Member Article

Exporting Edtech – The future of education

By Tom Sapsted

Gone are the days of the blackboard and chalk, the future of education lies in Edtech, the use of technology to facilitate education. From virtual and remote laboratories to apps, this exciting sector helps people to learn through the use of technology. As an International Trade Adviser for the Exporting is GREAT campaign specialising in London Business Professional Services I get a lot of questions about exporting Edtech.

In recent years there has been a boom in UK Education Technology providers. According to one report from the Education Foundation, Edtech is one of the fastest growing tech sectors in London. There are over 200 Edtech startups and SMEs based in the capital, with another 1000 across the UK. The Education Technology sector now makes up 4% of all digital companies, the same as Fintech.

You don’t have to look far to understand this boom in startups and SMEs. Recent estimates have suggested that UK schools will spend over £900m each year on Education Technology. Gardner has stated that in 2015 alone, global Education Technology sector spending was at $67.8 billion. What’s great about this sector is that the demand is not going away, the Edtech market is estimated to grow to £129 billion by 2020. Any UK Ed Tech provider looking for current opportunities should visit www.exportingisgreat.gov.uk, where right now there are over 100 live opportunities companies can apply for. The UK only accounts for a tiny fraction of the global spend on Education Technology and identifying the potential overseas markets is critical.

There is huge demand from countries across the globe to incorporate UK Edtech offerings into schools, colleges, universities and training institutions. In 2013, the UK Government published a report that suggested the education exports industry was worth £17.5 billion a year. In the same report, the government outlined its plans to increase this to £30bn by 2020. Edtech will make up a large portion of this figure.

The UK Edtech scene offers a range of quality products, often utilising “Brand Britain” to maximum effect. Massive open online courses (MOOCs), corporate and e-learning offerings, augmented reality, networking tools, platforms to help those in education or other digital tools all have demonstrable potential in foreign markets.

Yet identifying the right international markets to target is no easy task. Establishing where the demand is can take many years. Some Edtech providers are now focusing on the international schools market. The reasons for this are clear. International schools tend to speak English, meaning there is less of a necessity to consider translating the product into another language. International schools also tend to use a UK based curriculum, meaning the offering will fit easily into the teaching system. There have also been suggestions that there is more investment by international schools, with many looking to ensure they stay at the cutting edge of technology and provide students and fee paying parents with a quality experience. Of course there are a range of other potential customers too, depending on the product and target audience.

In terms of regions themselves, the choice can be perceived as almost endless. The likes of the United States and Australia are seeing increasing spend on Edtech products, while also boasting a quality infrastructure and high level of tech penetration. That said these markets are often fraught with local competition. India offers a huge amount of potential for the right products, however doing business in India can be lengthy and ensuring a strong return can prove challenging. While China, like India, is market offering massive opportunity, yet overcoming barriers such as the so called ‘Great Firewall of China’ is sometimes tricky.

With this is mind, I’m leading an Exporting is GREAT free webinar on Overseas Export Opportunities for UK Edtech Providers. Featuring some of the leading experts from the industry, the webinar will outline the types of offerings that are in-demand overseas, the markets where UK providers should be focusing their attention and unique insight into how a prominent Edtech provider broke into a new overseas market.

The webinar will take place on Wednesday, 10 August at 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM BST and includes in-depth insight from experts in the field, Vipul Bhargava, Education Technology Lead at UK Trade & Investment, and Sophie Bailey, Founder of The Edtech Podcast and myself. There will also be a leading Edtech exporter taking part.

Register now for this webinar

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by UKTI London .