CORPORATE PLAN.

Transcription

1 C CORPORATE PLAN

2 CONTENTS FOREWORD 2 1. PLAN AND PRIORITIES FOR COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIPS AND VALUE TO THE UK 8 3. ARTS ENGLISH AND EXAMINATIONS EDUCATION AND SOCIETY GLOBAL NETWORK PEOPLE, CAPACITY AND ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PERFORMANCE TARGETS FINANCE 47

3 2 FOREWORD Few countries are more internationally connected than the UK, or have more reasons to stay that way for trade, economic growth and for long-term prosperity and security. As a top table nation in world affairs, the UK must continue to engage and invest in: building trust between the people and institutions of the UK and overseas to foster prosperity and security around the world encouraging people to visit, study in, and do business with the UK helping outward mobility from the UK to the rest of the world to share culture, learning and international experiences attracting people who really matter to our future to visit and engage with the UK s vibrant arts and cultural scene and diverse, modern, open society. The British Council plays a pivotal role in supporting the UK s links around the world in all of these areas. The English language, our world class education system and creative and cultural sectors help create the UK s unrivalled soft power which is our ability to build relationships and influence through the UK s most attractive assets: culture, arts, education, language and values. Our research shows that people around the world who learn English, earn British qualifications, and experience UK culture have more trust in the UK. That trust attracts talented people to the UK and increases study, tourism and trade, bringing tangible economic and social value to the UK. Last year ( ) 23 million people worldwide came face-to-face with the English language, UK education and UK culture by working with the British Council, and our partners, including educational providers and cultural organisations and great brands like the Premier League, HSBC and more. This comprises over ten million people through teaching, examinations, workshops and meetings, plus 13 million at exhibitions, festivals and fairs. In addition, more than 90 million people used our digital channels and over 440 million people watched, listened to, or read our television, radio broadcasts and print publications. However, the key to cultural relations is people meeting people. These encounters with English teachers, educators, artists, sportspeople, scientists, policy makers and young people of the UK underpin the trust in the UK that we build all around the world. In 2014 we are well on the way to meeting the ambitious targets for growth, transformation and efficiency we set in We have invested in people, in skills and in new partners to meet demand and drive growth. We work closely with the UK government and the governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to help them achieve their international ambitions and economic growth. Our collaborative approach also showcases the UK s arts, culture and educational strengths and supports the UK s commitment to international development. As a result the UK s soft power is strong, well-organised and well received.

4 CORPORATE PLAN David Lake There are, however, major challenges ahead. A more volatile world, increasing demand, competition from international markets and complex delivery models mean we have to keep adapting and changing. Where once we were largely a grant-funded organisation with some income earning alongside, we are now an entrepreneurial public service with the same ethos and public service purpose we have always had, but with greater emphasis on earning, partnering and bidding for contracts in order to make the most of the opportunities to extend our work and lessen the call on the UK taxpayer. Sir Martin Davidson kcmg Chief Executive British Council As we plan towards 2020, we aim to build our expertise and capability to find, stimulate and bring to the UK more of the education and cultural opportunities which exist in world markets especially in emerging and developing economies. We are hiring the people, building the skills and creating the culture which will enable us to bring together the strengths of the whole of the UK to transform access to English language and education in state and public education systems worldwide as well as showcasing, stimulating and sharing the benefits of the UK s vibrant cultural sector through festivals, seasons and designated years of culture to exchange, share and celebrate our cultural achievements. Looking forward to 2020 we want to do more: for the whole of the UK, with more UK partners and for the benefit of the people of the UK and the countries where we work. Our ambition is to strengthen our position as a great asset for the UK, while adapting to a changing world and leveraging major opportunities for the UK to build the trust and international opportunity, which builds prosperity and security for us all. This Corporate Plan sets out the next stage of that journey, focusing on investment in our people to be able to represent the best of the UK globally, improved productivity to maximise the impact and return of our work, and increasing our scale to help the UK rise to the global demand for UK-backed English teaching, arts, culture, qualifications, learning opportunities, knowledge and ideas.

5 4 1. PLAN AND PRIORITIES FOR 2016 Where are we on the journey? This Corporate Plan sets out our targets and priorities for the next two years to the end of The strategic planning period was due to end by but we have extended and raised our ambition for the additional year to ensure alignment with UK government spending review forward guidance. Back in 2011 we proposed an ambitious and bold strategy. We committed to growth, despite the turbulent economic environment. We committed to strengthen the impact of our work and to engage with more people than ever before. We sought to grow our total turnover by over a quarter against a backdrop of declining grant in aid. This growth was underpinned by major organisational transformation: a major programme of redundancies, and investment in our existing and new staff to develop a culture of entrepreneurial public service. We have developed simpler, leaner models of operation overseas, reduced our UK premises footprint and upgraded our digital presence worldwide. Through this strategy we sought to deliver more benefit for the UK by 2015 than at any time in our history. Today we are well on the way to meeting this ambition. As an organisation we have simplified, focusing our work and programmes in arts, English and examinations, and education and society. The scale of our work has increased. By 2016 we plan to work directly with over 23 million people through face-to-face workshops, events and exhibitions. We also aim to grow our digital audience to well over 100 million per year and increase our turnover to over 1 billion. In the UK and across our global network we have transformed our physical footprint, reducing costs and saving space by upgrading to smart working. At the end of 2010, our platform (premises, infrastructure and support staff) was 19 per cent of our total costs; by 2016 it will be 14 per cent. We have updated and improved our technology as a foundation for our continued growth ambitions in English and digital learning. Most importantly, we have invested in people in professional skills in arts, English, education and society worldwide and in new teams for business development and partnership to attract UK brands and partners to the opportunities we are seeing around the world. Progress is best demonstrated through the programmes we deliver across the world to build trust and opportunity for the UK. We partner with global brands, including Premier League, HSBC and Microsoft. We partner with UK government through the GREAT Campaign, our work to support the International Education Strategy and our support for the promotion of the English language and Education UK. Our work is more relevant, accessible and in demand than ever before, ranging from Study Work Create for young people in the UK, to showcasing arts across the world, to our support for English language learning and teaching overseas. External validation of our work confirms the quality and value of what we do. The 2013 Independent Commission on Aid Impact gave a positive report on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and British Council response to the Arab Spring. Independent government evaluations for our work in the schools and justice sector have been scored as good to outstanding. External evaluation of our four-year UK Brazil Transform arts programme shows we are on track to leave a legacy of institutional partnership and collaboration with the UK.

6 CORPORATE PLAN Our authority as an expert in the English language and cultural relations has been strengthened by a major global exhibition The English Effect in 2013, leading to a more confident, professional and ambitious British Council. Despite this progress, we do not underestimate the challenges ahead. We manage daily security challenges, most notably in Afghanistan, Africa and the Middle East. We are continuously adapting our programmes to changing security circumstances, as well as to more sophisticated consumer needs in emerging economies. And as our grant in aid is increasingly targeted towards international development and UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), we are seeking new ways of funding and partnering for work which promotes the UK and supports UK prosperity. Priorities to 2016 We will continue to strengthen our position as a unique asset for the UK by: Investment to embody and represent the best of the UK globally. We will achieve this by continuing to invest the dividends from our paid-for services in the capability, people, technology and systems which support and develop our reputation as a world-class organisation. Productivity to create maximum impact from our work for the benefit of the UK and the countries in which we work. We will achieve this by continuing to focus on efficiency, on our cost base and on the management and balance of our funding, investment, people, programmes and partnerships. Scale to help the UK rise to the global demand and need for UK-backed English teaching, arts, culture, qualifications, learning opportunities, knowledge and ideas. We will achieve this by developing our ability and capacity to respond to the full extent of opportunity for UK education and culture worldwide, by creating innovative and effective models of delivery ourselves and in partnership with other UK providers and institutions. To achieve these priorities we will: Strengthen our partnerships with UK government, educational and cultural bodies, donors, education providers, brands and foundations for a much greater impact than we could achieve alone. We are committed to close alignment with the UK government and partners across government and we will continue to support the One HMG agenda. We value our relationship with missions overseas and their support for cultural relations. Work closely with UK government departments and agencies to share insights, identify and broker new opportunities for the UK in education and cultural sectors overseas and deliver real benefits and value to the UK. Maintain investment in the content of our programmes across face-to-face and digital channels, notably English and arts content, to meet ever growing demand and maximise the reach of the English language and UK culture.

7 6 Strengthen our paid-for services and contracts work in key markets to support the development of sustainable business models in developed and emerging economies. This means expanding our operations, products and services in English language teaching, examinations, education and society and cultural skills, to give greater access to UK qualifications, examinations, higher education and expertise. Build on and develop new relationships with major corporates and brands through high-profile seasons, festivals and bilateral programmes that feature British arts and collaboration in priority overseas markets, reciprocated in the UK. Develop our portfolio of programmes to meet our increasing ODA targets, focusing on English for education systems, basic education, girls access to education, higher education including research development and supporting arts and society, and the institutions of civil society and justice. Strengthen our work with UK government and agencies to support the GREAT campaign, the International Education Strategy and Education UK, as well as encouraging inbound students, tourism and investment. Continue to share the UK s expertise in growing social enterprise and supporting social entrepreneurs as a key component of our work, building on our work in East Asia where we have trained thousands of social entrepreneurs. As an organisation we will: Maintain our extensive network of operations around the world, giving priority to countries of strategic importance to the UK and where we can achieve impact at scale. Continue to develop new models of operation. In EU Europe we are aiming for all our work to be self-sustaining with no call on grant in aid by Over time, we will develop similar approaches in East Asia and the Gulf. Strengthen our skills and attract new talent to support our drive to be a model of entrepreneurial public service. This will lead to greater career and international mobility, effective working in global teams and strong performance management in a connected, interdependent global organisation. Continue to develop our digital platform to support the scale and worldwide reach needed to respond to the insatiable demand for English, UK education and arts with enhanced capabilities to enable us to attract and stay connected with users at different life-stages. We will also focus on improved targeting, personalisation and payment systems. Develop our economic model, to grow paid-for services and our contracts work to deliver our core purpose and strengthen impact while reinvesting surpluses back into people, programmes and investment. For example, in areas like showcasing UK arts and maintaining the UK s connections in developed countries, which would have previously been funded by the UK government through grant in aid.

