Student and employer perceptions of British higher education in the Arabian Gulf region

This study examines the perceptions of students and employers in two Arabian Gulf countries of the Higher National Diploma (HND) and British higher education in general. The need for a higher education qualifications framework and an effective system for assessing the quality and standards of British universities and their programmes offered overseas are considered in the context of the United Kingdom achieving its government's market share targets for international fee-paying higher education. The study discovers that student satisfaction with the HND was high among the student sample in the two Gulf countries, and that British higher education is generally well respected among both students and employers worldwide. It is argued that with increasing competition in the international higher education market, the United Kingdom government and United Kingdom universities must take greater care to consider overseas markets when making HE policy decisions if the export of British higher education is to be successfully increased.