CORPORATE PLAN.

CORPORATE

PLAN

2014 – 2016

2. COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIPS

AND VALUE TO THE UK

8

3. ARTS

14

4. ENGLISH AND EXAMINATIONS

18

5. EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

22

6. GLOBAL NETWORK

28

7. PEOPLE, CAPACITY AND

ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

38

8. PERFORMANCE TARGETS

41

Few countries are more internationally connected

than the UK, or have more reasons to stay that way

for trade, economic growth and for long-term

prosperity and security.

As a ‘top table’ nation in world affairs, the UK must continue to engage and invest in:

• building trust between the people and institutions of the UK and overseas to foster prosperity and security around the world

• encouraging people to visit, study in, and do business with the UK

• helping outward mobility from the UK to the rest of the world to share culture, learning and international experiences

• attracting people who really matter to our future to visit and engage with the UK’s vibrant arts and cultural scene and diverse, modern, open society. The British Council plays a pivotal role in supporting the UK’s links around the world in all of these areas. The English language, our world class education system and creative and cultural sectors help create the UK’s unrivalled soft power – which is our ability to build relationships and influence through the UK’s most attractive assets: culture, arts, education, language and values.

Our research shows that people around the world who learn English, earn British qualifications, and experience UK culture have more trust in the UK. That trust attracts talented people to the UK and increases study, tourism and trade, bringing tangible economic and social value to the UK.

Last year (2012–13) 23 million people worldwide came face-to-face with the English language, UK education and UK culture by working with the British Council, and our partners, including educational providers and cultural organisations and great brands like the Premier League, HSBC and more. This comprises over ten million people through teaching, examinations, workshops and meetings, plus 13 million at exhibitions, festivals and fairs. In addition, more than 90 million people used our digital channels and over 440 million people watched, listened to, or read our television, radio broadcasts and print publications.

However, the key to cultural relations is people meeting people. These encounters with English teachers, educators, artists, sportspeople, scientists, policy makers and young people of the UK underpin the trust in the UK that we build all around the world.

In 2014 we are well on the way to meeting the ambitious targets for growth, transformation and efficiency we set in 2011. We have invested in people, in skills and in new partners to meet demand and drive growth. We work closely with the UK government and the governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to help them achieve their international ambitions and economic growth. Our collaborative approach also showcases the UK’s arts, culture and educational strengths and supports the UK’s commitment to international development. As a result the UK’s soft power is strong, well-organised and well received.

There are, however, major challenges ahead. A more volatile world, increasing demand, competition from international markets and complex delivery models mean we have to keep adapting and changing. Where once we were largely a grant-funded organisation with some income earning alongside, we are now an ‘entrepreneurial public service’ – with the same ethos and public service purpose we have always had, but with greater emphasis on earning, partnering and bidding for contracts in order to make the most of the opportunities to extend our work and lessen the call on the UK taxpayer.

As we plan towards 2020, we aim to build our expertise and capability to find, stimulate and bring to the UK more of the education and cultural opportunities which exist in world markets – especially in emerging and developing economies. We are hiring the people, building the skills and creating the culture which will enable us to bring together the strengths of the whole of the UK to transform access to English language and education in state and public education systems worldwide – as well as showcasing, stimulating and sharing the benefits of the UK’s vibrant cultural sector through festivals, seasons and designated ‘years’ of culture to exchange, share and celebrate our cultural achievements.

Looking forward to 2020 we want to do more: for the whole of the UK, with more UK partners and for the benefit of the people of the UK and the countries where we work. Our ambition is to strengthen our position as a great asset for the UK, while adapting to a changing world and leveraging major opportunities for the UK – to build the trust and international opportunity, which builds prosperity and security for us all.

This Corporate Plan sets out the next stage of that journey, focusing on investment in our people to be able to represent the best of the UK globally, improved productivity to maximise the impact and return of our work, and increasing our scale to help the UK rise to the global demand for UK-backed English teaching, arts, culture, qualifications, learning opportunities, knowledge and ideas.

Sir Martin Davidson kCMG

Chief Executive British Council © D av id L ak e

1. PLAN AND PRIORITIES

FOR 2016

Where are we on the journey?

This Corporate Plan sets out our targets and priorities for the next two years to the end of 2015–16. The strategic planning period was due to end by 2014 –15 but we have extended and raised our ambition for the additional year to ensure alignment with UK government spending review forward guidance.

Back in 2011 we proposed an ambitious and bold strategy. We committed to growth, despite the turbulent economic environment. We committed to strengthen the impact of our work and to engage with more people than ever before.

We sought to grow our total turnover by over a quarter against a backdrop of declining grant in aid. This growth was underpinned by major organisational transformation: a major programme of redundancies, and investment in our existing and new staff to develop a culture of entrepreneurial public service. We have developed simpler, leaner models of operation overseas, reduced our UK premises footprint and upgraded our digital presence worldwide. Through this strategy we sought to deliver more benefit for the UK by 2015 than at any time in our history.

Today we are well on the way to meeting this ambition. As an organisation we have simplified, focusing our work and programmes in arts, English and examinations, and education and society. The scale of our work has increased. By 2016 we plan to work directly with over 23 million people through face-to-face workshops, events and exhibitions. We also aim to grow our digital audience to well over 100 million per year and increase our turnover to over £1 billion.

In the UK and across our global network we have transformed our physical footprint, reducing costs and saving space by upgrading to smart working. At the end of 2010, our platform (premises, infrastructure and support staff) was 19 per cent of our total costs; by 2016 it will be 14 per cent. We have updated and improved our technology as a foundation for our continued growth ambitions in English and digital learning. Most importantly, we have invested in people – in professional skills in arts, English, education and society worldwide – and in new teams for business development and partnership to attract UK brands and partners to the opportunities we are seeing around the world.