8 CORPORATE PLAN Government triennial review Findings from the government triennial review on the role and work of the British Council are expected during We will take account of these findings and work on the priorities identified, updating this plan as required. As part of our strengthening alignment with government objectives for culture and education, we have already consulted on this Corporate Plan with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), as well as the FCO. The road to 2020 During the next two years, we will set out our priorities and workplan for 2020, building on what we have achieved in this Corporate Plan period. The first step is to deliver the strategy we set out for which will underpin our strategy and trajectory to Our models for 2020 will respond to market challenges, funding pressures and new opportunities. For example, we intend to grow our mixed economy model of paid-for work and education contracts to ensure we can share English, UK education and culture in emerging and developed economies, whilst focusing grant funding, ODA and donor-funded contracts in fragile states and developing economies which cannot easily support stable mixed economy approaches. EMERGING ECONOMIES DEVELOPED ECONOMIES DEVELOPING ECONOMIES RAPIDLY CHANGING FRAGILE STATES Mixed economy approaches (mainly paid-for and contracts) Funded approaches (mainly grant, ODA and contracts) We will consult and engage our stakeholders and partners on choices, changes and the implications of these approaches in the coming year as we work towards developing our 2020 plans.

9 8 2. COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIPS AND VALUE TO THE UK Looking ahead to , we will strengthen our value to the UK through new partnerships and through bringing together the cultural offer. We will create new opportunities to share and develop our vibrant education system, culture and expertise, and benefit the UK as the home of the English language. The UK government and the devolved administrations continue to emphasise the importance of international engagement for future competitiveness. Alongside fast-developing international strategies there is a growing emphasis on learning from international best practice in UK schools and a focus on fostering the right skills in our young people for success in a global society and economy. With these objectives moving up the agenda across the UK, the work of the British Council in UK schools, colleges, universities and the cultural and creative sectors across the length and breadth of the UK has never been more relevant. We collaborate and partner with: UK and overseas governments and government departments delivery partners, sponsors and stakeholders. This allows us to better align strategies, effort and maximise the impact of our work. Value to the UK Building the UK s influence and attraction, we will continue to: Enhance the UK s reputation as a world leader in cultural relations, cultural diplomacy and soft power hosting international policy summits, initiating leading edge research and continuing our support for the second ministerial Edinburgh International Culture Summit in Support the UK government s GREAT campaign, working with the FCO, UKTI, Visit Britain and the Cabinet office, helping to deliver economic growth by highlighting internationally the strength of education and culture in the UK. Our focus will be on student recruitment to the UK, particularly from emerging economies. We will engage the cultural sector to support its international ambitions and help deliver wider educational, business and tourism objectives. Promote the UK as the best English language learning destination to support UK-based English language providers to enrol hundreds of thousands of English language students each year.

10 CORPORATE PLAN Strengthen international links and deliver benefits to the UK, through education and cultural programmes linked to major events and anniversaries: Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Dylan Thomas Centenary 2014 Edinburgh Festivals 2014 and 2015 First World War Centenary Magna Carta 800 in 2015 Shakespeare 400 in 2016 Hull as UK City of Culture Through Study, Work, Create and internationalising the UK s young people, we will: Support the wider UK strategy for outward mobility, growing our Study Work Create web portal to showcase the widest possible range of international opportunities open to UK young people and young professionals from the British Council and other UK and international organisations that share our commitment to international experiences. Continue to champion language learning and intercultural skills at the heart of world-class curricula, enabling pupils to learn from their peers around the world, and bringing languages to life by placing native speakers from Europe, China, and the Americas into UK schools as language assistants. Campaign to change the UK s culture of complacency towards foreign language learning. Foster international connections for the youth and community sectors, both through mobility programmes such as Erasmus+ and through partners such as the English Premier League and their community programmes. Supporting UK education and sharing expertise, we will: Help to keep the UK s higher education sector at the forefront of international education, by maintaining alignment with the UK s International Education Strategy, working with UK partners to build and strengthen international partnership and collaboration. This will support sector and institutional development; and promote student recruitment and mobility. Develop more research links between early stage researchers in the UK and overseas, supporting them to form deep and sustainable collaborations. Strengthen our support to the UK English language sector through closer working with BIS and the sector to provide international market intelligence, broker new partnerships and to support research, innovation and capacity development for the UK English language teaching profession.

11 10 Share UK approaches to education reform including curriculum development, quality assurance and vocational education, and attract education ministers from around the globe to the annual Education World Forum in London. This will build knowledge of the UK s educational strengths and develop business opportunities for UK organisations. Work with the four UK education departments to help our schools sectors learn from the best in the world, sharing policy insights and increasing international professional development for school leaders and teachers. Address the needs of children in UK schools for whom English is not the first language. It is estimated that there are over one million such learners in UK schools. Work in partnership to develop materials for adult learners of English who have not had access to lessons, thereby reaching into the heart of communities. Develop a coherent, global, cultural skills offer in collaboration with the best of the UK sector, with different models for ODA and developed markets. New partnerships Through our mixed funding model we work across the public, private and non-governmental organisation (NGO) sectors, working in new ways to extend the impact and scale of our work. By building strong relationships, trust and warmth with existing partners, we will increase the number of meaningful strategic partnerships that bring innovation, influence, impact and income benefits to our delivery and to the UK. We are extending our business development approach to global partners, including trusts, foundations and corporates. We will continue to invest in research to identify and understand prospective sectors and partners (for example, telecoms and online learning sectors) and use this to develop a tight strategic range of collaborations. We will continue to grow capability in our global network to ensure we have the skills we need for relationship management. We recognise how important it is for the British Council to work with trusts and foundations that have strong reputations in the areas in which we work. With a growing understanding of trusts and foundations we will develop our profile and establish the organisation as a partner of choice. Having developed our technical understanding of how sponsorship works and an associated strategy for arts sponsorship, we will build on and develop new relationships with major corporates interested in becoming partners in high-profile seasons, festivals and bilateral programmes that feature UK assets in priority overseas markets.

12 CORPORATE PLAN There is a growing recognition across the organisation of the non-financial benefits of working with partners. We will extend our corporate scorecard system to capture the full value of our partnership activity and further embed this understanding in the organisation. By 2016, partnering will be one of our principal business models. This will enable us to grow impact fast without growing ourselves at the same pace, and most importantly will demonstrate effective collaborative working, particularly with UK organisations. Bringing together the cultural offer We will continue to develop and deliver programmes which bring together and harness the UK s three main cultural strengths; the English language, education, and the arts, to deliver benefits greater than the sum of the parts. Many of our new and upcoming initiatives take advantage of this. Core to this is our collaboration with government departments and other partners, for example our contribution, alongside UKTI and BIS on the Creative Industries Council and our work with the DCMS on the cultural programme within the GREAT campaign. Linking our seasons and festivals with our creative economy focused country work provides another opportunity for collaboration with the FCO and UKTI. Shakespeare 400 is a great example of this way of working. It has been designed from the ground up to use the universality of Shakespeare, his work, and the social issues he addresses to deliver outcomes in English, education and society, and the arts. The Culture Diary provides information on upcoming UK arts and cultural events taking place worldwide, building on the initiative established for London We are working with Arts Council England, the Cabinet Office, FCO, UTKI, DCMS, Visit Britain and the Greater London Authority on maintaining and extending this asset. Sport and culture Sport plays a natural role in cultural relations. It transcends many of the things that divide us and it provides a simple, practical way of bringing people together, building their skills and confidence. With the English Premier League we will continue to develop the Premier Skills programme to provide training for coaches, teachers and young people, support the development of community and education networks and help young people develop life skills and learn English through the medium of football. Our work linked to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games includes a school linking project with the BBC and the Commonwealth Secretariat to inspire children in 100,000 schools across the ten largest Commonwealth countries to consider values and citizenship; and a celebration of Scottish visual arts of the last 25 years which will be exhibited in galleries across Scotland before touring internationally.

13 12 International Inspiration: with our partners, UNICEF and UK Sport, we will finalise and pass on the impact of the international sport legacy programme of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This programme met its target of enriching the lives of over 12 million young people around the world through sport and has led to the UK taking a role in preparations for Rio Science and culture Science is also one of our founding principles and remains a priority today we support policy discussion and new partnerships for research and innovation between the higher education sector, government and business communities. Our work in science is aligned with BIS and UKTI research initiatives, with the FCO s global Science and Innovation Network and is integrated into the International Science Strategy. UK India Education and Research Initiative: we will continue to support new and sustainable partnerships between UK and Indian higher education institutions, including research and innovation. We will also seek to develop this model into East Asia through the ASEAN (Association of South East Asia Nations) Knowledge Partnerships. The Newton Fund, a UK International Education Strategy priority, will build research and innovation relationships with emerging powers. We will work closely with the UK government to support development and implementation, particularly in countries where our trusted long-term relationships and convening skills are most required. Researcher Links: we have reinvigorated our focus on early career researchers, especially in emerging scientific nations. This new initiative provides support for career development, networking and research visits, and is complemented by our communication skills training for researchers which we are piloting in a number of countries globally. We will continue to work in the area of public engagement in science, supporting international networks of talented science communicators and helping them to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. This work will build on initiatives such as FameLab International. Created by Cheltenham Festivals, FameLab gives young scientists three minutes to entertain and engage a live audience. It is now run in partnership with the British Council and national partners in over 23 countries. We will nurture future scientists and engineers by introducing more science and technology themes into our schools programmes, building on the UK s reputation for excellence in communicating science.

