EU students worth £200m to West Midlands economy

THE head of Birmingham City University has backed the impact of students from the European Union after new figures revealed they were worth more than £200m to the West Midlands economy.
 
Professor Cliff Allan, Vice Chancellor at the university, said it was vital to maintain close links with the continent, after government stats showed EU students generated £219m for the region’s economy and supported more than 2,000 jobs.
 
The numbers were released as part of a study highlighting the contribution EU students made to growth in the country.
 
Prof Allan said: “People coming from Europe to study in the West Midlands have a really important role to play in supporting our regional economy and securing the future prosperity of this region.
 
“Each penny they spend here adds to the growth of the region and helps us to go on supporting existing jobs and creating new ones.”  
 
He said it was also important to note the strong contribution they made to the local community.

“The figures confirm just how important these students, and our ongoing ties with Europe are, in making sure the West Midlands really is an engine for growth in this country,” he added.
 
The research crunched numbers from the 2011-12 academic year and found that more than £3.7bn was generated for the country as a whole.
 
Figures were calculated by analysing the money brought into the country and its local areas by the spending the EU native students.