About BESA

 

BESA, the British Educational Suppliers Association, is the only trade association covering the entirety of the UK educational suppliers sector. BESA operates on a not-for-profit basis and is accountable to an Executive Council elected by member companies. It has served the UK education sector for over 90 years, and represents close to 400 educational suppliers in the UK, including manufacturers and distributors of equipment, technology, ICT hardware, digital-content related services, materials, books, furniture and consumables to the education market.  

 

The Power of the Suppliers Sector

 

We believe that the UK’s current industrial strategy is too focused on manufactured goods which depend heavily on raw materials which the UK simply cannot compete. As we enter a period of international protectionism, it is essential that the UK’s industrial strategy focuses on the UK’s competitive advantage of knowledge and services to maximise the opportunities available to maximise growth through international trade.

 

The UK has one of the most internationally recognised education markets in the world. The UK’s tertiary education sector contains 4 of the world’s 10 leading universities – equalling the United States. Our tertiary sector also produces resources and products which are used across the global education system, from Early Years to Higher Education.

 

Furthermore, the emergence of AI technologies such as large-language models and the UK’s world leading sector of educational predictive analytics, when combined with our international reputation for pedagogical innovation through major publishers such as Pearson, Cambridge University Press & Assessment and Oxford University Press and Assessment, poises the UK for a potentially leverageable and highly relevant niche within the education technology sector.

 

Overall, UK education exports accounted for more than £27bn in 2022 and are projected to rise to £35bn by 2035. It is crucial to view these exports not only as an economic opportunity but also as a means to advance the UK’s foreign policy aims. Successive UK governments have long recognised the role of education as a soft power instrument—helping to forge international relationships and promote British values—a stance reaffirmed in the Integrated Review Refresh 2023.

 

An example of the role educational suppliers can play in helping the UK project soft power can be found with White Rose Education’s initiative to support the Malawian Government renew its maths curriculum. With the support of the UK Government, White Rose trained 100 teachers across 600 schools. The programme aims to improve learning outcomes in mathematics in lower primary standards 1-4, so girls and boys have a solid foundation in basic skills to finish schooling and to fulfil their potential.

 

Working with Government

 

The capacity of the UK Government to work with devolved regions and administrations, particularly within education which is a devolved matter whereas trade is a UK-wide strategy. We have found working with devolved organisations to prove extremely effective at encouraging organisations outside of London and the South-East to participate in exporting activities. In particular, we note the effectiveness of Midlands Engine and Northern Powerhouse and we would strongly encourage more support to these organisations from the UK Government to boost exporting activities from those regions.

 

The International Education Strategy is a positive strategy which has proven effective at providing the Department with a focus on what and where to target export support. However, we have found that the priority countries (listed below) to not necessarily align with where our members see the most export opportunity:

 

 

Our members have noted that areas with a higher proportion of international schools tend to offer greater opportunities—particularly in Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region—although this trend does not extend to the other territories. This creates a challenge for exporters, as DBT support which lies outside of these territories is less substantial and therefore not targeted where companies need it most.

 

We have included a copy of our most recent survey of BESA’s members which shows their top priorities for export:

 

 

As the above demonstrates, the headline markets most desirable for members are predominantly western or developed countries. Despite this, there is often little support available from the UK government due to the narrow set of priorities set out in the international education strategy which create a general strategy for what should be highly targeted depending on the region which a company is wishing to export to.

 

For instance, in the USA which our members (including some of our most active exporters) are keen to enter this market, but an absence of education specific support from the DBT greatly increases the barriers to entry. The USA is a particularly challenging market to enter due to the nature of education being a mostly federal affair.

 

Equally, in territories where face-to-face relationship building is important, the withdrawal of financial support, such as the Trade Show Access Programme, has negatively impacted members capacity to access these regions, our own data has shown a clear drop in organisations accessing international trade shows since the withdrawal of trade show support:

 

 

 

 

 

Compared to some of our key competitor markets, the absence of a trade show support programme puts the UK at a clear competitive disadvantage. Below we have outlined some of the support available (specifically for exhibiting) in some of our key competing markets:

 

 

Where Government to Government support has been available, it has been integral to supporting the success of UK companies in those regions. The UK has a strong reputation for education, and in regions where they put a high value on the origin of the company those representatives enhance the capacity of UK Companies to enter those markets. In particular, the work of Sir Steve Smith as Education Export champion has been very effective when available.

 

We would advise the committee to consider how trade associations might be further utilised as delivery partners for DBT initiatives. DBT tends to favour larger organisations—often because such companies have robust internal governance and established relationships with departmental officials. Unfortunately, this approach can inadvertently disadvantage smaller organisations, with which government engagement is typically more cautious.

 

In this context, trade associations could play a more significant role. They generally require their members to adhere to a code of practice that ensures compliance with specific commercial standards. Furthermore, their extensive networks, which include businesses of various sizes, provide the Government with access to a diverse range of reliable suppliers.

 

Additionally, trade associations can act as independent adjudicators, enabling the Government to ensure that its initiatives are delivered by trusted organisations. They are also well placed to pose queries that might be considered inappropriate if raised directly by the Government. For example, as part of our membership renewal process, all members—both new and existing—are required to submit their financial statements to confirm their financial stability.

 

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February 2025