News 2010
i-graduate proud sponsor of the THE Leadership & Management Awards 2010
June 2010
The second annual Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards were announced on the 17th of June 2010 at a sparkling event held at the prestigious Grosvenor House on Park Lane in the heart of our nation's capital. The awards celebrated leadership, business and management skills in the UK higher education sector.
i-graduate were proud to sponsor the award for Outstanding International Strategy, for which 6 UK institutions were shortlisted.
The award was won by the dynamic international team from the University of Greenwich, whose deep engagement with India stretches back more than a century. Greenwich describes its international strategy as going much further than just recruiting students, it instead aims to touch all aspects of the university's work.
“As sponsors of the Outstanding International Strategy Award 2010 we would like to acknowledge the innovation and dedication shown by all the shortlisted UK institutions in this highly competitive category,” commented William Archer, Director of i-graduate. “The kaleidoscope of global competition makes innovation more important than ever before. A line-up of distinguished judges made the choice today. But the opinions that really matter are those of the students who buy the strategy and invest in a British degree. Now more than ever, their views count.”
The awards are designed to celebrate the sector's leadership, management, financial and business skills. They showcase the extraordinary innovation, teamwork and commercial acumen of our higher education institutions and this year saw 264 entries across the 18 categories. The resulting choices demonstrated the professionalism and dedication that underpin the UK's world-class research and teaching enterprise.
Maureen Skinner, registrar of the Faculty of Arts at Thames Valley University and chair of the Association of University Administrators and a key member of the THELMA judging panel, said: "Greenwich fulfilled all the judging criteria in what was a strong field, what distinguished Greenwich was the integrated nature of its internationisation strategy, involving all aspects of the university's work."
For more information and to see a gallery of winners in all 18 categories including Outstanding University Fundraising Team, Outstanding Leadership and Management Team, Outstanding ICT Team, Outstanding Human Resources Team and Outstanding Finance Team click here to visit the official THE Leadership & Management Awards website.
i-graduate company director William Archer and THELMA 2010 host Alexander Armstrong present the
Outstanding International Strategy award to the team from the University of Greenwich
Dunn & Bradstreet award i-graduate with a 'D&B Rating 1' for creditworthiness
July 2010
Dunn & Bradstreet, the world's leading source of business information and insight since 1841 have awarded i-graduate with an official 'D&B Rating 1' status.
D&B provides a rating for all companies in the UK and Ireland, and these ratings are internationally recognised as an objective indicator of the risk of failure and the creditworthiness of companies. The 'D&B Rating 1' is the highest possible rating and clearly signifies that i-graduate has a high level of creditworthiness and an extremely low probability of failure.
"For i-graduate to have achieved this during one of the worst economic times in recent years is a fantastic accomplishment, with only 15% of all UK companies being in this category." said Gareth Jones, Managing Director of D&B UK and Ireland.
With global data coverage on business records in over 190 countries, D&B use sophisticated data collection tools and update their international database over 1.5 million times a day. This ensures the D&B rating is a dynamic score that is continuously updated and reflects the most current situation at a company.
"To be presented with the "D&B Rating 1" status during such a critical period for the UK higher education system is a direct reflection of the strength and continued commitment shown to us by our partner institutions." said William Archer, Director of i-graduate, "We are proud to work with some of the most progressive institutions globally and with their support we can continue to deliver the high profile insights we have become known for worldwide."
To learn more about Dunn & Bradstreet's selection of business services and the D&B Rating system click here.
Benchmarking the student experience across Australia's private college sector
John Ross | May 17, 2009
Article from: Campus Review
Around 86 per cent of international students at private colleges are satisfied or very satisfied with all aspects of their college experience, according to a survey commissioned by the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET). The survey of almost 10,000 students at 39 colleges also found that almost as many - 85 per cent - were satisfied with their agents, while just 9 per cent said they'd enrolled with permanent residency in mind.
The survey was conducted by i-graduate, using a questionnaire which allows institutions' results to be benchmarked against findings from other institutions.
i-graduate uncovered a similar satisfaction rate when it surveyed about 10,700 English-language students in Australia last year (CR, 21.09.09). i-graduate also conducted a similar sector-wide study with TAFE institutes across Australia in 2009.
The ACPET survey found that 77 per cent of respondents said they would encourage other students to enrol in Australia.
International engagement manager Steve Quirk said ACPET was encouraged by the findings, which he said would be the envy of most restaurants, manufacturers or public transport providers.
"But it's no cause for complacency," he added. "We are interested in the 15 per cent - the two to three people in the average class - who are less happy with their experience. This pilot study gives us a good evidence base to investigate that group and its experience. It also gives us an opportunity to talk to the one in four students who are not yet advocates for the private college or Australian experience, and investigate why."
ACPET CEO Andrew Smith said the survey was the first of its scale in Australia. "Until now Australia has had no widely acknowledged national benchmark of the private sector student experience," he said.
