Challenges of being an education hub

Hong Kong has what it takes to be an education hub, recently released international research has shown.

The city has some of the best conditions to attract both foreign institutions and students to make a hub a reality. These include regulations to ensure the quality of courses and favourable financial incentives and visa conditions.

Many countries want to be hubs, but at the British Council's Going Global 2013 conference, held in Dubai last month, it was Hong Kong that came out as one of the star performers, according to two new studies conducted by the British Council and Dr Jane Knight, the "hub specialist" from the University of Toronto.

A hub, according to Knight's definition, involves attracting a large number of students, providers and research centres for cross-border education, training and research. Among the reasons for a government to do this are to internationalise and modernise its educational system, build a skilled workforce, attract foreign investment, and increase its competitiveness.

Many of these motivations are as true for Hong Kong as other aspiring hubs. Although it has strong local universities, the supply of places falls well short of demand. In 2011, government figures showed about 38,300 students were enrolled in around 1,160 non-local courses registered with the Education Bureau, from Britain, Australia and other countries.

These courses, known as trans-national education (TNE), have helped Hong Kong extend access to higher education and raise the skill levels of young people. They are part of the hub in operation, supported by policies to ensure quality and an option for local accreditation.