14 CORPORATE PLAN Social enterprise We use the UK s expertise to support social enterprise development across a wide range of sectors to address social and environmental problems promoting sustainable economic growth and positive social change. To date we have worked in 20 countries and formed 100 partnerships, developing social enterprise internationally, promoting development and prosperity for people worldwide. We will seek to develop into new markets with new partnerships over the next planning period. Our work helps to bring social investment deals to the UK, promotes the country as an innovation hub, and supports the export of UK social enterprise goods and services. We have established a strong track record for this work in East Asia and particularly China where we have helped to introduce the concept. We welcomed the inclusion of Social Enterprise UK as part of the 2013 Prime Ministerial trade delegation to China.

15 14 3. ARTS New ways of connecting with and understanding each other through the arts Through our work in the arts we aim to: increase the prosperity of participating arts professionals and institutions through enhanced artistic quality, financial sustainability and global reputation develop skills among arts professionals and institutions attract arts lovers worldwide and increase audiences for UK work globally and for international work in the UK enhance the UK s international reputation as a creative, diverse and relevant destination for students, business leaders and tourists. Progress to date In 2011 we adopted a global arts vision within which our arts programmes, skills and business model have developed. We work primarily with arts professionals in the UK and across the world (both arts practitioners and enablers), as well as policy makers, to develop mutually beneficial connections and projects. This allows us to extend UK influence worldwide through exhibitions, performances and publications. We are trusted for our focus on artistic quality, innovation and partnership. We have invested in new talent, building a global management team of arts professionals based in our core regions. We have increased our arts budgets through a mixed economy model which mirrors the sector. This has led to a renewed confidence in our work in the arts from UK Now in 2012 (the largest-ever celebration of UK arts and culture in China), to new programme developments for the creative economy, cultural skills and music education programmes such as World Voice. So far, during the Corporate Plan period, we have achieved: A new model for festivals and seasons supporting presentation, collaboration and exchange, and integrated with our creative economy and cultural skills work. For example, Transform Brazil and UK Now in China, plus plans for a three-year Re-imagine India programme, UK Russia Year of Culture 2014 and Mexico 2015 (Year of the UK in Mexico and Year of Mexico in the UK). Major partnerships with the UK s arts councils and major cultural institutions such as Creative Scotland, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Library. Our Arts Council England joint action plan covers ten areas of significant collaboration and has helped to secure extensive additional lottery funding for international work. Alignment and interdependence between our work in the arts, English and education and society, through major events such as the Cultural Olympiad and the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens birth, resulting in a more coherent offer. Co-ordination of our digital and face-to-face offer to arts professionals in the UK, using social media and art form websites (music, visual arts etc.) to gather and share information and contacts and make international connections.

16 CORPORATE PLAN Priorities for the next two years: Up to 2016 we will focus on the following challenges and opportunities: undertake a market sizing exercise to determine more accurate and ambitious targets for our audience reach invest in developing new products and services where we have identified market demand, for example a coherent cultural skills offer promoting the breadth of UK expertise, and creative economy work invest in the two main assets that we own, to increase impact and build partnerships: the British Council Collection and our global network of arts professionals further develop our model of effective UK seasons, integrating ambitions from overseas with those of the UK, to generate lasting benefits from creative economy and cultural skills develop and capitalise on major opportunities to reach audiences directly through digital channels ensure a strategic balance to our work so we continue to support the UK arts sector through high quality programming, benefit the wider UK and UK business, and support government targets for ODA secure the future of showcasing in non-oda priority markets by formalising a balanced and robust financial model that matches the best financial management in the sector. By we will be working annually with: Over 800,000 artists, art lovers, cultural leaders and ministers face-to-face. THREE MILLION artists, art lovers and participants in online communities. OVER NINE MILLION website visitors. MORE THAN TEN MILLION exhibition, festival, event and performance attendees. Well in excess of 116 MILLION viewers, listeners and readers.

17 16 Summary of our Arts programmes and activities for Title Showcasing British Council Collection Support for creative professionals and artists Skills and knowledge exchange Detail We use showcase events and digital channels in the UK and overseas to promote UK work to audiences and promoters in international markets. For example, events such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Huddersfield Music Festival, the Venice Biennale and Architecture Biennale. There are also bespoke seasons such as the UK Russia year of culture (2014), UK/ZA Connect (South Africa, 2014), forthcoming seasons in Mexico and Nigeria and Shakespeare 400. We use our collection of contemporary British art to support major international events such as the São Paulo Biennale. Working with other collections and museums we will share the British Council Collection to create our own world series of exhibitions for international touring. We build relationships between UK arts professionals and global contacts online and in person, for example through the Young Creative Entrepreneur scheme; offering financial support for artists in the early stage of their careers, for example through the Artists International Development Fund; and provide a range of support services through our management of the EU s Creative Europe Desk for Culture in the UK. We share the UK s policy experience, particularly in skills development and in the creative and cultural industries. This may be within cultural seasons such as Transform Brazil; on a paid basis (for example to national and local government in Colombia); or as part of international events for cultural leaders (for example the Remix event in 2014 in London, New York and Sydney).

18 CORPORATE PLAN How we achieve impact in the arts 1. WHO WE WORK WITH Ministers of culture, arts policy makers and local government. Artists and cultural leaders (festival directors, curators, producers and programmers from the UK and overseas). Art lovers and arts students in the UK and overseas, international audiences for UK work and UK audiences for international work. 2. WHAT THEY EXPERIENCE International arts events, arts policy dialogue, publications, research and consultancy. Professional development workshops, arts awards, arts forums and networks, collaborative creation, exchange of ideas, work in other countries. Inspiring, entertaining and transformative international arts events (exhibitions, showcases, festivals, fairs, performances). 3. WHAT THEY TAKE AWAY Increased knowledge and skills to work internationally. Increased knowledge of UK and international arts administration and policy. Improved knowledge and skills in the creative sector overseas. Knowledge and skills to support tolerance, respect and diversity. Improved perception of the diversity of UK art. 4. WHAT THEY DO Develop artistic practice by working internationally. Collaborate in developing arts policy and practice internationally. Work on joint creative projects. Develop new markets. Engage with peers in the UK and internationally. Develop creative and cultural institutions overseas and in the UK. Influence international conversations. Recommend and talk about their experience to others. 5. LASTING IMPACT Artists prosper. Skills develop. Institutions prosper. UK reputation grows. Audiences grow. NEW WAYS OF CONNECTING WITH AND UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER THROUGH THE ARTS.

19 18 4. ENGLISH AND EXAMINATIONS More widespread and better quality teaching, learning and assessment of English worldwide. We provide people worldwide with greater access to the life-changing opportunities that come from learning English and gaining valuable UK qualifications. Our work helps to maintain the UK s profile and expertise in English language teaching worldwide. Progress to date Since 2011 we have seen continued growth in our work in English and examinations. We have expanded our global network of high quality teaching centres with an anticipated growth of over 20 per cent in learners between 2011 and We have extended our range of self-access English language learning products offered through digital and mobile technology, leading to a growth in our digital audience of over 40 per cent over the same period. We are working more with governments to transform whole education systems to increase opportunity and employability through English. UK examinations which we administer overseas continue to grow, providing exports to UK examination boards in excess of 70 million. Our work in English and examinations makes a major contribution to the UK s International Education Strategy, and we work closely with the new UKTI Education team to identify and develop international opportunities in this area for UK education and training providers. Our work increases international opportunities for UK English language teaching (ELT) businesses and examination awarding bodies. Through Accreditation UK we promote the UK as a leading destination for English language learners (a market worth 2 billion annually) and support the UK English language teaching sector with research and market intelligence.

20 CORPORATE PLAN Priorities for the next two years: contribute to the development and quality of English learning and teaching in schools worldwide, supporting effective English language teaching policy and English teacher development, in collaboration with policy makers, education ministries and donors support the English language learning and training needs of students and teachers in international further and higher education systems expand our range of self-access English language learning products offered through the internet and mobile technology, as well as through print and broadcast media invest in and expand our global network of high quality English teaching centres through our teaching network and self-access learning, increase the number of people learning English with us and continue to develop our award winning digital learning content, using the UK s vibrant culture as an aid to language learning contribute to the promotion of the UK as an English language learning destination increase access to effective English assessment, to support the learning of English worldwide and improve access worldwide to UK school and professional qualifications increase access to English language and other UK qualifications, providing candidates with evidence of their learning and ability in English and improving standards; the acquisition of valuable UK qualifications helps individuals secure opportunities in both further and higher education and in employment continue to invest in our high-performing British Council bilingual, bicultural primary and secondary school in Madrid. By we will be working annually with: 340,000 policy makers and ministers, teachers and coaches. Over SIX MILLION teachers and learners in online communities. Over 450,000 learners in teaching centre classes. THREE MILLION examinations candidates. TENS OF MILLIONS of website visitors. TENS OF MILLIONS of viewers, listeners and readers.

21 20 Summary of our English and Examinations programmes and activities for UK examinations English for education systems Face-to-face and blended English English for self-access learners Provide access to English language and other UK qualifications. Support the development of English language learning and teaching, and the use of English to teach subjects across the curriculum, in schools and further and higher education institutions. Through support to policy and research, curriculum development and teacher training programmes we will help strengthen the quality of English language teaching and the understanding of language in cultural relations and development. Provide over 400,000 individual and group learners of English with a range of face-to-face and blended courses, through partners and in our 80 plus centres worldwide. Provide courseware, online, mobile, broadcast and print resources for learners to improve their English, as well as website tools and global online training resources for teachers of English.