Progress is best demonstrated through the programmes we deliver across the world to build trust and opportunity for the UK. We partner with global brands, including Premier League, HSBC and Microsoft. We partner with UK government through the GREAT Campaign, our work to support the International Education Strategy and our support for the promotion of the English language and Education UK. Our work is more relevant, accessible and in demand than ever before, ranging from Study Work Create for young people in the UK, to showcasing arts across the world, to our support for English language learning and teaching overseas. External validation of our work confirms the quality and value of what we do. The 2013 Independent Commission on Aid Impact gave a positive report on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and British Council response to the Arab Spring. Independent government evaluations for our work in the schools and justice sector have been scored as good to outstanding. External evaluation of our four-year UK–Brazil Transform arts programme shows we are on track to leave a legacy of institutional partnership and collaboration with the UK.

Our authority as an expert in the English language and cultural relations has been strengthened by a major global exhibition The English Effect in 2013, leading to a more confident, professional and ambitious British Council.

Despite this progress, we do not underestimate the challenges ahead. We manage daily security challenges, most notably in Afghanistan, Africa and the Middle East. We are continuously adapting our programmes to changing security circumstances, as well as to more sophisticated consumer needs in emerging economies. And as our grant in aid is increasingly targeted towards international development and UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), we are seeking new ways of funding and partnering for work which promotes the UK and supports UK prosperity.

Priorities to 2016

We will continue to strengthen our position as a unique asset for the UK by:

• Investment – to embody and represent the best of the UK globally. We will achieve this by continuing to invest the dividends from our ‘paid-for’ services in the capability, people, technology and systems which support and develop our reputation as a world-class organisation.

• Productivity – to create maximum impact from our work for the benefit of the UK and the countries in which we work. We will achieve this by continuing to focus on efficiency, on our cost base and on the management and balance of our funding, investment, people, programmes and partnerships.

• Scale – to help the UK rise to the global demand and need for UK-backed English teaching, arts, culture, qualifications, learning opportunities, knowledge and ideas. We will achieve this by developing our ability and capacity to respond to the full extent of opportunity forUK education and culture worldwide, by creating innovative and effective models of delivery ourselves and in partnership with other UK providers and institutions.

To achieve these priorities we will:

• Strengthen our partnerships with UK government, educational and cultural bodies, donors, education providers, brands and foundations for a much greater impact than we could achieve alone. We are committed to close alignment with the UK government and partners across government and we will continue to support the One HMG agenda. We value our relationship with missions overseas and their support for cultural relations.

• Work closely with UK government departments and agencies to share insights, identify and broker new opportunities for the UK in education and cultural sectors overseas and deliver real benefits and value to the UK.

• Maintain investment in the content of our programmes across face-to-face and digital channels, notably English and arts content, to meet ever growing demand and maximise the reach of the English language and UK culture.

• Strengthen our paid-for services and contracts work in key markets to support the development of sustainable business models in developed and emerging economies. This means expanding our operations, products and services in English language teaching, examinations, education and society and cultural skills, to give greater access to UK qualifications, examinations, higher education and expertise.

• Build on and develop new relationships with major corporates and brands through high-profile seasons, festivals and bilateral programmes that feature British arts and collaboration in priority overseas markets, reciprocated in the UK.

• Develop our portfolio of programmes to meet our increasing ODA targets, focusing on English for education systems, basic education, girls’ access to education, higher education including research development and supporting arts and society, and the institutions of civil society and justice.

• Strengthen our work with UK government and agencies to support the GREAT campaign, the International Education Strategy and Education UK, as well as encouraging inbound students, tourism and investment.

• Continue to share the UK’s expertise in growing social enterprise and supporting social entrepreneurs as a key component of our work, building on our work in East Asia where we have trained thousands of social entrepreneurs.

As an organisation we will:

• Maintain our extensive network of operations around the world, giving priority to countries of strategic importance to the UK and where we can achieve impact at scale.

• Continue to develop new models of operation. In EU Europe we are aiming for all our work to be self-sustaining with no call on grant in aid by 2017. Over time, we will develop similar approaches in East Asia and the Gulf.

• Strengthen our skills and attract new talent to support our drive to be a model of entrepreneurial public service. This will lead to greater career and international mobility, effective working in global teams and strong performance

management in a connected, interdependent global organisation.

• Continue to develop our digital platform to support the scale and worldwide reach needed to respond to the insatiable demand for English, UK education and arts – with enhanced capabilities to enable us to attract and stay connected with users at different life-stages. We will also focus on improved targeting, personalisation and payment systems.

• Develop our economic model, to grow paid-for services and our contracts work to deliver our core purpose and strengthen impact while reinvesting surpluses back into people, programmes and investment. For example, in areas like showcasing UK arts and maintaining the UK’s connections in developed countries, which would have previously been funded by the UK government through grant in aid.

Government triennial review

Findings from the government triennial review on the role and work of the British Council are expected during 2014. We will take account of these findings and work on the priorities identified, updating this plan as required. As part of our strengthening alignment with government objectives for culture and education, we have already consulted on this Corporate Plan with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), as well as the FCO.

The road to 2020

During the next two years, we will set out our priorities and workplan for 2020, building on what we have achieved in this Corporate Plan period.

The first step is to deliver the strategy we set out for 2011–15 which will underpin our strategy and trajectory to 2020. Our models for 2020 will respond to market challenges, funding pressures and new opportunities. For example, we intend to grow our ‘mixed economy’ model of paid-for work and education contracts to ensure we can share English, UK education and culture in emerging and developed economies, whilst focusing grant funding, ODA and donor-funded contracts in fragile states and developing economies which cannot easily support stable mixed economy approaches.

