Chinese international education group seeks UK partners to provide joint programmes

Alcanta Education Group’s subsidiary Alcanta American Prep School (AAPS) is seeking to partner with UK high schools/colleges to set up joint programmes to help Chinese students aged 15 to 17 prepare for overseas study in UK high schools/colleges and universities.

Opportunity
AAPS would like to establish three-year joint programmes split equally across the UK and China, with students receiving A-levels or equivalent qualifications upon completion of their 1.5 years of study in the UK, under the condition that they meet the relevant requirements.

UK partners will receive high-quality students from AAPS, with an initial intake of ten students starting in September 2016 and numbers increasing in subsequent years. This will also be a great opportunity for the UK partner to enhance their brand awareness in China and explore further partnership opportunities.

Responsibilities
Both parties will be expected to commit to providing the below services. These cooperation details are open for discussion with AAPS.

Services provided by AAPS
• Promotion of the programme and student recruitment from across Guangdong province
• Management of the academic and English proficiency admission criteria
o Applicants’ English language proficiency will be required to reach IELTS 5.0 or above, and students’ academic scores in other subject areas will need to be at 55 per cent or above when they transfer to the UK, where they will be expected to study the courses offered by the UK partner.
• Provision of the 1.5 years of study in China
o All the courses will be taught in English but supported in Chinese while students are studying in Guangzhou, China. On-site instruction and tutoring will be conducted by the faculty of AAPS, who are qualified and experienced in teaching English curriculums.
o Students will study the following subjects:
 Three courses jointly agreed between AAPS and the UK partner
 Some of the below supporting courses:
• English
• Mathematics
• IT
• Western Culture
• World History
• Communication and Business
• Economics
• Visual Art

Services provided by the UK partner
• Provision of logistical arrangements, such as airport pick-up, accommodation and orientation for new students
• Provision of guidelines for the three agreed courses in China, including the syllabus, textbooks and other requirements
• Provision of the 1.5 years of study in the UK, including accommodation at an agreed standard
• Support to participating students with UK university/college applications

Background
Alcanta Education Group is a Chinese private Education Group. Its subsidiary AAPS is based in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. It was founded in 2012 in response to strong demand for international education. Focusing initially on collaborations with colleges in the US, AAPS is now looking to expand its offering through collaborations with the UK.

This proposal is based on AAPS’s experience of offering a “High School+University Program” in cooperation with Green River College in the US. The programme is designed for Chinese students in grade nine and ten who study English and other academic courses with AAPS for four semesters (two years). Students continue their high school study at Green River College in the US for another semester and upon completing all the subject areas to the required academic standard, passing the ACT exam, and reaching IELTS 5.5 (all bands not lower than 5), they receive a Washington State High School Diploma. Students are then admitted for university study, the first two years of which are based at Green River College, followed by two years at one of 26 pathway universities. Students also have the option to enter non-pathway universities based on their academic performance and language proficiency.