Fewer students in the UK going on a year abroad

A new report released by Universities UK (UUK) warns that the number of undergraduates at UK universities going on a year abroad is falling behind that of other countries.

The report shows that only 6.6% of British students go on year abroad programmes during their degrees, compared to 28% of German students, 20% of Australians and 16% of those studying in the United States.

However, UK institutions take more than double the number of students they send abroad, being the second most popular destination for foreign students.

Director of Universities UK International, Vivienne Stern, has suggested that students in Britain may be too focused on their grades and employment to go on a year abroad during their studies.

“At a time of political and economic uncertainty in the UK, it is understandable that students are seeking stability by focusing on their studies and getting a foot on the career ladder as soon as possible,” she told The Sunday Telegraph.

“However, sacrificing opportunities to study abroad means that UK students are actually missing opportunities to enhance their careers: we know that graduates who have studied abroad are 24% less likely to be unemployed than those who haven’t.”

In two years after 2014, the proportion of UK students on years abroad rose by just two percentage points and a third of students working or studying abroad were on language courses.

Real life experience is not quite there as it used to be

– Steven Gwenin

UUK hopes however to double the proportion on years abroad by 2020, setting a target of 13% of all domestic students.

Steve Gwenin, chief executive of GVI, a company that works with UK universities to send students on year abroad programmes, believes British students are stuck in a “gap year mentality”.

Students do not recognise the value of learning languages and soft skills, such as teamwork, leadership and problem-solving, he said.

“For the European students we get, part of their key objective is cultural immersion and exploration. In the UK I’m not sure that as a society we place a high emphasis on cultural exploration. It’s not phrased as a key objective or a key skill.”

Mr Gwenin also stated that “universities are struggling to supply soft skills as “they’re teaching a lot of technical skills, but they’re understanding the need to get outside of the classroom environment”.

He also commented on the rise of overbearing “helicopter parenting” and too much “screen time” in the UK as a factor in leading students to no longer wanted to explore the world as they once did.

“Real life experience is not quite there as it used to be,” he said.