RAPIDLY

CHANGING

FRAGILE

STATES

DEVELOPING

ECONOMIES

DEVELOPED

ECONOMIES

EMERGING

ECONOMIES

Mixed economy approaches

(mainly paid-for and contracts)

Funded approaches

(mainly grant, ODA and

contracts)

We will consult and engage our stakeholders and partners on choices, changes and the implications of these approaches in the coming year as we work towards developing our 2020 plans.

2. COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIPS

AND VALUE TO THE UK

Looking ahead to 2015–16, we will strengthen our

value to the UK through new partnerships and

through bringing together the cultural offer

.

We will create new opportunities to share and develop our vibrant education system, culture and expertise, and benefit the UK as the home of the English language. The UK government and the devolved administrations continue to emphasise the importance of international engagement for future competitiveness. Alongside fast-developing international strategies there is a growing emphasis on learning from international best practice in UK schools and a focus on fostering the right skills in our young people for success in a global society and economy. With these objectives moving up the agenda across the UK, the work of the British Council in UK schools, colleges, universities and the cultural and creative sectors across the length and breadth of the UK has never been more relevant.

We collaborate and partner with:

• UK and overseas governments and government departments

• delivery partners, sponsors and stakeholders.

This allows us to better align strategies, effort and maximise the impact of our work.

Value to the UK

Building the UK’s influence and attraction, we will continue to:

diplomacy and soft power – hosting international policy summits, initiating leading edge research and continuing our support for the second ministerial Edinburgh International Culture Summit in 2014.

• Support the UK government’s GREAT campaign, working with the FCO, UKTI, Visit Britain and the Cabinet office, helping to deliver economic growth by highlighting internationally the strength of education and culture in the UK. Our focus will be on student recruitment to the UK, particularly from emerging economies. We will engage the cultural sector to support its international ambitions and help deliver wider educational, business and tourism objectives.

• Promote the UK as the best English language learning destination to support UK-based English language providers to enrol hundreds of thousands of English language students each year.

• Strengthen international links and deliver benefits to the UK, through education and cultural programmes linked to major events and anniversaries:

− Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

− Dylan Thomas Centenary 2014

− Edinburgh Festivals 2014 and 2015

− First World War Centenary 2014–18

− Magna Carta 800 in 2015

− Shakespeare 400 in 2016

− Hull as UK City of Culture 2017.

Through Study, Work, Create and internationalising the UK’s

young people, we will:

• Support the wider UK strategy for outward mobility, growing our Study Work Create web portal to showcase the widest possible range of international opportunities open to UK young people and young professionals from the British Council and other UK and international organisations that share our commitment to international experiences.

• Continue to champion language learning and intercultural skills at the heart of world-class curricula, enabling pupils to learn from their peers around the world, and bringing languages to life by placing native speakers from Europe, China, and the Americas into UK schools as language assistants.

• Campaign to change the UK’s culture of complacency towards foreign language learning.

• Foster international connections for the youth and community sectors, both through mobility programmes such as Erasmus+ and through partners such as the English Premier League and their community programmes.

Supporting UK education and sharing expertise, we will:

international education, by maintaining alignment with the UK’s International Education Strategy, working with UK partners to build and strengthen international partnership and collaboration. This will support sector and institutional development; and promote student recruitment and mobility.

• Develop more research links between early stage researchers in the UK and overseas, supporting them to form deep and sustainable collaborations.

• Strengthen our support to the UKEnglish language sector through closer working with BIS and the sector to provide international market intelligence, broker new partnerships and to support research, innovation and capacity development for the UK English language teaching profession.

• Share UK approaches to education reform including curriculum development, quality assurance and vocational education, and attract education ministers from around the globe to the annual Education World Forum in London. This will build knowledge of the UK’s educational strengths and develop business opportunities for UK organisations.

• Work with the four UK education departments to help our schools sectors learn from the best in the world, sharing policy insights and increasing international professional development for school leaders and teachers.

• Address the needs of children in UK schools for whom English is not the first language. It is estimated that there are over one million such learners in UK schools.

• Work in partnership to develop materials for adult learners of English who have not had access to lessons, thereby reaching into the heart of communities.

• Develop a coherent, global, cultural skills offer in collaboration with the best of the UK sector, with different models for ODA and developed markets.

New partnerships

Through our mixed funding model we work across the public, private and non-governmental organisation (NGO) sectors, working in new ways to extend the impact and scale of our work. By building strong relationships, trust and warmth with existing partners, we will increase the number of meaningful strategic partnerships that bring innovation, influence, impact and income benefits to our delivery and to the UK.

We are extending our business development approach to global partners, including trusts, foundations and corporates. We will continue to invest in research to identify and understand prospective sectors and partners (for example, telecoms and online learning sectors) and use this to develop a tight strategic range of collaborations. We will continue to grow capability in our global network to ensure we have the skills we need for relationship management.

We recognise how important it is for the British Council to work with trusts and foundations that have strong reputations in the areas in which we work. With a growing understanding of trusts and foundations we will develop our profile and establish the organisation as a partner of choice.

Having developed our technical understanding of how sponsorship works and an associated strategy for arts sponsorship, we will build on and develop new relationships with major corporates interested in becoming partners in high-profile seasons, festivals and bilateral programmes that feature UK assets in priority overseas markets.

There is a growing recognition across the organisation of the non-financial benefits of working with partners. We will extend our corporate scorecard system to capture the full value of our partnership activity and further embed this understanding in the organisation.

By 2016, partnering will be one of our principal business models. This will enable us to grow impact fast without growing ourselves at the same pace, and most importantly will demonstrate effective collaborative working, particularly with UK organisations.

