IHEF 2024 forward look: Griff Ryan, Universities UK International

Delivering international mobilities for students doesn’t always attract the limelight. It doesn’t bring in the big bucks, isn’t as crucial to global rankings as international research, and doesn’t have the worldwide commercial footprint of transnational education.

What it does have in spades is impact, which is one of the reasons UUKi have long championed and sought to amplify the work of student mobility teams at universities across the UK. At a time when financial pressures on the sector are acute, it’s more important than ever for institutions to not lose sight of the less high profile areas of their international activity. For that reason, we launched the Global Mobility conference at Lancaster University in February 2024, and we’re delighted to be able to continue the conversation at International higher education forum (IHEF) 2024.

Student mobility is a topic that creates ardent, lifelong supporters of those who work to facilitate it. It’s almost an inevitable outcome of the first-hand, close proximity to the transformative impact that staff see in their students returning from a period abroad. We hear all the time about how students come back more confident, more self-assured, and with greatly expanded skillsets and competencies. This is backed up by data as well, with ‘mobile students’ more likely to get a first, less likely to be unemployed, and more likely to earn a higher salary. For mobility teams across the country, the case for strategic prioritisation and long term funding for this activity is crystal clear, but how do we convince university senior leaders and government stakeholders?

High profile events like the Global Mobility conference are an opportunity to do just that, providing a showcase of best practices, energy, and opportunities in this policy space. Enthusiasm for the topic was evidently high, with tickets selling out in advance and institutions from across the UK represented in the room. The day featured case studies from Newcastle University, the University of Westminster, and the University of Kent, and a presentation from British Council India. The day concluded with a panel discussion featuring the PVCIs of Lancaster University, the University of Salford, and Queen’s University Belfast reflecting on successful approaches to integrating mobility into institutional strategies.

Attendees heard tips on shifting from a reactive approach to a strategic one, how to generate and maintain senior staff and cross institutional buy-in, and how to balance and link mobility priorities to other key areas such and sustainability, digital transformation, and transnational education. It was fantastic to also hear from Professor Andy Schofield, Lancaster’s Vice Chancellor reflecting on how his personal experience of studying, researching, and working around the world have fed in to internationalisation being at the heart of the ambitions of the institution he leads. You can get a flavour of the discussion via this short 20-minute podcast recorded at the conference.

At IHEF we’ll look to keep the conversation and the momentum going. As previously mentioned, student mobility is not an income generating activity, and so external funding is crucial to delivering opportunities at scale. The Turing Scheme is entering it’s fourth year of operation in the 2024-25 academic year – with funding for 2025/26 and beyond not set in stone, this is our window of opportunity to make the case for a long term commitment to mobility. I’m looking forward to discussions on the lessons we can learn from the scheme’s first years of operation and the opportunities presented by DfE bringing the management of the scheme in-house in pursuit of the goal of increasing the availability and accessibility of international opportunities for all students, regardless of background.