Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton has announced a plan for Irelnd to capture a share of 100,000 Indian students for the international education sector – part of a €900m market opportunity.

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation launched a new trusted agents programme to promote Irish higher-level education in India. This programme is aimed at increasing Ireland’s share of the more than 100,000 Indian students who travel overseas for education each year.

“More than 100,000 Indian students travel overseas for education every year. Around 1,000 of these currently come to Ireland. This morning’s initiative is part of an ambitious strategy by this Government to achieve a significant increase in that number, thus making a major contribution to achieving growth in employment and in the economy generally,” Bruton said.

“As well as the direct contribution they make to the economy through tuition fees, accommodation and other expenditure, Indian students also enrich our campuses and our cities in many ways and are a crucial means of deepening the links between Ireland and India,” Bruton said.

The programme will be supported with a marketing and communications fund of 4m rupees (€63,000) funded equally by Enterprise Ireland, the Department of Education and Skills and the Irish higher-education sector.