Bringing together the cultural offer

We will continue to develop and deliver programmes which bring together and harness the UK’s three main cultural strengths; the English language, education, and the arts, to deliver benefits greater than the sum of the parts. Many of our new and upcoming initiatives take advantage of this. Core to this is our collaboration with government departments and other partners, for example our contribution, alongside UKTI and BIS on the Creative Industries Council and our work with the DCMS on the cultural programme within the GREAT campaign. Linking our seasons and festivals with our creative economy focused country work provides another opportunity for collaboration with the FCO and UKTI.

Shakespeare 400 is a great example of this way of working. It has been designed from the ground up to use the universality of Shakespeare, his work, and the social issues he addresses to deliver outcomes in English, education and society, and the arts.

The Culture Diary provides information on upcoming UK arts and cultural events taking place worldwide, building on the initiative established for London 2012. We are working with Arts Council England, the Cabinet Office, FCO, UTKI, DCMS, Visit Britain and the Greater London Authority on maintaining and extending this asset.

Sport and culture

Sport plays a natural role in cultural relations. It transcends many of the things that divide us and it provides a simple, practical way of bringing people together, building their skills and confidence.

• With the English Premier League we will continue to develop the Premier Skills

programme to provide training for coaches, teachers and young people, support the development of community and education networks and help young people develop life skills and learn English through the medium of football.

• Our work linked to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games includes a school linking project with the BBC and the Commonwealth Secretariat to inspire children in 100,000 schools across the ten largest Commonwealth countries to consider values and citizenship; and a celebration of Scottish visual arts of the last 25 years which will be exhibited in galleries across Scotland before touring internationally.

• International Inspiration: with our partners, UNICEF and UK Sport, we will finalise and pass on the impact of the international sport legacy programme of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This programme met its target of enriching the lives of over 12 million young people around the world through sport and has led to the UK taking a role in preparations for Rio 2016.

Science and culture

Science is also one of our founding principles and remains a priority today – we support policy discussion and new partnerships for research and innovation between the higher education sector, government and business communities. Our work in science is aligned with BIS and UKTI research initiatives, with the FCO’s global Science and Innovation Network and is integrated into the International Science Strategy.

• UK–India Education and Research Initiative: we will continue to support new and sustainable partnerships between UK and Indian higher education institutions, including research and innovation. We will also seek to develop this model into East Asia through the ASEAN (Association of South East Asia Nations) Knowledge Partnerships.

• The Newton Fund, a UK International Education Strategy priority, will build research and innovation relationships with emerging powers. We will work closely with the UK government to support development and implementation, particularly in countries where our trusted long-term relationships and convening skills are most required.

• Researcher Links: we have reinvigorated our focus on early career researchers, especially in emerging scientific nations. This new initiative provides support for career development, networking and research visits, and is complemented by our communication skills training for researchers which we are piloting in a number of countries globally.

• We will continue to work in the area of public engagement in science, supporting international networks of talented science communicators and helping them to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. This work will build on initiatives such as FameLab International. Created by Cheltenham Festivals, FameLab® _{gives young scientists three minutes to entertain and engage a live}

audience. It is now run in partnership with the British Council and national partners in over 23 countries. We will nurture future scientists and engineers by introducing more science and technology themes into our schools programmes, building on the UK’s reputation for excellence in communicating science.

Social enterprise

We use the UK’s expertise to support social enterprise development across a wide range of sectors to address social and environmental problems promoting sustainable economic growth and positive social change.

To date we have worked in 20 countries and formed 100 partnerships, developing social enterprise internationally, promoting development and prosperity for people worldwide. We will seek to develop into new markets with new partnerships over the next planning period.

Our work helps to bring social investment deals to the UK, promotes the country as an innovation hub, and supports the export of UK social enterprise goods and services. We have established a strong track record for this work in East Asia and particularly China where we have helped to introduce the concept. We welcomed the inclusion of Social Enterprise UK as part of the 2013 Prime Ministerial trade delegation to China.

3. ARTS

New ways of connecting with and

understanding each other through the arts

Through our work in the arts we aim to:

• increase the prosperity of participating arts professionals and institutions through enhanced artistic quality, financial sustainability and global reputation

• develop skills among arts professionals and institutions

• attract arts lovers worldwide and increase audiences for UK work globally and for international work in the UK

• enhance the UK’s international reputation as a creative, diverse and relevant destination for students, business leaders and tourists.

Progress to date

In 2011 we adopted a global arts vision within which our arts programmes, skills and business model have developed. We work primarily with arts professionals in the UK and across the world (both arts practitioners and enablers), as well as policy makers, to develop mutually beneficial connections and projects. This allows us to extend UK influence worldwide through exhibitions, performances and publications.

We are trusted for our focus on artistic quality, innovation and partnership. We have invested in new talent, building a global management team of arts professionals based in our core regions. We have increased our arts budgets through a mixed economy model which mirrors the sector.

This has led to a renewed confidence in our work in the arts – from UK Now in 2012 (the largest-ever celebration of UK arts and culture in China), to new programme developments for the creative economy, cultural skills and music education programmes such as World Voice.

So far, during the Corporate Plan period, we have achieved:

• A new model for festivals and seasons supporting presentation, collaboration and exchange, and integrated with our creative economy and cultural skills work. For example, Transform Brazil and UK Now in China, plus plans for a three-year Re-imagine India programme, UK–Russia Year of Culture 2014 and Mexico 2015 (Year of the UK in Mexico and Year of Mexico in the UK).

• Major partnerships with the UK’s arts councils and major cultural institutions such as Creative Scotland, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Library. Our Arts Council England joint action plan covers ten areas of significant collaboration and has helped to secure extensive additional lottery funding for international work.

