheffi eld is the UK’s number one for student satisfaction in the 2014 Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey. More than 14,000 students from


universities across the country took part in the survey which highlights the institutions that shine in the way they cater for student’s needs. This year, the University of Sheffi eld


rose two places beating the University of Bath and the University of East Anglia to the top spot – while the universities of Oxford and Cambridge ranked fourth and sixth place respectively. As well as being voted number one


overall, the University was judged top in a number of at ributions which are key individual measures of student experience including: ‘high quality facilities’, ‘good social life’, ‘good accommodation’ and ‘good Students’ Union’.


A global initiative to encourage the world’s leading cities to become ‘smart’ has received a big boost from Sheffi eld University. Mobile-connected smart cities is a


concept being led by GSMA, the association of mobile operators and related companies, to help major urban centres around the world use information and communication technologies to improve the lives and well-being of citizens. The vision is that smart cities will


use advances in communication technologies including mobile networks to provide citizens with


bet er access to information. Dr G C Alex Peng from the University


of Sheffi eld’s Information School said: “A future smart city will contain a series of highly innovative and intelligent technologies that will aff ect every single aspect of our lives, ranging from home facilities, to transportation, education, healthcare and energy.” The current Smart Cities Index contains


smart city profi les for 11 of the world’s leading cities; San Francisco, New York, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Berlin, Helsinki, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul.


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