22 CORPORATE PLAN How we achieve impact in English and examinations 1. WHO WE WORK WITH English language policy makers and influencers, academics, teachers and teacher educators. Individual and organisational learners of English worldwide who invest time and money to improve. Learners of English worldwide. Individuals: learners worldwide looking to achieve an internationally recognised qualification. Organisations: examinations/ qualifications institutions. 2. WHAT THEY EXPERIENCE Policy dialogue, research, consultancy, accreditation, teaching resources, curriculum advice, training courses, development, networks. Face-to-face training courses (classroom and on-site), learning materials, resources, support, advice, access to learner networks, testing and accreditation. Training courses, learning materials, resources, support, advice, access to learner networks, testing and accreditation, (delivered via non face-to-face channels). Internationally recognised examinations, rigorous testing and assessment processes, quality standards and integrity of process. 3. WHAT THEY TAKE AWAY Global good practice; evidence of what works; design and implementation advice; improved teaching skills and capacity. Improved English skills, enhanced perceptions of the quality of UK resources and materials. Increased understanding of their abilities relative to international standards, greater confidence and self-esteem. Understanding of good practice. 4. WHAT THEY DO Implement new policies, processes, systems; new approaches or new models of training, learning or assessment. Pursue their employment, educational and social goals with greater confidence, ability and a higher chance of success. Institutions implement good practice. 5. LASTING IMPACT English for education systems: English policy worldwide is developed and implemented in response to needs/ evidence and reflects international good practice. This results in improved teaching and learning. Face-to-face and blended learning: More people gain confidence and the opportunity to study, work and develop a career in a globalised world through face-to-face and online English tuition with the British Council. Self-access learning: More people gain confidence and the opportunity to study, work and develop a career in a globalised world through cost-effective and flexible access to quality British Council English learning resources. Examinations: More people gain confidence and the opportunity to study, work and develop a career in a globalised world as a result of taking an internationally recognised qualification with the British Council. MORE WIDESPREAD AND BETTER QUALITY TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT OF ENGLISH WORLDWIDE.

23 22 5. EDUCATION AND SOCIETY Enhanced UK leadership of, and shared learning from, international education. Societies whose young people, citizens and institutions contribute to and benefit from a more inclusive, open and prosperous world. Progress to date Establishing the Education and Society business unit in 2011 has led to a clearer and simplified strategy for our work. We have recruited a new leadership team and are investing in professional staff in priority countries and markets. We are developing a more focused and clearer portfolio across schools, skills, higher education, science and society. Our work is delivered through more partnerships across the public and private sectors including with HSBC, Premier League, Microsoft, Skype, Ecorys and with UK government departments such as the Department for Education, BIS, the FCO and the Department for International Development (DFID) and overseas governments. In this way, our work is aligned with the priorities of UK government departments on poverty reduction, economic growth and access to justice and security. We have maintained the high numbers of people we work with through face-to-face activity and exhibitions while increasing the numbers of people we reach through digital channels. We have more than doubled the people in our online networks since 2011 to over 4.5 million. Our evaluation work consistently shows that we are having a positive impact. The people we work with consistently rate us highly with over 90 per cent reporting impact on their professional lives and over 80 per cent reporting impact on their institutions and a strengthening of their links with the UK. External evaluations of our programmes for clients like DFID and the European Commission consistently rate us as good (meeting expectations) to excellent (exceeding expectations). More generally we have strengthened our work in education and society to deliver ODA. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact described our work in the Middle East and North Africa in response to the Arab Spring, as considered, strategic and a good complement to the FCO s. By we will be working annually with: Over FIVE MILLION teachers, academics, college and higher education leaders in online communities. TWO MILLION education and society exhibition and fair attendees. TENS OF MILLIONS of website visitors. MORE THAN HALF A MILLION education, labour and justice ministers, academics, researchers, school leaders, teachers, community and business leaders.

24 CORPORATE PLAN Priorities for the next two years: maintain alignment with the five strands of the UK s International Education Strategy: welcome international students through refreshing the Education UK brand, supporting the GREAT campaign, managing scholarships in partnership with UK and overseas businesses and governments support transnational education through our research and horizon scanning publications, providing market intelligence and exhibition services to UK institutions, training and accreditation of overseas agents support the development of education technology through partnerships for higher education for example, FutureLearn and three massive open online courses (MOOCs) and schools and with Microsoft to bring connectivity and teacher development to schools in Africa build relationships with emerging powers through early stage convening, development work for the Newton fund, working in partnership to increase research and innovation collaboration between the UK and emerging powers, supporting the participation of overseas governments in the Education World Forum build the UK brand and seize opportunities through committing staff resources to work with UKTI Education and the Higher Education International Unit on significant outward missions and visits focus on internationalising higher education, supporting the UK s position at the heart of thought leadership and creating new opportunities for collaboration and exchange between governments, higher education institutions, researchers and businesses in the UK and around the world support school leaders and policy makers in the UK and overseas to improve quality and attainment levels through professional development, policy and curriculum reform, award schemes such as the International Schools Award, and technology assisted learning (e.g. using interactive white boards, mobile phones, tablets and websites to deliver exercises or homework) contribute to ensuring secure and stable societies, in which more young people can prosper, by supporting governance reform, access to justice for those people most excluded, and providing opportunities for the development of skills for employment and enterprise help people and local institutions to work together in their communities and internationally on issues that matter to them support the development of a more sustainable economy worldwide and in the UK by building links between social entrepreneurs and policy makers ensure that girls and women are empowered to take part and contribute in all our programmes expand our partnership working across the private, public and third sectors to develop, deliver and fund programmes in the UK and internationally work more through digital channels and by building relationships with existing and new clients to increase our scale and impact in education and society and increase our turnover from client-funded contracts and services.

25 24 Summary of our Education and Society programmes and activities for Education Schools Internationalising higher education Skills Science and research We support educators in the UK and worldwide to work together to enrich the quality and outcomes of education in schools and equip young people to live and work successfully in a global society. We do this through policy and curriculum reform, professional development, school links, accreditation and technologyassisted learning. Example programmes include: Connecting Classrooms delivered in partnership with DFID and Erasmus +. We promote international mobility, create the conditions for high impact international research and innovation partnerships, conduct research and convene policy dialogues that shape the future of international higher education. We support the recruitment of international students and marketing of international higher education through national campaigns such as the GREAT campaign and through our services to UK institutions. Example programmes include: Higher education institution, business and government partnerships: UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI), UK China Partnerships in Education, RENKEI Japan UK initiative. Policy development, dissemination and analysis: Shape of things to come reports; regional Global Education Dialogues; our annual Going Global conference and publications. Mobility: Erasmus +, Tullow Oil Scholarships, Study Work Create website of international opportunities for UK young people; support for national outward mobility strategy. Support for international recruitment: British Council Services for International Education Marketing market intelligence and student recruitment services for UK institutions. We support the development of skills to meet labour market demands and learner needs, particularly in countries with large populations of young people. Example programmes include: Skills for Employability to increase collaboration between educators, government and business to better align skills education with labour needs and promote awareness of the importance of skills education. Numerous contracts with partners such as the EC, for example in Libya. We link scientists globally and provide information for international researchers on jobs and funding in the UK. We encourage grassroots discussion of science and sustainability and the development of research communication skills. Example programmes include: International collaborative research like Global Innovation Initiative in partnership with BIS and the US Department of State, Researcher Links focusing on emerging researchers and Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX). FameLab which gives talented science communicators the opportunity to inspire the general public through national communication competitions and an international final.

26 CORPORATE PLAN Society Civil society and governance Justice, security and conflict resolution Social enterprise Girls and women s empowerment We promote social change, voice and accountability for all. Key areas include institutional development, civil society and economic development. Example programmes include: Active Citizens which works with civil societies, organisations and their leaders to innovate, be accountable and gain access to UK and international experience. Numerous contracts that develop civil society capacity and accountability with partners such as DFID and the EU for example in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma and Ethiopia. We build sport partnerships between the UK and countries around the world, enabling young people to fulfil their potential through the power of sport. This work includes International Inspiration to capture the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Premier Skills which uses football to develop life skills for young people in partnership with the Premier League. We assist in the design, delivery and evaluation of justice and security initiatives that promote and protect universally agreed standards of human rights. Examples include numerous contracts delivered in partnership with DFID and the EC in Nigeria, China and Vietnam. We support the development of social enterprise through skills development for social entrepreneurs, policy dialogue and the promotion of the UK as a global example of expertise. We facilitate dialogues and networks to raise awareness and support initiatives that address the continuing inequalities that girls and women face in society. This work includes Springboard which provides personal development opportunities for women in the Middle East and contracts delivered in partnership with the EU for example, the Participation of Women in Public Life in the Middle East.

27 26 How we achieve impact in education 1. WHO WE WORK WITH Education policy makers. Teachers and academics, school, college and higher education leaders, researchers. Primary, secondary and tertiary students. 2. WHAT THEY EXPERIENCE Policy dialogue and research, for example, international higher education regional policy forums. Professional development and training, peer networks, qualifications recognition and benchmarking. Competitions and joint projects, work and study placements, exchanges, education fairs, scholarships. Sector advisory and market intelligence services. Joint education programmes. Collaborative research. 3. WHAT THEY TAKE AWAY Improved understanding of different agendas and policies in education, the workplace and wider society. Increased understanding of the differences and similarities between cultures. Improved skills, motivation and confidence. 4. WHAT THEY DO Develop shared solutions to educational issues. Share best practice in education and educational reform. Improve curriculum and assessment. Improve institutional practice and impact. Select the UK and UK institutions for partnership, study and exams. Collaborate with students in other countries and use this experience to study and work with peers. 5. LASTING IMPACT Increased recognition of the UK as a source of expertise and a partner for education and skills development. Increased capability in international co-operation that supports the development of educational institutions and their social impact. Increased economic value and benefits to the UK. Increased UK contribution to, and benefits from, international co-operation in education and research. Greater educational and employment opportunities for individuals in the UK and overseas through increased knowledge and skills, including intercultural understanding and access to education. ENHANCED UK LEADERSHIP OF, AND SHARED LEARNING FROM, INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION.

