hee news


Worrying decline in new international student enrolments


BETWEEN 2014/15 and 2015/16, there was a 1% increase (to 2,280,830) in the overall number of students in UK higher education. The data, from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, showed also a decrease of 5% in the number of part- time students since 2014/15 and a drop of 1% in the number of new international (non-EU) student enrolments. Responding to the figures, Nicola


Dandridge, ceo of Universities UK, welcomed the overall growth in student numbers but said the “flat-lining”


in international student numbers was a cause for concern. “While demand from Chinese students remains exceptionally strong, we have seen a further and worrying decline in student numbers from countries such as India [-9%] and Nigeria [-10%]. Numbers from India have almost halved since 2011,” she said. “Malaysia and the United States have now overtaken India in the table of countries providing students to the UK. In comparison, the number of Indian students enrolling in the


USA during the same period increased by 25%. “If the UK wants to remain a top


destination for international students and academics, it needs a new approach to immigration that is proportionate and welcoming for talented people from across the world. This will be even more important as the UK looks to enhance its place in the world post-Brexit.”


www.universitiesuk.ac.uk


Government sets 2.3% target for public sector apprenticeships


THE DfE is setting the public sector a target of recruiting 200,000 more apprentices by 2020. The announcement builds on the


Government’s commitment to deliver three million apprenticeships by 2020, by requiring at least 2.3% of the workforce


in public bodies in England (this is a devolved duty) to be apprentices. This new requirement, which was


brought in as part of the 2016 Enterprise Act, will apply to public sector bodies with 250 or more employees and is set to be implemented from 1 April.


The new target is being championed


by the Civil Service, which has pledged to achieve 30,000 apprenticeship starts in England by 2020 – with an expectation to see similar levels of growth in the UK Home Civil Service, outside of England.


£70m research hub for Imperial College London


THE NEW Michael Uren Biomedical Engineering Research Hub is a £70m addition to Imperial College London’s


White City Campus, a new 23-acre district dedicated to research and innovation in science, engineering, medicine and business. Designed as a collaborative facility,


the centre will facilitate life-changing research into new and affordable medical technology, helping people affected by a diverse range of medical conditions. Due to commence on site shortly and scheduled for completion in 2019, the hub will incorporate a clinical facility side-by-side with multidisciplinary laboratories and offices for translational research initiatives, providing patients with direct access to the latest innovations in healthcare. Designed by Allies & Morrison with


ISG selected as preferred contractor, the 14-storey arrow-shaped facility will feature a hybrid concrete and steel frame


6 highereducationestates


structure. A full-height steel frame nose cone, forming the apex of the arrow, will house the building’s complex mechanical and electrical services infrastructure. A glazed façade with prefabricated and geometrically distinct concrete fins to two elevations will provide solar shading as well as complementing the building’s striking design. High-end concrete finishes feature


throughout the building, with exposed soffits, walls and columns and the project will achieve a BREEAM Very Good environmental performance rating. Research areas at the hub will include


new technologies for the early detection, monitoring and treatment of cancers; the development of minimally invasive implants; regenerative medicine and technology to aid recovery from nervous system injuries.


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