One of the United Kingdom’s largest providers of professionally focussed education has acquired a private post-secondary education provider based in Australia.
The acquisition of CIC Higher Education by BPP Education Group – one of the largest privately owned higher education institutions in Europe – aims to enable CIC to expand its offering, as well as access additional resources, expertise and education.
CIC is a globally recognised higher education provider in the heart of Melbourne and offers competitive undergraduate and post-graduate programs in IT, management, and business to students from more than 40 different countries. It aims to support international students to develop the skills and attributes needed to excel in their career, while also supporting their studies and living experience in Australia.
This vision links to BPP’s future growth strategy which, with the backing from their sponsor TDR Capital, looks to expand its portfolio and geographical reach with the strategic acquisition of relevant education businesses.
Helping students achieve academic goals
“CIC provides high quality and creative education outcomes for students from different backgrounds. It has exceptional student support services which not only support students with accomplishing their academic objectives, but also include guidance on progressing into life in Australia,” says BPP CEO Graham Gaddes.
“This acquisition marks yet another important milestone for BPP Education Group, by establishing a presence in a beautiful city in Australia. We are delighted to welcome CIC’s team to BPP and believe this will be a superb partnership.”
BPP Education Group launched more than 45 years ago and provides education and training in law, business, finance, accountancy, banking, technology, data, and healthcare – both through relationships with corporates and directly to consumers across test preparation, university, apprenticeship, and professional development.
BPP’s adoption of a future growth strategy sees it seeking expansion of its portfolio and geographical reach through the strategic procurement of education businesses. This acquisition is particularly significant because Australia has just registered a record-high number of international students (780,104 enrolments in the year-to-date April 2024).
CIC CEO Dr Peter Cartwright says CIC welcomes and looks forward to the opportunities presented through joining the BPP Education Group.
“Under EduCo, CIC has been able to develop and establish itself as a mature provider of quality tertiary education courses in Australia. Becoming part of BPP brings a new dimension to what CIC will be able to achieve in the years ahead. We are all looking forward to exploring new opportunities and working closely with our new colleagues in the BPP team to achieve great outcomes together.”