28 CORPORATE PLAN How we achieve impact in society 1. WHO WE WORK WITH Leaders and policy makers of international and national organisations, governments, civil society and business. Senior stakeholders and practitioners in non-governmental organisations (NGOs), social entrepreneurs, civil servants, youth and community leaders. 2. WHAT THEY EXPERIENCE Policy dialogue, technical advice and consulting, research and publications, exchange of experience and knowledge, visits to the UK. Capacity building, training, personal development, internships, networking, mentoring and exchanges. 3. WHAT THEY TAKE AWAY New relationships and networks with people in education systems. Better understanding of international policy agenda and processes, international good practice and how to tailor to local contexts. Increased understanding and capabilities in judicial, social and government reform. Greater knowledge of the range of skills and expertise available from the UK and international experience. Enhanced capacity to effectively contribute to more open, secure and inclusive societies. Improved leadership and intercultural skills. Skills to use tools for voice and engagement through advocacy and policy dialogue. 4. WHAT THEY DO Share plans and strategies to address social and educational problems. Work with traditional legal authorities, police services, judiciary and civil society to develop new policy and practice for judicial systems, legal services and the rule of law. Enable access to services for women and girls. Work with policy makers and practitioners in education systems to develop the role of education in civil society. Engage with international experts, peers and partners from the UK and other countries to address local and global issues. Build stronger community based organisations, NGOs and communities of practice. Design and implement social action programmes and new business plans. Create and sustain new enterprises and models of business. Share experience and capability to advocate and represent citizen needs effectively. 5. LASTING IMPACT More stable and peaceful societies with increased safety and access to justice, particularly in fragile and conflict affected areas and for the most marginalised people. More open and accountable government and education systems: more citizens actively engaged, more effective institutions, more representative participation of citizens. More women and girls empowered to lead government, business and communities. More supportive environment for social enterprise to flourish. Increased recognition of the UK as a source of expertise and an effective international partner. SOCIETIES WHOSE YOUNG PEOPLE, CITIZENS AND INSTITUTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO, AND BENEFIT FROM, A MORE INCLUSIVE, OPEN AND PROSPEROUS WORLD.

29 28 6. GLOBAL NETWORK We have an extensive overseas network in well over 100 countries being close to the needs of the market, responding to those needs and interpreting them for the benefit of the UK is crucial. The network continues to evolve both in its reach and in the nature of our presence in each location. In some difficult operating environments, like Pakistan, we are increasing public access, opening libraries as safe spaces in which people can convene and engage with the UK. Across our operations we are increasingly blending digital with face-to-face working and working with and through partners. This enables us to operate more flexibly, to adapt to changes in the environment and to meet market demand. Within the context of declining government grant and a much higher proportion of this grant required to be spent on ODA, we continue to reduce levels of government grant in non-oda countries and in EU Europe in particular. Given the continued growth in earned income, grant as a percentage of turnover will be down to less than ten per cent in EU Europe and East Asia by Levels of earned income and of government grant by region are illustrated in the chart. Everywhere we go, even where we are not setting up a permanent office, we have to make sure our status and our tax position is stable and meets the varied requirements and regulations of host country governments. Our programme to regularise our status worldwide is due to finish in 2015 with 71 countries completed so far. The programme will result in over 20 wholly owned companies or subsidiaries in a group structure. These will greatly enhance our ability to operate, but also increase the complexity of our governance given the requirements in some countries for directors, local boards and dedicated reporting. Our guiding principle in all cases is to have the simplest governance possible.

30 CORPORATE PLAN Income by overseas regions for and in millions AFRICA FCO grant Other earned income AMERICAS FCO grant Other earned income EAST ASIA EU EUROPE MIDDLE EAST SOUTH ASIA WIDER EUROPE The overseas network is split into seven regions, each managed by an overseasbased regional director. Our highest priority country operations are highlighted in bold in each of the regional sections that follow. The strategic importance and value to the UK of each country and its potential for cultural relations impact determines its priority. Emerging economies such as China, India, Mexico and Nigeria continue to be high priority, reflecting their huge importance to the UK s economic future. Equally we also attach a high priority to our work in the most fragile and conflictaffected environments, such as Afghanistan. English is expanding right across the network and impact through English in public education systems in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa will grow over the next two years. For each region we set out the context showing the operating environment and challenges, together with our response and priority work in these areas. This represents a high level description of key activities, and is not exhaustive detail is taken forward at country and regional level.

31 AMERICAS Americas: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela Regional context In acknowledgement of its diversity, delivery is tailored to the contrasts and variety within the region. Strong economic growth, an emerging middle class, democratic political stability and a growing voice on the world stage all characterise the major economies in Latin America. The importance of Brazil, Mexico and other high growth economies such as Colombia for global trade and dialogue is increasing through stronger international outlooks. The demand for integrated English, education and training services is growing everywhere, and there is renewed recognition of the importance of supporting social and economic progress in the Caribbean. The US market remains a priority for many of our UK partners but changing demographics mean that many people in North America have deeper ties with Latin America and Asia than with Europe, creating challenges and opportunities to refresh transatlantic relationships through cultural relations activities for a new generation. Our response is to: support English language teaching policy development innovate and partner to support better quality English teaching and learning at scale develop new international partnerships in higher education and share experience through skills and sports support the empowerment of women and girls, the growth of social enterprise and better access to justice and security position the UK as a partner for the development of creative economies and grow the reputation of the UK in the region for outstanding artistic creativity increase our impact by working with major partners such as Microsoft expand our network with a presence in Peru from 2014, and introduce new operating models to reach much bigger audiences directly and online in cities across the region. Our priorities Our top priority in Latin America is English. We are implementing a large-scale teacher development strategy which uses remote teaching technologies. In Uruguay in 2015 our partnership with Plan Ceibal will bring remote teaching of English to 130,000 primary school children and support the development of almost 5,000 teachers. In Venezuela we have launched a specialist diploma in primary English language teaching and we are partnering with universities across the continent to provide better English support. We are launching digital resources for self-access learning for more flexible English teaching services across the continent. Our examinations and testing operations will expand significantly to establish the UK as the strategic partner for English language assessment. Our arts programmes are reaching new and larger audiences, supporting prosperity and enhancing international cultural understanding: The UK Brazil Transform festival in the handover between London 2012 and Rio UK in Mexico/Mexico in the UK festivals in Collaboration and exchange with UK arts organisations like the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum. Our support for higher education will focus on increasing the market for the UK. This includes a campaign for mutual accreditation of awards, the development of links between higher education, government and industry (including research), and support for the internationalisation of higher education institutions across the Americas, for example, Going Global in Miami in April We will develop leadership programmes for teachers and head teachers and expand Premier Skills into the USA. In society our new partnerships will support access to justice, community development through sport and social enterprise and the empowerment of girls and women, especially in the Caribbean, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, building on our recent successes in securing partnerships with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the EU. The population of this region is over 900 million. GDP per capita in this region ranges from US$51,000 in USA, to US$6,000 in Cuba. Brazil is the world s eighth largest economy by GDP and Mexico is the world s 12th largest. Source: United Nations Source: World Bank Source: CIA World Fact Book

32 CORPORATE PLAN EAST ASIA East Asia markets: Australia, Burma, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam Regional context East Asia is a mix of developed and emerging economies, with changing demographics, increased competition, economic development and the quest to innovate and transform societies and citizens into high performers in highly competitive global markets. Education and English are essential to the achievement of these goals, and countries in East Asia are focused on improving their domestic capability in these areas. The region is characterised by rapid growth, growing global economic and political influence, political change, environmental challenges and frequent natural disasters. This requires a more diverse response including social and creative enterprise as well as greater international co-operation. Despite growing economic integration, the region has seen increasing political tensions, so the benefits of building trust and international collaborative solutions are stronger than ever. Increased wealth and technological development have led to more mobility for business, education and leisure, and increased connection through digital media. Our response is to: increase the scale, relevance and impact of programmes, in particular in education, through strong partnerships, such as the China and the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) knowledge partnerships meet the demand for skills and internationalisation through increasing paid-for services in English, education, the creative industries, cultural skills and UK qualifications increase our capacity to respond to the demand for digital content and social media engagement ensure UK engagement with policy shaping and transformation in East Asia in the areas of education, English, the arts and society, through policy dialogue and large-scale full-cost recovery or co-funded projects with governments and major institutions. Our priorities In education and society, we will increase UK East Asia collaboration in international higher education through research links, staff and student mobility and through UK partnerships with East Asia education institutions. We will also make more visible the very strong support we give to the UK education sector in Knowledge Economy partnerships, international higher education, educational marketing services and two-way student mobility (with more opportunities for UK students to gain international experience on schemes in East Asia). We will continue to support transformation of communities through social enterprise by working in partnership with public and private organisations. We will expand project work in Indonesia, Vietnam, Burma, China and the Philippines, to respond to demand for co-operation in the areas of justice, education and civil society. In English we will increase our face-to-face teaching by opening new teaching centres, expanding further our teacher training services and developing English online services for both students and teachers of English. We are currently developing new online English programmes for teachers and learners. In assessment we aim to provide secure and reliable examinations, through the partnership product IELTS, as well as examinations administered on behalf of a wide range of UK bodies. In the arts, we will develop further opportunities for UK companies in the areas of fashion, design, music, film and theatre. We will improve our showcasing and digital offers, further strengthening this work in China and developing our programme and profile in Indonesia and Korea. We will continue to develop training opportunities in arts management, cultural heritage and the creative industries. We will build on the existing track record (for example, UK Now in China) of showcasing and of artist exchange and use digital platforms to engage more people in our work. Since winning the 2020 Olympics, Japan has shown very strong interest in learning from the UK experience. We are working closely with Japanese authorities on their plans for a Cultural Olympiad, involving the UK leads from the 2012 Olympics. Six of the 14 markets in this region are in the world s top 20 economies by GDP. A total of seven countries in this region are on the OECD list of countries eligible for Official Development Assistance. The population of this region is over two billion and nearly a quarter is under 14 years old. Source: CIA World Factbook Source: OECD Source: United Nations

