KIRSTY WILLIAMS has urged American students to come to Wales - just as she had studied in the United States.

The Welsh education minister, who studied at the University of Missouri as well as at the University of Manchester, was speaking after the launch of a partnership between universities in Wales and America.

The Welsh Government and the Global Wales programme, led by Universities Wales, have announced new partnerships with the Fulbright and Gilman international scholarship programmes. The agreements will fund students and researchers in both countries, with the aim of developing long term educational links.

Brecon and Radnorshire AM Ms Williams said she had benefited from studying in Missouri, known as the ’Show Me State’, and hoped her experience would demonstrate to others the benefits of travel and learning.

The Liberal Democrat member of the Welsh Labour Government said: "As someone who spent a year at university in Missouri, I know first-hand the value of studying abroad. These agreements will allow some of our brightest students and academics from Wales to gain experience from studying in the United States and accumulate invaluable knowledge which they can bring back to Wales.

“It was people from Wales that helped establish some of America’s great universities, such as Brown and Yale. In the same pioneering spirit, we’re inviting young Americans to study in Wales, learn about our country and, most importantly, enjoy their experience of living and studying here. And I’m sure they will return home as ambassadors for Wales, encouraging more of their compatriots to study at one of our excellent Welsh universities.

“I passionately believe in education as a force to build bridges between our two countries. With our world-leading research and student life which is rated as among the best in the UK, I hope many of our friends from the US will choose to live, work or study in Wales for years to come.”

Despite the Welsh Government’s commitment to links between Welsh and American universities, and Ms Williams’ own education, former First Minister Carwyn Jones last year criticised Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price for studying at Harvard, in Massachusetts, which is regarded as one of the best universities in the world.

Former Aberystwyth university student Mr Jones snapped "I prefer to stay with the people of Wales, I didn’t disappear to America" at Mr Price in response to the Plaid leader’s criticism of him during a heated Senedd debate.

The then First Minister’s remarks were understood as a reference to the time Mr Price spent at Harvard University after standing down as an MP and before his election to the Assembly.

The partnerships were officially launched at the NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo 2019 in Washington DC, the largest international education conference in the world. Global Wales is attending the conference alongside the Welsh universities. More than 20,000 overseas students currently study at Welsh universities each year.

The Fulbright agreement aims to strengthen ties and increase traffic between the US and Welsh Universities. Postgraduate students and researchers from Wales will study in the United States, with equivalent places for American students at Welsh universities.

Ms Williams returned to the US last year when the Fulbright Commission and the Institute for International Education agreed to promote Wales’ research institutions throughout the US.

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Programme is aimed at high achieving students of limited financial means from the United States who might otherwise not have the opportunity to study abroad. The agreement will provide study places and contribute towards living costs for up to 10 American undergraduates to study at Welsh universities.

The partnerships aim to build on existing established links between Welsh and American universities, such as through Seren, the network which supports Welsh high school students to apply for and attend some of the top universities in the world, including Harvard and Yale in the United States.