• Alignment and interdependence between our work in the arts, English and education and society, through major events such as the Cultural Olympiad and the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth, resulting in a more coherent offer.

• Co-ordination of our digital and face-to-face offer to arts professionals in the UK, using social media and art form websites (music, visual arts etc.) to gather and share information and contacts and make international connections.

Priorities for the next two years:

Up to 2016 we will focus on the following challenges and opportunities:

• undertake a market sizing exercise to determine more accurate and ambitious targets for our audience reach

• invest in developing new products and services where we have identified market demand, for example a coherent cultural skills offer promoting the breadth of UK expertise, and creative economy work

• invest in the two main assets that we own, to increase impact and build partnerships: the British Council Collection and our global network of arts professionals

• further develop our model of effective UK seasons, integrating ambitions from overseas with those of the UK, to generate lasting benefits from creative economy and cultural skills

• develop and capitalise on major opportunities to reach audiences directly through digital channels

• ensure a strategic balance to our work so we continue to support the UK arts sector through high quality programming, benefit the wider UK and UK business, and support government targets for ODA

• secure the future of showcasing in non-ODA priority markets by formalising a balanced and robust financial model that matches the best financial management in the sector.

Over

800,000

artists, art

lovers, cultural leaders and

ministers face-to-face.

OVER NINE MILLION

website visitors.

Well in excess of

116 MILLION

viewers,

listeners and readers.

MORE THAN TEN MILLION

exhibition, festival,

event and performance attendees.

THREE MILLION

artists, art lovers and

participants in online communities.

Summary of our Arts programmes and activities

for 2014–16

Title Detail

Showcasing We use showcase events and digital channels in the UK and overseas to promote UK work to audiences and promoters in international markets. For example, events such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Huddersfield Music Festival, the Venice Biennale and Architecture Biennale. There are also bespoke seasons such as the UK–Russia year of culture (2014), UK/ZA Connect (South Africa, 2014), forthcoming seasons in Mexico and Nigeria and Shakespeare 400.

British Council Collection

We use our collection of contemporary British art to support major international events such as the São Paulo Biennale. Working with other collections and museums we will share the British Council Collection to create our own world series of exhibitions for international touring.

Support for creative professionals and artists

We build relationships between UK arts professionals and global contacts online and in person, for example through the Young Creative Entrepreneur scheme; offering financial support for artists in the early stage of their careers, for example through the Artists International Development Fund; and provide a range of support services through our management of the EU’s Creative Europe Desk for Culture in the UK.

Skills and knowledge exchange

We share the UK’s policy experience, particularly in skills development and in the creative and cultural industries. This may be within cultural seasons such as Transform Brazil; on a paid basis (for example to national and local government in Colombia); or as part of international events for cultural leaders (for example the Remix event in 2014 in London, New York and Sydney).

from the UK and overseas). UK work and UK audiences for international work.

2. WHAT

THEY

EXPERIENCE

International arts events, arts policy dialogue, publications, research and consultancy.

Professional development workshops, arts awards, arts forums and networks, collaborative creation, exchange of ideas, work in other countries.

Inspiring, entertaining and transformative international arts events (exhibitions, showcases, festivals, fairs, performances).

3. WHAT THEY

TAKE AWAY

Increased knowledge of UK and international arts administration and policy.

Improved knowledge and skills in the creative sector overseas. Knowledge and skills to support tolerance, respect and diversity.

Improved perception of the diversity of UK art.

4. WHAT

THEY DO

Collaborate in developing arts policy and practice internationally. Work on joint creative projects.

Develop new markets.

Engage with peers in the UK and internationally.

Develop creative and cultural institutions overseas and in the UK. Influence international conversations.

Recommend and talk about their experience to others.

5. LASTING

IMPACT

Skills develop. Institutions prosper. UK reputation grows.

Audiences grow.

More widespread and better quality

teaching, learning and assessment

of English worldwide.

We provide people worldwide with greater access to the life-changing opportunities that come from learning English and gaining valuable UK qualifications. Our work helps to maintain the UK’s profile and expertise in English language teaching worldwide.

Progress to date

Since 2011 we have seen continued growth in our work in English and examinations. We have expanded our global network of high quality teaching centres with an anticipated growth of over 20 per cent in learners between 2011 and 2013. We have extended our range of self-access English language learning products offered through digital and mobile technology, leading to a growth in our digital audience of over 40 per cent over the same period. We are working more with governments to transform whole education systems to increase opportunity and employability through English. UK examinations which we administer overseas continue to grow, providing exports to UK examination boards in excess of £70 million.

Our work in English and examinations makes a major contribution to the UK’s International Education Strategy, and we work closely with the new UKTI Education team to identify and develop international opportunities in this area for UK education and training providers. Our work increases international opportunities for UK English language teaching (ELT) businesses and examination awarding bodies. Through Accreditation UK we promote the UK as a leading destination for English language learners (a market worth £2 billion annually) and support the UK English language teaching sector with research and market intelligence.

Priorities for the next two years:

• contribute to the development and quality of English learning and teaching

in schools worldwide, supporting effective English language teaching policy and English teacher development, in collaboration with policy makers, education ministries and donors

• support the English language learning and training needs of students and teachers in international further and higher education systems

• expand our range of self-access English language learning products offered through the internet and mobile technology, as well as through print and broadcast media

• invest in and expand our global network of high quality English teaching centres

• through our teaching network and self-access learning, increase the number of people learning English with us and continue to develop our award winning digital learning content, using the UK’s vibrant culture as an aid to language learning

• contribute to the promotion of the UK as an English language learning destination

• increase access to effective English assessment, to support the learning of English worldwide and improve access worldwide to UK school and professional qualifications

• increase access to English language and other UK qualifications, providing candidates with evidence of their learning and ability in English and improving standards; the acquisition of valuable UK qualifications helps individuals secure opportunities in both further and higher education and in employment

• continue to invest in our high-performing British Council bilingual, bicultural primary and secondary school in Madrid.