33 EU EUROPE European Union: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland Regional context The EU remains the UK s largest trade partner and is vital to UK interests. Many eurozone countries continue to experience debt and weak market confidence, though some priority countries such as Poland and Germany are proving relatively resilient. Austerity measures have put pressure on social cohesion and there is rising nationalism, fuelled by migratory pressures, in many parts of Europe. There are great opportunities for us to deliver cultural relations work on a large scale, partnering with major corporates, government and civil society partners, and under contract from the European Commission. As a leading partner in the network of EU institutes for culture (EUNIC) we can play a significant role in influencing cultural policy in the EU. In the last two years, we have halved our grant spend for redeployment in development assistance elsewhere in the global network, with a corresponding growth in income and impact from paid services. By 2016 over 95 per cent of our turnover will be from self-generated income. Our response is to: mobilise European partnerships for the benefit of the UK maximise opportunities for young people in the UK to connect with their peers in Europe and take part in European mobility programmes grow and diversify income-generation opportunities, particularly in our more economically resilient priority countries, to become self-sustaining by 2017 pursue new opportunities offered by the European Commission and member state governments for more cultural relations work invest in our digital portfolio to reach larger and more diverse audiences, so that by 2025, half of all under 35s, around 100 million young people, will have benefited from a British Council-inspired international learning opportunity create a more flexible operating model, centralising administration and delivery so that staff can focus on building partnerships, exploring new markets and responding more effectively to the increasing demands and expectations of our audience and customers. Our priorities Our top priority is to respond to sustained demand for English by providing end to end paid-for teaching and assessment services and by providing support for all teachers, learners and language policy makers. We will work with public education bodies and UK partners to raise the quality of English language teaching and assessment. We will invest in digital channels and content providing both paid-for and free-to-download resources. The Madrid School, which offers a much-valued bilingual liberal education and a British curriculum to young Spaniards, will remain a priority. We will expand our work in early childhood English to meet increasing demand from parents and governments and to meet EC targets for pre-school provision. In arts we will promote and scale up our innovative digital offer including the continued development of unique digital projects such as the Unlimited Experience using our disability arts and diversity expertise. Creative Economy and Cultural Skills are a future focus, building on recent pilots in the region including those run with EC co-funding. Through the new EC Creative Europe programme we will provide advice and support to the UK sector by operating the UK desk, enabling the sector to access funding and connect internationally, while developing new work in UK strengths of audience development and video games production. We will maintain our presence at major EU showcases such as Venice, Frankfurt and Berlin. In education and society our focus will be on internationalising higher education and re-engaging with universities on shared policy challenges. We will promote global education market intelligence products and encourage mobility and employment opportunities for young people. We will create new co-funded partnerships for young people in the UK to gain the skills they need to compete in today s global economy. We will also focus on schools and early childhood education to develop innovative teaching practices. Youth unemployment in the EU is 23 per cent ranging from eight per cent in Germany to 58 per cent in Greece. GDP per capita in this region ranges from US$98,860 in Norway to US$6,840 in Bulgaria. The average median age of the EU population was 41 years in 2011, and is projected to increase to 48 years by Source: Eurostat Source: World Bank Source: Eurostat

34 CORPORATE PLAN MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen Regional context The landscape of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) continues to change dramatically. No country in this region remains unaffected by the changes, even those in the more prosperous Gulf where UK economic interests remain strong. The changing nature of North Africa and the widening repercussions of Syria s civil war present a complex and challenging picture around which we will continue to position our cultural and educational work. Our vision in MENA is to help the UK make an effective contribution to the region s transition by responding to the educational and skills needs of tens of millions of young people, where there remains huge demand for English language teaching, training and education. We will work with host governments across the region to make the UK the partner of choice for education reform and quality improvement at all levels, and as a destination of choice for the rapidly growing number of government-funded and individual scholars, driven by the desire for world-class education. Our response is to: continue to transform the way English is taught and learned in MENA work with schools, colleges and universities to support young people in acquiring the necessary skills needed for employment further develop debate and dialogue programmes to encourage openness, tolerance and inclusivity expand initiatives that strengthen women s leadership roles in their societies foster new partnerships and connections with UK arts and creativity, including in fragile and conflict affected states. Our priorities We will interact with half a million people through our own English teaching and examinations operations, plus millions more learners through our support to public education systems and over 20 million learners through digital content. In education, we will work with schools, colleges and universities to help students acquire the skills they need to find and create work. We will expand our active Skills for Employability programme, which provides work skills for young people linked to local industry and business needs, and build on our Connecting Classrooms programme to develop new school reform programmes for school leadership and curricula reform. Our Young Arab Voices and Women Participating in Public Life programmes are successfully providing opportunities for young people in MENA. These programmes, co-funded by the Arab Partnership, are empowering individuals, allowing them to play an active part in public life. We will expand our debate and dialogue programmes, scaling up the initiatives that strengthen women s leadership and participation as well as expanding our North Africa Leadership Conference in Hammamet, Tunisia where we bring together established and emerging leaders from the UK and the region. In fragile and conflict affected states our arts work will increase understanding, exchange new and challenging ideas, offer channels of expression and explore difficult issues. Our partnership agreement with BBC Arabic, to host the inaugural Arabic and Documentary Film Festival in London, together with our Shubbak Festival, will showcase the region to the wider UK, helping to enrich understanding, and open up areas of collaboration between the UK and the region. Building on the success of Qatar UK 2013, we are working with UK organisations to develop cultural management initiatives in the Gulf. We are launching an ambitious partnership programme with Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation. Four million people in the region enter the jobs market every year, adding to the high unemployment rates. MENA students make up five per cent of the international higher education market. 11 out of 17 countries and territories in this region are eligible for Official Development Assistance. Source: World Bank Source: Professionals in International Education Source: OECD

35 SOUTH ASIA South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka Regional context Over four million people of South Asian heritage living in the UK provide powerful diaspora connections to the region and there is increasing UK interest in South Asia, particularly India, from government and key partners. However, changing global power means we must work harder to maintain the UK s relevance and attractiveness to this region. South Asia is a fast moving and turbulent region, characterised by high dependence on overseas aid and volatility, with human rights concerns, corruption and weak civil societies. Further uncertainty may arise in 2014 when British troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan. In all countries there is a need for wider access to English and UK qualifications, stronger education systems at school and higher education level, and more support for tolerance and cultural diversity. Iran remains a closed society but the election of President Rouhani offers hope for change in the future. A youth bulge is driving up demand for educational services, and enhancing skills as well as a growing interest in arts and culture particularly in the creative industries. Fast economic growth is creating a new middle class with aspirations for education and self-improvement. Our response is to: expand our work in English and examinations, education and society and the arts open up new opportunities for the UK to strengthen the relationship with South Asia by sharing knowledge and identifying opportunities for collaboration and partnership invest in new digital products and services in all countries in the region, as well as opening and re-launching libraries explore models for new ways of delivering in Iran and invest in developing new partnerships with UK organisations interested in working with Iran. Our priorities In English and examinations we will build more sustainable partnerships to build capacity in English language teacher education and deliver learning outcomes at school level. We are also working to improve English standards in higher education systems in Pakistan and Afghanistan. We will reach out to disadvantaged youth and girls through interventions and partnerships in mobile and e-learning, particularly in English Skills for Employability. We will restructure our exams businesses across the region to achieve greater efficiencies and better customer experience. In education we focus on higher education, schools and, via contract work, education reform, thought leadership, and research and programme activity. Our society programmes operate mainly in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, with an emphasis on women s and girls empowerment, young people and a new strategy for social enterprise. We will continue our focus on access to justice and conflict resolution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan as well as maintaining work in governance and civil society. We will strengthen UK collaboration in the arts and creative industries, support work in culture and conflict, and engage audiences in high quality contemporary UK culture, particularly through the five-year Re-Imagine arts programme in India. We will continue to diversify and build our contracts portfolio in all levels of education including skills, capacity building of civil society organisations, voice and accountability work, and an emerging focus on access to justice. We will invest in maintaining and expanding our library network in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, ensuring they are well integrated across our programme areas. In Pakistan, we will re-open libraries in Karachi and Lahore, which maintain a liberal space for the exchange of ideas in a country that is under increasing pressure from extremism. Across the region, plans are underway for a fresh re-launch of our libraries with improved premises and customer services, access to up-to-date digital and print materials and a broader cultural relations offer. 7.5 per cent of the England and Wales population is of South Asian origin. All the countries in this region are eligible for Official Development Assistance. The population of this region is 1.7 billion and around 40 per cent are below the age of 20. Source: UK Census, 2011 Source: OECD Source: United Nations

