The residence of the British Ambassador to Luxembourg, Alice Walpole, was the venue for a reception on Thursday held at the end of the first of the two-days student fair taking place at LuxExpo in Luxembourg-Kirchberg.
Those invited to the annual event included head teachers of schools in Luxembourg, officials from the Ministry of Education, British university alumni associations and from British universities exhibiting at the fair.
Amb Walpole addressed those attending and explained that she wanted to thank those involved in education in Luxembourg and those who help students from Luxembourg to get the best possible information on higher education options in the UK, and also welcomed those visiting from Britain. She acknowledged that the language skills of Luxembourg students ensure there are many university options open to them and their interest in studying in the UK continues to grow. She remarked that the alumni associations here offer advice that provides a valuable complement to existign support structures.
Luxembourg's Secretary of State of Higher Education and Research, Marc Hansen, revealed that Britain is the 4th most popular country for Luxembourg students to go to for 3rd level studies (there are currently around 1,200 students from Luxembourg studying at British universities). He referred to the new university campus in Belval which now houses 2,000 undergraduates and 1,700 researchers; the campus was financed with €1bn from the Luxembourg government and an annual investment of €450m for the running of the university and research centres.
Earlier that day he had been at the Student Fair which had seen 5,500 students visiting on Thursday alone - the fair concludes on Friday.
Photo by Geoff Thompson (L-R): Secretary of State Marc Hansen; Ambassador Alice Walpole
