207 aspiring future leaders from Osaka high schools applied for just 48 places on the UK strand of the “Osaka global cram school”, funded by Osaka Prefectural Government and run by the British Council in Japan. The programme is part of the Osaka Prefectural Internationalisation Strategy, which aims to cultivate globally-minded personnel who will take Osaka to the world. The strategy, which is generously funded over a ten-year period and includes a range of activities, has attracted considerable attention within Japan as the leading example of an internationalisation strategy by a local government. It has already inspired similar programmes in other prefectures, and we expect to see further such programmes in the future. 

The “Osaka global cram school” will provide intensive English communication and study skills training over a six-month period to a total of 96 high school students who are interested in studying abroad, and includes a two-week study visit to universities in either the UK or the US. The express aim is to increase the number of Osaka young people heading to overseas universities.

We are pleased that although the US remains by far the most popular overseas study destination for Japanese students, the UK strand of the “Osaka global cram school” proved to be the most popular! We asked applicants about their reasons for choosing the programme, and 77 per cent cited an interest in the UK, while 72 per cent want to study at an overseas university.

70 per cent of applicants say that they need more information on tuition fees, living costs and scholarships, followed by 65 per cent looking for information on student life, 62 per cent on English language preparation and exams, and 56 per cent on choosing institutions and courses. Only 28 per cent are looking for visa information, making it one of the topics of least concern. We will hold a special Education UK seminar open to all high school students in Osaka in May to address this need for UK study information. The seminar will feature a panel of several UK university representatives visiting Japan for the EU higher education fairs.