(Yicai) Aug. 14 -- International education services provider Pearson has signed a strategic partnership with the Chinese branch of UK banking giant HSBC Holdings to improve the study-abroad experience by offering comprehensive services integrating language assessment with international financial support.

Pearson and HSBC China will offer tailored support to Chinese students and their families who are pursuing studies abroad, including expert advice and testing services, the former said in a press release yesterday.

Founded in 2009, Pearson offers Pearson Test of English as a key English language assessment product. PTE is an English language proficiency tests recognized by over 3,500 universities, including institutions like Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and approved by the Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and UK governments for study, work, and visa applications.

“This strategic alliance with HSBC China advances our mission to support Chinese students and professionals,” said Matthew Lampkin, director of PTE Asia at Pearson. “By integrating our advanced language assessment solutions with HSBC’s financial services, we are making the study-abroad process more accessible and efficient.

“Our partnership aims to provide holistic support, helping students navigate their choices and achieve genuine success during and even after their study-abroad journey,” Lampkin added.

The partnership represents a significant step in streamlining the study-abroad process, combining Pearson’s expertise in language assessment with HSBC China’s financial services to deliver unmatched support and resources, Pearson noted.

“HSBC China has been deeply involved in the field of international education for many years,” said Sandy Dai, head of client activation at HSBC China. “Through our extensive collaboration with Pearson, HSBC aims to convey diverse international education concepts to many Chinese families with study-abroad aspirations.

“We offer a wide range of financial products, multi-channel global banking services, and value-added services, covering the three core stages of pre-departure preparation, arrival overseas, and returning home,” Dai pointed out. “Our goal is to provide comprehensive and thoughtful financial support to study-abroad families, safeguarding their children’s study-abroad experience.”

China is an increasingly important market for PTE, whose main goal is understanding the needs of students and providing them with greater choices and improved access to study abroad in the best educational institutions around the world, Lampkin told Yicai at a media roundtable discussion held yesterday.

Lampkin explained that PTE is a unique English proficiency test that is convenient, accurate, relevant, objective, and secure. It can be taken online, and results come out in only 48 hours, thanks to the introduction of artificial intelligence.

PTE hired professionals to “train the scoring engine” by uploading samples of more than half a million responses from 10,000 students from 125 language backgrounds, Lampkin noted. This way, the scoring system can be fast and fair, and PTE can be convenient for all students as it is fully computer based, he added.

Last year, Chinese students took PTE to enter more than 600 institutions in 20 countries and regions. Over two-thirds of them were female students. Fifty-seven percent were individuals aged 21 to 26 years old, indicating a clear trend toward a younger cohort.

According to data from China’s Ministry of Education, China saw 1.3 million new postgrad students last year, up 4.8 percent from the year before, with the figure increasing as much as 62 percent over the past six years.

This trend is also reflected in the composition of PTE test-takers in the country. In fact, more than 56 percent of them took the test last year aiming to enter foreign post-graduate programs. Around 30 percent of the test takers applied for undergraduate degrees.

Pearson’s PTE centers are all over China, mostly covering first- and second-tier cities across the country. This year alone, the company has opened 13 centers, with two more coming soon. In addition, Pearson has eight centers in cities such as Dalian, Changzhou, Nantong, and Wenzhou in the pipeline for next year.

As its PTE test network in China expands, Pearson seeks local partners to develop an ecosystem of support for Chinese students, Lampkin said, adding that the firm has also teamed up with Chinese online travel agency Trip.Com to provide students going abroad and their families with more convenient travel experiences.

Moreover, PTE has launched a China-focused membership program offering features and benefits through social media platform WeChat to make it more convenient for local students to access its services, Lampkin pointed out.

Editor: Martin Kadiev