340,000

policy makers and

ministers, teachers and coaches.

Over

450,000

learners in

teaching centre classes.

TENS OF MILLIONS

of website visitors.

TENS OF MILLIONS

of viewers,

listeners and readers.

THREE MILLION

examinations candidates.

Over

SIX MILLION

teachers and

learners in online communities.

Summary of our English and Examinations programmes

and activities for 2014 –16

UK examinations Provide access to English language and other UK qualifications.

English for education systems

Support the development of English language learning and teaching, and the use of English to teach subjects across the curriculum, in schools and further and higher education institutions.

Through support to policy and research, curriculum development and teacher training programmes we will help strengthen the quality of English language teaching and the understanding of language in cultural relations and development.

Face-to-face and

blended English Provide over 400,000 individual and group learners of English with a range of face-to-face and blended courses, through partners and in our 80 plus centres worldwide.

English for self-access learners

Provide courseware, online, mobile, broadcast and print resources for learners to improve their English, as well as website tools and global online training resources for teachers of English.

and teacher

educators. time and money to improve. recognised qualification. Organisations: examinations/ qualifications institutions.

2. WHAT

THEY

EXPERIENCE

3. WHAT THEY

TAKE AWAY

Improved English skills, enhanced perceptions of

the quality of UK resources and materials. Increased understanding of their abilities relative to international standards, greater confidence and self-esteem. Understanding of good practice.

4. WHAT

THEY DO

Pursue their employment, educational and social goals with

greater confidence, ability and a higher chance of success. Institutions implement good practice.

5. LASTING

IMPACT

Face-to-face and blended learning: More people gain confidence and the opportunity to study, work and develop a career in a globalised world through face-to-face and online English tuition with the British Council.

Self-access learning: More people gain confidence and the opportunity to study, work and develop a career in a globalised world through cost-effective and flexible access to quality British Council English learning resources.

Examinations: More people gain confidence and the opportunity to study, work and develop a career in a globalised world as a result of taking an internationally recognised qualification with the British Council.

MORE WIDESPREAD AND BETTER QUALITY TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT OF ENGLISH WORLDWIDE.

5. EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

Enhanced UK leadership of, and shared

learning from, international education.

Societies whose young people, citizens and

institutions contribute to and benefit from a

more inclusive, open and prosperous world.

Progress to date

Establishing the Education and Society business unit in 2011 has led to a clearer and simplified strategy for our work. We have recruited a new leadership team and are investing in professional staff in priority countries and markets. We are developing a more focused and clearer portfolio across schools, skills, higher education, science and society.

Our work is delivered through more partnerships across the public and private sectors including with HSBC, Premier League, Microsoft, Skype, Ecorys and with UK government departments such as the Department for Education, BIS, the FCO and the Department for International Development (DFID) and overseas governments. In this way, our work is aligned with the priorities of UK government departments on poverty reduction, economic growth and access to justice and security.

We have maintained the high numbers of people we work with through face-to-face activity and exhibitions while increasing the numbers of people we reach through digital channels. We have more than doubled the people in our online networks since 2011 to over 4.5 million.

Our evaluation work consistently shows that we are having a positive impact. The people we work with consistently rate us highly with over 90 per cent reporting impact on their professional lives and over 80 per cent reporting impact on their institutions and a strengthening of their links with the UK. External evaluations of our programmes for clients like DFID and the European Commission consistently rate us as good (meeting expectations) to excellent (exceeding expectations). More generally we have strengthened our work in education and society to deliver ODA. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact described our work in the Middle East and North Africa in response to the Arab Spring, as ‘considered, strategic and a good complement to the FCO’s’.

MORE THAN HALF A MILLION

education, labour and

justice ministers, academics, researchers, school leaders, teachers,

community and business leaders.

Over

FIVE MILLION

teachers, academics, college and

higher education leaders in online communities.

TENS OF MILLIONS

of website visitors.

TWO MILLION

education and society

exhibition and fair attendees.

Priorities for the next two years:

• maintain alignment with the five strands of the UK’s International Education Strategy:

− welcome international students – through refreshing the Education UK brand, supporting the GREAT campaign, managing scholarships in

partnership with UK and overseas businesses and governments

− support transnational education – through our research and horizon scanning publications, providing market intelligence and exhibition services to UK institutions, training and accreditation of overseas agents

− support the development of education technology – through partnerships for higher education – for example, FutureLearn and three massive open online courses (MOOCs) and schools – and with Microsoft to bring connectivity and teacher development to schools in Africa

− build relationships with emerging powers – through early stage convening, development work for the Newton fund, working in partnership to increase research and innovation collaboration between the UK and emerging powers, supporting the participation of overseas governments in the Education World Forum

• build the UK brand and seize opportunities – through committing staff resources to work with UKTI Education and the Higher Education International Unit on significant outward missions and visits

• focus on internationalising higher education, supporting the UK’s position at the heart of thought leadership and creating new opportunities for

collaboration and exchange between governments, higher education institutions, researchers and businesses in the UK and around the world

• support school leaders and policy makers in the UK and overseas to improve quality and attainment levels through professional development, policy and curriculum reform, award schemes such as the International Schools Award, and technology assisted learning (e.g. using interactive white boards, mobile phones, tablets and websites to deliver exercises or homework)

• contribute to ensuring secure and stable societies, in which more young people can prosper, by supporting governance reform, access to justice for those people most excluded, and providing opportunities for the development of skills for employment and enterprise

• help people and local institutions to work together in their communities and internationally on issues that matter to them

• support the development of a more sustainable economy worldwide and in the UK by building links between social entrepreneurs and policy makers

• ensure that girls and women are empowered to take part and contribute in all our programmes

• expand our partnership working across the private, public and third sectors to develop, deliver and fund programmes in the UK and internationally

• work more through digital channels and by building relationships with existing and new clients to increase our scale and impact in education and society and increase our turnover from client-funded contracts and services.

