A COLLEGE principal is today flying to China as part of a mission to recruit students for the North-East.

Stockton Sixth Form College is the only regional college in a UK consortium making a concerted effort to promote the British A-level system to the Chinese.

Principal Martin Clinton is visiting schools and agents over five days in the province of Guangdong, Southern China.

He said: "There is a serious shortage of the A-level equivalent courses in China and many parents feel that if they pay for children to receive an education in England, it will be an enormous help.

"Many of them will want to go through the university system in this country and coming here would be seen as the first step towards that goal."

Mr Clinton said £2m had been spent developing facilities at the Stockton college over the past three years. He wants to offer ten fee-paying young people who want to experience a British education.

Stockton Sixth Form has linked up with a college in Scunthorpe that has already welcomed students from China and developed a successful programme.

He added: "I will be armed with leaflets that have been translated into Chinese about what we can offer.

"We would be looking to local people in the community to accommodate the students as paying guests."