"This report affirms the commitment to quality education demonstrated by the vast majority of ACPET members. That commitment deserves greater respect from federal and state governments than it currently enjoys," Smith said. "Uncertainty and poorly conceived policy are resulting in a sharp contraction of our sector, with consequences for our international reputation, cultural and professional exchange, trading relationships and the stability of a major export industry. I urge state and federal governments to review this research. Now is not the time for policy based on assumptions or anecdotal evidence.
Only 9 per cent of respondents said they'd had plans to apply for permanent residency at the time they enrolled, Quirk said - contradicting previous research suggestions that large proportions of students plan to immigrate when they enrol, but many change their minds over the course of their studies.
Quirk said ACPET's findings suggested the reverse was the case, with few students initially planning to immigrate. "Rather than being a pull factor, the desire for permanent residency seems to be something that emerges over time," he said. "There may be something of an urban myth around permanent residency and international students."
Quirk said the survey suggested subject area was more important to students than the country where they'd be studying. And he said more students were interested in the experience of living in Australia temporarily than becoming permanent residents.
Almost two thirds of the respondents had applied to study at just one educational institution, with just 12 per cent of students applying to more than two. More than 90 per cent had sat English language tests before commencing their studies. And almost two thirds said they'd applied for their courses via education agents, with 22 per cent saying agents were the most important source of information.
The survey also found that over 80 per cent of respondents had thought about studying in other countries, with 44 per cent considering the US, 28 per cent Canada and 17 per cent the UK. But only 16 per cent had actually applied to study in other countries.
Quirk said the respondents had been overwhelmingly young - 86 per cent of them aged between 18 and 27 - and 90 per cent had been VET students. He said they had come from many countries, although roughly half were from the top markets of India, China and South Korea. Slightly over half were male and around a third were in the last year of their studies.
Quirk said ACPET planned to repeat the survey, probably on an annual basis.
To view the full article in Campus Review, click here.
For more information about ACPET, click here.
If you would like further information about the work i-graduate has carried out with schools, colleges and institutes across Australia please contact Amy Russell (amy.russell@i-graduate.org).
A UK Guide to Enhancing the International Student Experience
March 2010
The UK Higher Education International Unit has commissioned i-graduate to produce a guide for those on campus responsible for enhancing the university experience for international students.
Through interpretation of data collected through the International Student Barometer, the Guide to Enhancing the International Student Experience will inform and advise UK universities of best practice when working with international students. The data will be used to identify trends over time so university colleagues can ascertain if certain issues are becoming more or less important to international students. What are the key areas of importance and, perhaps more importantly, can we identify areas of dissatisfaction?
The data is supplemented with case studies to illustrate how the experience can be enhanced. The Guide includes recommendations for international offices, student support services, senior management and the UK sector as a whole and is intended to be accessed by all levels within universities.
We are delighted to announce that the Guide will be made available to UK university staff from March 2010. The Guide is now available to download from the secure area of the UK HE International Unit website at www.international.ac.uk.
About the UK Higher Education International Unit
The UK Higher Education International Unit coordinates, promotes and undertakes activities designed to support UK universities in a globally competitive world.
The UK HE International Unit is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Scottish Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, the Department for Employment and Learning (Northern Ireland), Guild HE and Universities UK.
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Tracking the International Student Experience at Further Education (FE) colleges in the UK
January 2010
i-graduate has been commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to examine the expectations and experiences of international non-EU students who undertake an FE course in the UK. The study will highlight areas of good practice and to inform areas for development, with the overall aim of improving the experience for this group of learners. i-graduate have teamed up with the Association of Colleges (AoC), Scotland's Colleges and UKCISA to undertake the study.
What is the study about?
The Prime Minister launched PMI2 in April 2006. It is a five year programme supported by some £33 million, jointly funded by government, the British Council and the education sector. The overall aim of PMI2 is to secure the UK's position as a leader in international Higher and Further education and sustain the managed growth of UK international education delivered both in the UK and overseas. PMI2 already has Higher Education and English Language Teaching student satisfaction indices to measure changes in international student satisfaction levels in those two sectors. To ensure that all sectors are being addressed by the Programme, international student satisfaction levels in the Further Education sector also need to be measured.
How can my college take part?
i-graduate are inviting all FE colleges in the UK to participate in the study, including private and public colleges. The study is fully funded by BIS and you will receive confidential feedback from your students, benchmarked against the sector average.
The study will comprise of a short, easy to complete online questionnaire to be completed by students currently undertaking an FE course in the UK. The questionnaire will ask students about their expectations and experiences of study, including value for money, course quality, accommodation, support and advisory services.
Please note, the deadline for registering your participation is Friday 5th February 2010.
For information on how to participate or further details please contact:
Naomi Kenny
International Graduate Insight Group (i-graduate)
E-mail: Naomi.kenny@i-graduate.org
Tel: +44 (0)207 222 7890