Abstract
<p>Our study examined some aspects of entrepreneurship in private higher education in the UK. The growing value of the private higher education sector in the UK represents an opportunity for entrepreneurial investment. For this purpose, we analysed the available data from the 2015/16 to 2017/18 academic years as well as data published online in HESA’s Statistical Bulletin Higher Education Student Statistics: Alternative Providers. The data show that the total number of students grew in the observed period and the largest increase was recorded in postgraduate students. Among the students enrolled with private providers, 38% were 30 years and over in 2017/18. However, the number of younger undergraduate students is growing year on year. One of the most significant features of the private sector is low enrolment rates for students with government- supported tuition fee loans. The majority of privately-funded higher education providers operate as for-profit organisations, and one of the key factors in developing and strengthening this sector is to attract foreign capital investment and new domestic and foreign students, whilst maintaining a high quality and diverse range of study programs. </p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0974/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>
Highlights
The relatively low number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses is noticeable: only 7% of providers offer computer science courses; engineering and technology courses are offered by 6% of providers and fewer than 1% of private providers offer courses in mathematics (CGHE, 2019)
Given that STEM programmes teach the skills required for the technological development of the global community (Kara, Tonin, & Vlassopoulos, 2021), it would be desirable for private providers to recognise this educational trend and increase their competitiveness in the education sector
Hunt and Boliver (2019) point out that data concerning the actual number of students at private higher education institutions in the UK are unknown, as most private providers did not respond to the survey
Summary
The main aim of this study is to examine the entrepreneurial conditions in private higher education in the UK and to assess the key factors of entrepreneurship development in the private higher education sector in the UK.
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