StudyTravel Magazine: UK ELT sector recovery continues in 2022 Q4, as groups and juniors return
The recovery of the UK ELT sector continued in the fourth quarter of 2022, particularly for the junior segment with a 346 per cent increase compared with the same period of the previous year, according to the latest report by association English UK.
The latest report from the English UK Quarterly Intelligence Cohort (QUIC) scheme is based on the responses from 120 member centres, representing around 36 per cent of English UK’s membership, who delivered 92,411 students weeks in 2022 Q4 (October-to-December).
2022 Q4 growth: For the 118 members who also supplied data in the previous year, there was growth of 39.7 per cent in adult student weeks delivered, and 346.7 per cent in junior student weeks.
Adult students accounted for 95 per cent of all student weeks for centres in Q4, a typical ratio for the last quarter of the year, following the peak junior season in Q3 (July-to-September).
Agents accounted for 75% of student weeks in 2022 Q4. Source – English UK/Bonard.
Recruitment channels: Agents accounted for three-quarters (75 per cent) of student weeks in Q4 2022, a similar ratio to previous quarters and typical pre-Covid levels.
Across all of 2022, agents accounted for 77 per cent of student weeks, with the highest ratio registered in Q3 (80) being the highest quarter.
Groups/individuals: The proportion of groups was 12 per cent in 2022 Q4 – compared with only six per cent in the same period of the previous year.
Groups represented 22 per cent of student weeks in 2022 for QUIC reporting centres, with individual students accounting for 78 per cent. Q3 had the highest proportion of groups at 36 per cent.
Source markets: Saudi Arabia was the top source market in Q4 2022 with 18,940 student weeks, 5,145 more than in the same quarter of the previous year, followed by Switzerland with 6,898 (+2,708 weeks), and Brazil (6,138 students, +4,583 weeks). The top five was completed by Japan and Turkey.
Spain and Italy were the largest source markets for junior student week, followed by Germany, Thailand and Chile.
Comment: English UK said that the market dynamics in Q4 more closely resembled pre-pandemic norms, although China and Russia remain notable exceptions on the top source country list.
“In economic impact studies conducted during pandemic our insight partner BONARD forecast a 55-60 per cent recovery [of 2019 levels] for whole year of 2022 and 80 per cent for 2023. Bonard believe the UK ELT market is in trajectory to meet these figures,” the association said.
The top source markets by students weeks in 2022 Q4. Source – English UK/BONARD.
The Quarterly Intelligence Cohort (QUIC) scheme was launched by English UK in 2017 in partnership with BONARD to provide more timely and in-depth data for the UK ELT sector.