36 CORPORATE PLAN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Sub-Saharan Africa: Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe Regional context Sub-Saharan Africa has a young population and growing consumer class and as more young people enter the workplace and birth rates decline, a demographic dividend is expected. Public and private sector investment is increasing, providing the platform for sustained growth. Growth is uneven across countries, inequality is rising and unemployment continues to rise. Countries remain vulnerable to economic shocks, social unrest and the increasing threat from international terrorism. As the largest recipient of ODA, the client-funded market is expected to remain strong. Our response is to: Connect with the demographic dividend by engaging millions more Africans with the UK. Drawing on UK expertise to develop new education and skills programmes for children in schools and young people post education. This will enable us to compete with the challenge from BRIC countries and cement the UK s influence and soft power in the region. Education is at the core of our work in promoting human development and economic growth. Our education work addresses inequality and poverty by enhancing access to, and improving the quality of, primary, secondary and tertiary education. We work in society at both the institutional and grassroots levels to make a difference to the situation of women, children and young people. Our work in English and examinations provides life-changing opportunities and service excellence to our customers. Our reputation for fairness and transparency grows as we address chronic unemployment through internships and graduate placement schemes. We lead arts showcases in priority countries, with Connect ZA providing new, and particularly digital, opportunities for young people to engage with the arts. Our priorities Increasingly countries in the region are switching to English as the medium of instruction in their education systems. This places us in a key position to support ministries in building capacity through our work in schools and English for education systems drawing on UK skills and expertise. We are developing new operating models in Francophone and Lusophone Africa to respond to demand. Our face-to-face English business continues to show strong growth. We currently have six teaching centres in the region Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan and Tanzania. Increasing interest from international agencies in strengthening skills and research at higher education level offers an opportunity to re-energise our engagement with universities; as well as reminding the world of our core strength of managing international scholarships to scale. Our strong track record in managing good governance and civil society programmes in difficult environments offers us opportunities for co-funding and client funding. A growing demographic of young people looking for qualification for jobs in a competitive market provides opportunities to grow the examinations business; and in turn to market the UK higher education and skills sector through British Council Services for International Education Marketing in priority markets such as Nigeria and South Africa. For the arts, strategic investment will focus on priority countries South Africa and Nigeria; exploring potential in Kenya and East Africa; and targeting digital products to young people across the whole region. We will build on the foundation of EC co-funding contracts on creative enterprise in South Africa and Zimbabwe to look for other opportunities across the region particularly in East Africa and Nigeria. Connect ZA, and a focus on Nigeria, will offer seasons of UK work and collaboration that strengthen the relationship between our countries for artists, institutions and audiences. 47 per cent of the Sub-Saharan African population lives on less than US$1.25 a day. 45 million young people aged in Sub-Saharan Africa are unable to read and write a short simple statement about their everyday life. Source: Millennium Development Goals, 2012 Source: Millennium Development Goals, 2012

37 WIDER EUROPE Wider Europe: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan Regional context This is a diverse region with young populations, economic growth, huge potential in oil and gas-rich Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, significant opportunities as well as challenges in Turkey and Russia, and a dramatically changing operating environment in Ukraine. Many countries are emerging from periods of isolation and re-engaging with the rest of the world and we are positioning the UK to meet the demands of governments and individuals for high-quality English language learning, world-class arts programmes from the UK, higher partnerships and skills development. Internet penetration is increasing rapidly across the region, fuelling a huge expansion in the use of social media. We are responding to these opportunities, and to reduced grant funding, by creating smaller, more digitally integrated operations, investing in staff with strong understanding of their markets (half of our country directors in the region are now country nationals) and diversifying funding in order to expand activity and increase impact. Our response is to: position the UK and meet the need and demand for English and English language assessment, working with policy makers, teachers and learners and making the most of digital channels work in the arts and creative industries to strengthen relationships and raise awareness of the UK as a place of imagination and innovation strengthen co-operation in higher education, research and vocational education, sharing the UK offer through policy discussion, partnerships and promotion of mobility bring a UK approach to good governance and open societies through donor-funded projects. Our priorities We will promote English language teaching and add new teaching operations to our existing centres in Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan. We will increase the volume of UK examinations, including education and professional exams, as well as IELTS and Aptis. We will have the capacity to offer every teacher access to online courses, resources and face-to-face learning. We are partnering with national ministries of education to provide teacher development and learner assessment on a jointly funded basis. By 2015 we will have a multi-million arts programme covering 14 countries. Building on recent cultural collaborations with Russia, such as the Tate s Pre-Raphaelite exhibition at Moscow s Pushkin Museum, we will continue to strengthen ties through the UK Russia year of culture When political or diplomatic relations become difficult, we believe that cultural exchange helps to maintain dialogue between people and institutions. Following the success of the Turkey Market Focus at the London Book Fair and Anish Kapoor s first exhibition in Istanbul, we are planning to expand our arts programme in Turkey. We are working with government ministries to develop cultural and creative economy programmes, with joint funding agreements currently in place in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Israel, Kosovo and Macedonia. We will position the UK as a source of expertise and an attractive partner for co-operation in higher education, research and skills. We will facilitate co-operation through system-to-system agreements in Turkey, Russia and Kazakhstan. Our Researcher Links programme will provide professional development and mobility opportunities for more than 200 early career researchers in the UK and the region. Our Knowledge is GREAT campaign in Russia and Turkey aims to attract interest from more than 12,000 young people and drive over 200,000 visitors to the Education UK website. We will share UK expertise in vocational education and training to support government reform agendas and support enterprise development for young people through training and enterprise challenges. GDP per capita in this region ranges from US$28,380 in Israel to US$1,720 in Uzbekistan. 12 of the 15 countries in this region are eligible for Official Development Assistance. By 2015 some 200 million people in Wider Europe will be online and more than 90 per cent of them will be using social media. Source: World Bank Source: OECD Source: Internet World Stats

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39 38 7. PEOPLE, CAPACITY AND ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Progress on our ambitions to 2016 The impact of our work relies on the quality of our people and the ambitious and transformational nature of our plans means we need to evolve our culture and ways of working. In 2011 we set out our ambition to: achieve global balance: re-shape the organisation so that more of our global/specialist roles are located outside the UK build on our talent and skills to provide the capability we need in partnership and digital working equip the organisation to navigate cultural difference and diversity which are central to our work in cultural relations further develop our approach to leadership, mobility, global teams and performance management. We have made good progress, including: re-introduction of a graduate training scheme with new recruits working across the global network investing in existing talent and skills including a leadership development programme for middle managers, new partnership and project management training and a revised approach to career conversations and succession planning for senior staff culture and diversity: mentoring programmes for women and first steps towards more flexible deployment to help colleagues appointed locally to develop and progress into more senior roles a new e-recruitment system, and direct sourcing using social media to enhance our ability to attract and recruit effectively internally and externally valuing performance: a simplified performance management structure to build confidence and capability in effective delivery of our programmes.

40 CORPORATE PLAN Looking ahead to 2016 Our priority for 2014 is to release the potential in our staff with: a clear employer brand for the British Council that reflects our mission and purpose effectively in the external market flexible deployment to broaden opportunities for locally appointed staff and maximise the diversity of our workforce skills to deliver our ambition: an assessment of the talent across the organisation to identify untapped capability and where we need to invest workforce plans across the network and core regional support structures to provide the appropriate capacity and expertise to support growth support and training required to enable our staff to operate effectively in fragile states. In parallel, we will continue our focus on developing our capability for the future: career planning and management from graduate/post graduate to senior levels, to ensure that the intellectual capital that is so critical to our work is retained and transferred leadership and management development to maintain the British Council s reputation as an organisation that offers an attractive international career Human resources support teams across the global network to provide effective local support and engagement. How will we know we ve got there? We are improving our management information to provide improved performance reporting. We will also be carrying out a full employee survey in 2014 and are conducting a study to understand how the British Council is perceived as a potential employer by recruitment specialists. Over four fifths of staff are locally appointed and 58 PER CENT are women. The British Council employs approximately 8,500 PEOPLE WORLDWIDE with teachers being the largest single group.

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42 CORPORATE PLAN PERFORMANCE TARGETS The scale of our work Since we established our plan in 2011 we have progressed towards our participation targets, exceeding them in some areas, and improved our understanding of the benefits that our work brings to lives, opportunities and trust in the UK. Over the next two years we will continue to increase the number of people we work with, whilst ensuring that the quality of our work and the impact it creates remain high. The additional year in the Corporate Plan enables us to extend our ambition and build on the success achieved to date. When we talk about the impact of our work, we look at the following: Participation: the number of people that our work touches and reaches measured by programme monitoring. Direct impact: the impact that our work has on lives and opportunities measured by programme evaluation and research (Annual Impact Survey). Return to the UK: the benefits that our work brings to the UK, through improved cultural relations, increased trust and the wider benefits that brings, for example return on investment, tourism and soft power. This is less well developed and getting better insight in this area is a priority for the next strategy period. Who we work with We work with people in the following ways: Face-to-face: people participating in activity where they come into physical face-to-face contact with others, including: teaching centre students, exam candidates, teachers and leaders. Exhibitions, festivals, fairs and performances: people attending exhibitions, live arts performances, arts and education fairs, and festivals. Digital: people participating through digital channels: social networks, online learning communities, websites, and mobile devices and applications. Broadcast and publications: people participating by watching, listening to, or reading British Council produced or co-produced content. We target three main groups of people, based on their career stage and engagement with us: Aspirants: younger people in education or starting out on their careers. Influencers: professionals, educators, artists, scientists, community or business leaders and policy makers. Leaders: a small proportion of the whole, but who are key to delivering policy change and give access to wider groups in many countries.

43 42 Where are we on the journey? In 2011 we set out our targets for participation growth to By we had made good progress towards this, as set out below: Face-to-face participation at 11 million has exceeded the original plan by over 50 per cent. Exhibitions, fairs and festivals is 40 per cent over the original plan at 13 million. With 90 million digital users, we are 90 per cent of the way to the revised target. This target was reduced in to account for the introduction of stricter methods to count our digital users. Broadcast and publication audiences are 90 per cent of the way towards the original plan for with an audience of 440 million in Participation targets to Based on performance to date and more accurate reporting of digital data, we have revised the targets for the next two years as below: Progress towards targets set out in 2011 Participants in millions original plan original plan achieved revised plan revised plan Face-to-face Exhibitions, festivals, fairs, performances Digital users* N/A Broadcast and publications Note: exhibition attendance is uneven due to major events that led to high volumes in some years (e.g. UK Now in which had four million attendees). The face-to-face target for is 12.5 million (rounded to 13 million). *A new baseline was established for digital users in Our ambition to achieve a step change in the number of people we work with is being achieved through an expanding and improving digital presence which increasingly allows us to reach out to international audiences at scale and across the full range of web, tablet, phone, app and social media. As digital delivery grows we want to capture and innovate in the way we measure and derive value from this type of reach and engagement using our comprehensive digital key performance indicators and reporting.