Summary of our Education and Society programmes

and activities for 2014 –16

Education

Schools We support educators in the UK and worldwide to work together to enrich the quality and outcomes of education in schools and equip young people to live and work successfully in a global society. We do this through policy and curriculum reform, professional development, school links, accreditation and technology-assisted learning. Example programmes include: Connecting Classrooms delivered in partnership with DFID and Erasmus +.

Internationalising

higher education We promote international mobility, create the conditions for high impact international research and innovation partnerships, conduct research and convene policy dialogues that shape the future of international higher education. We support the recruitment of international students and marketing of international higher education through national campaigns such as the GREAT campaign and through our services to UK institutions.

Example programmes include:

• Higher education institution, business and government partnerships: UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI), UK–China Partnerships in Education, RENKEI Japan–UK initiative.

• Policy development, dissemination and analysis: Shape of things to come reports; regional Global Education Dialogues; our annual Going Global conference and publications.

• Mobility: Erasmus +, Tullow Oil Scholarships, Study Work Create website of international opportunities for UK young people; support for national outward mobility strategy.

• Support for international recruitment: British Council Services for International Education Marketing market intelligence and student recruitment services for UK institutions.

Skills We support the development of skills to meet labour market demands and learner needs, particularly in countries with large populations of young people.

Example programmes include:

• Skills for Employability to increase collaboration between educators, government and business to better align skills education with labour needs and promote awareness of the importance of skills education. • Numerous contracts with partners such as the EC, for example in Libya.

Science and

research We link scientists globally and provide information for international researchers on jobs and funding in the UK. We encourage grassroots discussion of science and sustainability and the development of research communication skills.

Example programmes include:

• International collaborative research like Global Innovation Initiative in

partnership with BIS and the US Department of State, Researcher Links focusing on emerging researchers and Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX).

• FameLab which gives talented science communicators the opportunity to inspire the general public through national communication competitions and an international final.

Society

Civil society and

governance We promote social change, voice and accountability for all. Key areas include institutional development, civil society and economic development. Example programmes include:

• Active Citizens which works with civil societies, organisations and their leaders to innovate, be accountable and gain access to UK and international experience. • Numerous contracts that develop civil society capacity and accountability with

partners such as DFID and the EU for example in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma and Ethiopia.

We build sport partnerships between the UK and countries around the world, enabling young people to fulfil their potential through the power of sport. This work includes International Inspiration to capture the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Premier Skills which uses football to develop life skills for young people in partnership with the Premier League.

Justice, security and conflict resolution

We assist in the design, delivery and evaluation of justice and security initiatives that promote and protect universally agreed standards of human rights. Examples include numerous contracts delivered in partnership with DFID and the EC in Nigeria, China and Vietnam.

Social enterprise We support the development of social enterprise through skills development for social entrepreneurs, policy dialogue and the promotion of the UK as a global example of expertise.

Girls’ and women’s empowerment

We facilitate dialogues and networks to raise awareness and support initiatives that address the continuing inequalities that girls and women face in society. This work includes Springboard which provides personal development opportunities for women in the Middle East and contracts delivered in partnership with the EU for example, the Participation of Women in Public Life in the Middle East.

1. WHO WE

WORK

WITH

Education policy makers. Teachers and academics, school, college and higher education leaders, researchers.

Primary, secondary and tertiary students.

2. WHAT

THEY

EXPERIENCE

Policy dialogue and research, for example, international higher education regional policy forums.

Sector advisory and market intelligence services.

Professional development and training, peer networks, qualifications recognition and benchmarking.

Joint education programmes. Collaborative research.

Competitions and joint projects, work and study placements, exchanges, education fairs, scholarships.

3. WHAT THEY

TAKE AWAY

Increased understanding of the differences and similarities between cultures.

Improved skills, motivation and confidence.

4. WHAT

THEY DO

Improve curriculum and assessment.

Improve institutional practice and impact.

Select the UK and UK institutions for partnership, study and exams.

Collaborate with students in other countries and use this experience to study and work with peers.

5. LASTING

IMPACT

Increased economic value and benefits to the UK. Increased UK contribution to, and benefits from, international co-operation in education and research.

Greater educational and employment opportunities for individuals in the UK and overseas through increased knowledge and skills, including intercultural understanding and access to education.

2. WHAT

THEY

EXPERIENCE

Policy dialogue, technical advice and consulting, research and publications, exchange of experience and knowledge, visits to the UK.

Capacity building, training, personal development, internships, networking, mentoring and exchanges.

3. WHAT THEY

TAKE AWAY

Increased understanding and capabilities in judicial, social and government reform. Greater knowledge of the range of skills and expertise available from the UK and international experience.

Enhanced capacity to effectively contribute to more open, secure and inclusive societies. Improved leadership and intercultural skills. Skills to use tools for voice and engagement through advocacy and policy dialogue.

4. WHAT

THEY DO

Work with traditional legal authorities, police services, judiciary and civil society to develop new policy and practice for judicial systems, legal services and the rule of law.

Enable access to services for women and girls. Work with policy makers and practitioners in education systems to develop the role of education in civil society. Engage with international experts, peers and partners from the UK and other countries to address local and global issues. Build stronger community based organisations, NGOs and communities of practice.

Design and implement social action programmes and new business plans.

