UUKi’s #WeAreInternational – Transforming Lives campaign

As the entire world comes alongside one another to celebrate Worldwide Students’ Working day, I am delighted to be able to produce about a campaign my staff and I have been leading at Universities United kingdom Worldwide, #WeAreInternational: Transforming Life. This campaign aims to make improvements to perceptions among possible intercontinental pupils of how welcoming a analyze spot the Uk is, by empowering the voices of global students now in this article to tell the story of their activities.

Just one shining case in point is Dhionis Llanaj from Albania, who used his graduate-route visa to work as a nurse on a important care unit at Leeds University’s Instructing Healthcare facility NHS Trust for the duration of the pandemic.

Dhionis, who studied at the College of Leeds by way of a Study Group pathway route, not only balanced his intensive reports in Medical Sciences but also designed significant contributions to the healthcare sector in the British isles.

Dhionis reflects on his journey, commenting, “Working as an Intensive Care Device Registered Nurse and researching Medical Sciences full-time was difficult. To show up at college, I essential to use my once-a-year leave and request a night time shift performing pattern. I am delighted to say that I built it.”

These days, he performs as an Education and learning Practitioner, coaching new staff members, apprentices and nurses.

The relaunched and reinvented #WeAreInternational marketing campaign arrives at a essential time, as immigration policy adjustments threaten to damage perceptions of the Uk as a research desired destination.

FindAUniversity, a crucial marketing campaign spouse, has been tracking each these things in regard to potential intercontinental put up-graduate taught audiences (a sizeable phase of the UK’s intercontinental intake). Most alarmingly, these audiences regard the British isles as a person of the minimum welcoming of a established of well known study locations – below Canada, the US and Germany, and only at any time so marginally over Australia.

FindAUniversity’s exceptional ‘share of search’ insights have also noticed a considerable change in the examine intentions of prospective global Masters college students. International interest in British isles options dropped by 21 proportion points 12 months-on-12 months in Oct 2023, with a corresponding swing to the US and EU.

This change comes soon after both of those the September 2023 intake (the previous to be unaffected by visa improvements) and the announcement of substantial visa charge improves on Oct 4.

On the other hand, a variety of knowledge demonstrates that the #WeAreInternational campaign is pushing back in opposition to these shifts. A poll run by UUKi with all around 1,500 potential worldwide pupils evidences that 38% experience we are a a lot more welcoming analyze desired destination following partaking with the marketing campaign.

FindAUniversity has also been monitoring consciousness of the marketing campaign among its audiences, getting a continual increase as universities and companions assistance share the concept. Its data also supports the marketing campaign effect as, among over 1,000 future international masters pupils surveyed in September and October, those informed of the #WeAreInternational marketing campaign are 17 share details additional very likely to level the British isles as a welcoming destination.

As Mark Bennett, FindAUniversity’s director of Audience and Perception, commented, “This campaign by itself simply cannot take out the significant road blocks struggling with global learners, but it plainly can support audiences understand and appreciate the options that are beyond them and underline the welcome, aid and alternatives for results that United kingdom universities will constantly provide pupils from any place in the environment.”

Additional than 80 universities have actively participated in the marketing campaign, which has arrived at extra than 30 million folks so far, with information developed – by us and by universities – remaining amplified by a lot of other partners such as IDP, UCAS, QS and far more.

We also have campaign partners, this kind of as NCUK, a major pathway provider in the sector originally established by a consortium of British isles universities, producing information for us. They enlisted the assist of their global student ambassadors, now learning at their Uk companion universities, to share their exceptional perspectives of studying a pathway qualification in their residence state just before succeeding in their research at university.

Stuart Smith, NCUK’s CEO, advised me, “International college students who have transitioned to the United kingdom by way of an NCUK qualification, provided in about 40 countries, serve as impressive, authentic ambassadors for this marketing campaign. We are dedicated to empowering their voices and their achievement tales are a testomony to the transformative ability of international education and learning.”

Storytelling is a effective instrument for brand developing, and a persuasive story can set you aside from the competition and resonate deeply with your goal audiences – the British isles, as a study place, desires this right now and we ought to keep on to devote in and guidance the #WeAreInternational marketing campaign.

In a world in which universities are experiencing continual criticism, storytelling in larger schooling has never been much more essential – it transcends cultures, enabling us to share encounters and hook up with other people it can empower the voices of those people at the coronary heart of what we do, informing and inspiring and it builds a sense of camaraderie, delight and community.

We require to be daring adequate, collectively operating alongside one another and speaking with just one voice, to explain to our tale with conviction, impact and cut via. Let’s remember our real reason, focus on championing the get the job done we do to reside it, an talk to the broader globe what we already know – that we are a welcoming examine place that values the contributions international students make a examine location that delivers large excellent education and outcomes and that United kingdom higher schooling has the energy to completely transform life.

About the writer: Andy Howells has been in publish as assistant director for Exterior Affairs at Universities Uk Worldwide given that 2019, and he sales opportunities UUKi’s strategies, marketing and advertising and stakeholder engagement actions. He’s led his staff to a number of award wins, most a short while ago winning ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’ at The IPGCEoneer Awards in 2023 for UUKi’s #TwinForHope campaign. Andy has worked in the sector for around 15 many years, and from November 27, 2023, he will get up submit as chief advertising officer for NCUK.

With contributions from Mark Bennett, director of Viewers and Perception at FindAUniversity, and Stuart Smith, CEO, NCUK.