44 CORPORATE PLAN Understanding the impact of our work Understanding the impact of our work is essential. It helps us learn, develop and improve our portfolio and is crucial to demonstrating our value for money to the UK taxpayer, to our clients and customers. In line with good practice we use a mixture of evidence, from quantitative analysis, qualitative case studies and independently commissioned reports. At the top level we measure impact through the IPSOS/MORI Annual Impact Survey. We have established the following targets for and to measure impact, quality and diversity. Impact of our work We measure impact through an annual survey of the most influential people who have taken part in our programmes and by external evaluations of the larger programmes which we run with, or on behalf of, others. Over the next two years of the plan the targets for our Annual Impact Survey are: Positive impact on participants professional lives: more than 90 per cent of participants agree. Positive impact on their organisation: more than 80 per cent of participants agree. Positive impact on strengthened links with the UK: more than 80 per cent of participants agree. Positive impact on their view of the UK s contribution to their sector: more than 85 per cent of participants agree. These targets are in line with, or above, the targets set for Trust in the UK In order to measure the impact of our work on UK stakeholders we: survey over 1,000 influential UK stakeholders within our Annual Impact Survey to assess the impact of our work on personal and professional lives operate a Profile and Participation tracker to assess the extent of UK stakeholders and key target audiences knowledge and appreciation of the value created by the British Council. In addition, we undertake bespoke research to augment our understanding of audiences and impact. Research published in 2012 tells us that participation in British Council cultural relations activities such as learning English, or taking part in education or the arts leads to an increase in trust in people in the UK (ranging from +15 percentage points in Brazil, Poland and Spain to +41 percentage points in Turkey).

45 44 This increased trust leads to greater interest in doing business with the UK (ranging from +9 percentage point increase in Pakistan to +29 percentage point increase in Russia) and a higher likelihood of recommending the UK as a place to visit, study, live and do business compared with other international competitors. 1 We will continue to look at our measurement and targets, research and monitoring, to ensure that we measure what matters and create the insights that we need to assess and shape delivery. The quality of our work We measure the quality of our work in two main ways: scores from a customer satisfaction survey distributed at face-to-face events and online a net recommendation score which is a measure of the willingness of our participants to recommend others to work with us or to use our services. Our targets reflect our aim to maintain or improve this quality. Customer satisfaction WE AIM TO MAINTAIN OUR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SCORE IN AND AT: 80+ out of 100 Our customer satisfaction score, from a survey of quarter of a million participants, in was 82 (down one point from the previous year). Customer satisfaction scores above 80 are considered by the National Audit Office to be good to excellent. We aim to maintain this level of performance over the next two years. Net recommendation FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS OUR TARGET NET RECOMMENDATION IS: +60 (from -100 to +100) The Net Promoter methodology is widely used and allows us to benchmark our scores externally. The net score is calculated from advocates minus detractors, according to international benchmarks. Net promoter scores (NPS) can be as low as -100 (everybody is a detractor) or as high as +100 (everybody is a promoter). An NPS that is positive (i.e., higher than zero) is considered to be good, and an NPS of +50 is considered excellent. 1 British Council, Trust Pays, 2012

46 CORPORATE PLAN Our net recommendation of 52 in was a decrease on the previous year when it was 58 but still above the excellent threshold. The target for the next two years is to achieve 60 annually. This is higher than industry averages reported (from 12 for health insurance, 21 for travel websites, 27 for online entertainment, 30 for airlines and 40 for UK universities) and compares well with highly rated ( star ) brands such as Amazon at Other organisational goals THE TARGET FOR OUR DIVERSITY ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK IS: 8 out of 10 Our Diversity Assessment Framework assesses how far what we do reflects the equality and diversity of the UK and the countries in which we work. In we met our target of level 8 on our ten-indicator system and the target for and remains at level 8. This indicator is reported biennially and will report again in The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Heads of Mission survey has been carried out annually to obtain their view of our performance and provide us with valuable feedback. We will continue to work with the FCO to ensure we have an appropriate, proportionate and meaningful survey in place. FROM THE TARGET SCORE ON OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FRAMEWORK IS: 4 out of 5 We are implementing a sustainable environmental action plan. In all our UK offices maintained the International Standard for Environmental Management (ISO14001). Overseas, we have an Environmental Framework which uses a five-level scale. In we set a challenging target of all offices achieving level 3 making a difference. A total of 50 per cent of our overseas offices achieved this level in For and the target rises to level 4. 2 Source: Satmetrix NPS Benchmarks 2013 based on a survey of 24,000 US adults

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48 CORPORATE PLAN FINANCE Income Total income is projected to reach over 1 billion by Our Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) grant will reduce by 7 million to 154 million in In the grant will increase by 10 million (with 5 million conditional as outlined on next page) to 164 million reflecting our effectiveness of delivering ODA and to fund further work in this area. In FCO grant was 27 per cent of income. In grant is forecast to be less than 20 per cent of total income and this proportion is projected to decrease, reaching 16 per cent of total income by Earned income is planned to increase to 837 million, which represents average annual growth of 11 per cent. Earned income will be 84 per cent of total income by This results in total income of 950 million which is 36 million higher than the previous Corporate Plan target. Income will increase in to 1,001 million which represents annual growth of nine per cent from to in millions Average annual growth rate FCO grant % Earned income % Total income ,001 +9% based on quarter 3 forecast based on operating plan FCO grant includes capital The operating plan has been adjusted compared with the previous Corporate Plan, as below: We have reduced the teaching income target by 30 million due to slower growth in our commercial English work and a revision of income plans in East Asia and EU Europe. Teaching income is planned at 206 million in Examinations income target has increased by 27 million based on continued commercial growth and is planned to be 305 million in Other paid services represent new sources of earned income within English and Education and Society for , target income has almost trebled from 16 million in the previous plan to 44 million in this plan. In income is planned to increase by five per cent to 1 billion, driven by a five per cent increase in earned income to 837 million and six per cent growth in FCO grant to 164 million.

49 48 Income targets : : Examinations 305 million Teaching 206 million Contracts 180 million FCO grant 154 million Partnership 60 million Other paid services 44 million Bank interest 1 million Examinations 337 million Teaching 219 million Contracts 176 million FCO grant 164 million Partnership 65 million Other paid services 39 million Bank interest 1 million Examinations 305 million Teaching 206 million Contracts 180 million FCO grant 154 million Partnership 60 million Other paid services 44 million Bank interest 1 million Examinations 337 million Teaching 219 million Contracts 176 million FCO grant 164 million Partnership 65 million Other paid services 39 million Bank interest 1 million Expenditure We are continuing to drive efficiencies through premises, infrastructure and support staff (platform costs) and operating staff. This means that whilst income increases by around nine per cent each year between and , platform costs are planned to grow two per cent each year over the same period.

50 CORPORATE PLAN British Council financial plan to (figures in millions) Average annual growth rate per cent FCO grant % Teaching % Examinations % Partnership % Contracts % Other paid services % Bank interest (42%) Income ,001 9% Contract expenditure % Direct costs % Operating costs % Platform costs % Total costs % Gross surplus/(deficit) % Investments (including capital) Depreciation and other adjustments 1 (10) (7) Net surplus/(deficit) (11) based on quarter 3 forecast based on operating plan FCO grant includes capital

51 50 Spend on premises, infrastructure and support staff (platform costs) continues to decrease as a proportion of total costs. In it is forecast to be 16 per cent and will reduce to 15 per cent in and 14 per cent in as we drive down overheads and improve efficiency. Investment Our investment programme was established to promote business growth, increase our impact, reduce costs and increase the effectiveness of our operating platform and support services. This investment is almost entirely financed by surpluses from income earning activities. In the priorities for 51 million planned investment are: new teaching centres driven by the evolving global operating model products for market increase in capability people and IT growing our online presence through teaching in particular. These will be delivered with the aim of maximising the growth and performance of the organisation, particularly within regions of greatest growth as we drive towards greater self-sufficiency in terms of funding. Official Development Assistance We have contributed to the UK s aid effort through the government grant for many years. Despite the declining government grant, the proportion of our resource grant which we are required to spend as part of the UK government s aid effort will go up to 69 per cent by The targets we have been set for Official Development Assistance (ODA) will increase from 95.9 million in to million by Our original grant for was increased by 10 million ( 5 million of which is conditional) along with our ODA target as a reflection of our effectiveness of delivering ODA. The additional funds are focused on the surge for growth to support sustainable growth in developing countries and work to promote the Prime Minister s vision of a golden thread by encouraging conditions that enable open economies and open societies to thrive FCO grant ODA target ODA target as percentage of grant 59% 65% 69%

52 CORPORATE PLAN British Council grant and partnership funded financial plan: to (figures in millions) Average annual growth rate per cent FCO grant % Partnership % Contracts (59%) Bank interest (100%) Income % Operating costs % Platform costs (2%) Total costs % Gross surplus/(deficit) (13) (13) (12) (4%) Investments (including capital) Depreciation and other adjustments (4) (4) (4) Funding from earned income (21) (14) (13) Net surplus/(deficit) % based on quarter 3 forecast based on operating plan FCO grant includes capital

53 52 British Council full cost recovery financial plan: to (figures in millions) Average annual growth rate per cent Teaching % Exams % Contracts % Other paid services % Bank interest (29%) Income % Contract expenditure % Direct costs % Operating costs % Platform costs % Total costs % Gross surplus/(deficit) % Investments (including capital) Depreciation and other adjustments 5 (6) (3) Net surplus/(deficit) % based on quarter 3 forecast based on operating plan FCO grant includes capital

54 All enquiries or requests for further information to Laura Graham, Strategy, Performance and Insight British Council 10 Spring Gardens London SW1A 2BN +44 (0) British Council 2014 / D489 The British Council is the United Kingdom s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.