Create and sustain new enterprises and models of business.

Share experience and capability to advocate and represent citizen needs effectively.

5. LASTING

IMPACT

More women and girls empowered to lead government, business and communities. More supportive environment for social enterprise to flourish.

Increased recognition of the UK as a source of expertise and an effective international partner.

SOCIETIES WHOSE YOUNG PEOPLE, CITIZENS AND INSTITUTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO, AND BENEFIT FROM, A MORE INCLUSIVE, OPEN AND PROSPEROUS WORLD.

6. GLOBAL NETWORK

We have an extensive overseas network in well over 100 countries – being close to the needs of the market, responding to those needs and interpreting them for the benefit of the UK is crucial. The network continues to evolve both in its reach and in the nature of our presence in each location. In some difficult operating environments, like Pakistan, we are increasing public access, opening libraries as safe spaces in which people can convene and engage with the UK. Across our operations we are increasingly blending digital with face-to-face working and working with and through partners. This enables us to operate more flexibly, to adapt to changes in the environment and to meet market demand.

Within the context of declining government grant and a much higher proportion of this grant required to be spent on ODA, we continue to reduce levels of government grant in non-ODA countries and in EU Europe in particular. Given the continued growth in earned income, grant as a percentage of turnover will be down to less than ten per cent in EU Europe and East Asia by 2014 –15. Levels of earned income and of government grant by region are illustrated in the chart.

Everywhere we go, even where we are not setting up a permanent office, we have to make sure our status and our tax position is stable and meets the varied requirements and regulations of host country governments. Our programme to regularise our status worldwide is due to finish in 2015 with 71 countries completed so far. The programme will result in over 20 wholly owned companies or subsidiaries in a group structure. These will greatly enhance our ability to operate, but also increase the complexity of our governance given the requirements in some countries for directors, local boards and dedicated reporting. Our guiding principle in all cases is to have the simplest governance possible.

Income by overseas regions for

2013–14 and 2014 –15 in £ millions

Other earned income 2013–14 FCO grant 2014–15

Other earned income 2014–15

The overseas network is split into seven regions, each managed by an overseas- based regional director. Our highest priority country operations are highlighted in bold in each of the regional sections that follow. The strategic importance and value to the UK of each country and its potential for cultural relations impact determines its priority. Emerging economies such as China, India, Mexico and Nigeria continue to be high priority, reflecting their huge importance to the UK’s economic future. Equally we also attach a high priority to our work in the most fragile and conflict-affected environments, such as Afghanistan. English is expanding right across the network and impact through English in public education systems in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa will grow over the next two years.

For each region we set out the context showing the operating environment and challenges, together with our response and priority work in these areas. This represents a high level description of key activities, and is not exhaustive – detail is taken forward at country and regional level.

6.1 AMERICAS

Americas: Argentina,

Brazil

, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica,

Mexico

, Trinidad and Tobago,

Uruguay,

USA

, Venezuela

Regional context

In acknowledgement of its diversity, delivery is tailored to the contrasts and variety within the region. Strong economic growth, an emerging middle class, democratic political stability and a growing voice on the world stage all characterise the major economies in Latin America. The importance of Brazil, Mexico and other high growth economies such as Colombia for global trade and dialogue is increasing through stronger international outlooks. The demand for integrated English, education and training services is growing everywhere, and there is renewed recognition of the importance of supporting social and economic progress in the Caribbean.

The US market remains a priority for many of our UK partners but changing demographics mean that many people in North America have deeper ties with Latin America and Asia than with Europe, creating challenges and opportunities to refresh transatlantic relationships through cultural relations activities for a new generation.

Our response is to:

• support English language teaching policy development

• innovate and partner to support better quality English teaching and learning at scale

• develop new international partnerships in higher education and share experience through skills and sports

• support the empowerment of women and girls, the growth of social enterprise and better access to justice and security

• position the UK as a partner for the development of creative economies and grow the reputation of the UK in the region for outstanding artistic creativity

• increase our impact by working with major partners such as Microsoft

• expand our network with a presence in Peru from 2014, and introduce new operating models to reach much bigger audiences directly and online in cities across the region.

Our priorities

Our top priority in Latin America is English. We are implementing a large-scale teacher development strategy which uses remote teaching technologies. In Uruguay in 2015 our partnership with Plan Ceibal will bring remote teaching of English to 130,000 primary school children and support the development of almost 5,000 teachers. In Venezuela we have launched a specialist diploma in primary English language teaching and we are partnering with universities across the continent to provide better English support. We are launching digital resources for self-access learning for more flexible English teaching services across the continent. Our

examinations and testing operations will expand significantly to establish the UK as the strategic partner for English language assessment.

Our arts programmes are reaching new and larger audiences, supporting prosperity and enhancing international cultural understanding:

• The UK–Brazil Transform 2012–16 festival in the handover between London 2012 and Rio 2016.

• UK in Mexico/Mexico in the UK festivals in 2015.

• Collaboration and exchange with UK arts organisations like the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum. Our support for highereducation will focus on increasing the market for the UK. This includes a campaign for mutual accreditation of awards, the development of links between higher education, government and industry (including research), and support for the internationalisation of higher education institutions across the Americas, for example, Going Global in Miami in April 2014. We will develop leadership programmes for teachers and head teachers and expand Premier Skills into the USA. In society our new partnerships will support access to justice, community development through sport and social enterprise and the empowerment of girls and women, especially in the Caribbean, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, building on our recent successes in securing partnerships with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the EU.

The population of this region

is over 900 million.

GDP per capita in this region

ranges from US$51,000 in USA,

to US$6,000 in Cuba.

Brazil is the world’s eighth

largest economy by GDP

and Mexico is the world’s

12th largest.