UK ENIC experts working in our Information Development team are continuing their work to monitor changes and developments in global education.

The team is made up of international education analysts with expertise in education systems in different parts of the world. They use this knowledge to evaluate qualifications, advise on complex recognition cases and maintain the International Comparisons database.

Recent work has included looking at accreditation and quality assurance processes in higher education around the world.

Education is constantly changing and evolving. Recent years have seen growth in private education providers, distance learning, transnational education and flexible learning pathways. New modes of delivery can present challenges for evaluating qualifications, and methodologies need to adapt to the changing educational landscape.

One of the most complex areas of qualification recognition is understanding different systems for accreditation and quality assurance of institutions and qualifications. Determining whether an institution is authorised to offer a qualification, and that the programme of study is recognised or accredited, is a key part of the evaluation process. However, regulatory frameworks vary considerably from one country to the next.

The team has recently researched accreditation and quality assurance processes in a range of countries, including Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco and Zimbabwe. The research found a range of different approaches to quality assurance, which reflect different national contexts.

Recent growth in the private higher education sector has led to the introduction of new legislation and accreditation requirements in many countries, including Guyana and Malta. 

In some countries, all programmes, including those offered via distance learning, are covered by institutional accreditation. Elsewhere, accreditation is on a programme-by-programme basis.

In transnational education, institutions operate across borders. Sometimes provision is subject to oversight by authorities in more than one country. In other cases, it may fall outside the remit of national regulatory bodies.

This ongoing research informs UK ENIC institution listings and updates to International Comparisons. It also underpins evaluations of specific qualifications, and the guidance provided to our members through the UK ENIC Member Enquiry Service.

Over 100 nominations have been made for the inaugural Ecctis Awards Ceremony, which will celebrate best practices in admissions functions across the UK and internationally.

There is still time to book your space at the Gala Dinner at which winners will be announced, on Tuesday 26 November, after the first day of the UKENIC24 conference.

You are kindly asked to note that admission to this event, featuring a 3-course dinner, drinks and entertainment, is not included as part of a booking for the conference, and that you can secure your seat at the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony using the booking form.

Six awards will be presented, in the following categories: 

•    Best UK based admissions team for diversity and inclusivity
•    Best UK based admissions team for digital and technological innovation
•    Best UK based admissions team for sustainability and environment
•    Best UK based admissions team for international student experience
•    Best UK based admissions team (overall)
•    Best overseas admissions team (overall) 

Winners will receive a trophy and a digital badge to recognise their success. We will also recognise the runner-up with a digital badge, and will publish the names of those that were highly commended. 

Please note: These awards are being conferred by Ecctis and not UK ENIC, the Department for Education, or any other UK Government department.

UK ENIC is furthering its work to help people across the globe who want their qualifications recognised in order to work, live and or study in other countries. 

A four-strong UK delegation to UNESCO for the Global Recognition Convention (GRC), including Chris Lyons, UK ENIC Head of External Engagement, is contributing to a new working group developing user-friendly operational guidelines to help countries implement the GRC, and to adhere to it in the most effective ways. 

Chris Lyons says: ‘The group is considering the many and varied recognition challenges that currently exist and looking to find ways to resolve them. It is also working to ensure the GRC provides maximum benefit not only to signatories to the GRC but also, crucially, to individual qualification-holders looking to work and study in other countries. 

The UK delegation comprises: Anne Anderson, Chair of the UK National Commission for UNESCO; Maxim Polya-Vitry, UK Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, British Embassy Paris; Pamela Wilkinson, International Education, UK Department for Education; and Chris Lyons, UK ENIC Head of External Engagement.  

Earlier this year, the UK delegation worked alongside the other States Parties to the GRC to ensure the adoption of a work programme, which focuses on:

• Further developing the draft operational guidelines to facilitate the GRC’s implementation
• Developing a draft recommendation on the relationship between the GRC and the other regional conventions
• Research and capacity building activities, and
• Advocacy and communication to promote understanding and awareness of the GRC.

The new working group’s first meeting to begin to develop the operational guidelines took place last month and included delegations from Australia, Norway, Uruguay, Japan, Tunisia, Holy See, and other countries. It was followed by the production of a draft version of operational guidelines and an intense period of feedback. 

The working group is scheduled to meet again on 6 September.

Planning for the UKENIC24 conference in November is well underway, with a newly-established UK ENIC Conference Advisory Panel providing sector-wide expertise and input to help direct and shape the two days of content. 

The panel comprises representatives from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Association of Colleges, British Council, British Universities International Liaison Association, UK Department for Education, UK Council for International Student Affairs, Universities UK International, and a number of UK higher education institutions, alongside the core UK ENIC staff conference team. 

Chris Lyons, UK ENIC Head of External Engagement, says: ‘We are working to create a conference programme that is interesting, engaging and varied, and that appeals to attendees as relevant and at the centre of the challenges being faced now, as well as those we expect to encounter in the future.

‘It is a great way to channel expertise that will help us produce a first-class conference programme and experience for attendees.’

The full conference programme, comprising plenary presentations, panels, Q&A sessions and networking opportunities, will be published soon, so please watch this space.

You can now book your place for our two-day UKENIC24 annual conference in central London on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 November.

The theme of UKENIC24 is 'Insights for Internationalisation', and the event follows the successful corresponding annual conference held in December 2023, which was attended by approximately 500 people from over 20 countries.

For this year's event, we are excited to be using The Mermaid, a riverside conference venue that is new to us. It is close to London’s Blackfriars Bridge and Blackfriars tube station, and within easy walking distance of City Thameslink, Waterloo and Cannon Street train stations. 

Ticket prices for the two-day conference are:

Members' Standard rate: £495 + VAT

Non-Members' Standard rate: £545 + VAT

All tickets include lunch and refreshments.

Conference tickets are allocated to one delegate only. They cannot be shared by two delegates over two days and do not include admission to the Gala Dinner and Ecctis Awards Ceremony.

Members can obtain more information about their complimentary conference places from their account manager, or email [email protected].

UK ENIC Head of External Engagement, Chris Lyons, delivered a presentation on ‘Responsible Internationalisation’ at the British Columbia Council for International Education Annual Conference in Vancouver, Canada. 

‘Responsible internationalisation’ is a subject attracting growing interest in the international education sector, particularly in higher education. It describes an approach to admissions that is fair, student-centred, and based on positive learning experiences.

At the event, Chris Lyons stressed that there are clear links between recognition, readiness to study and responsible approaches to internationalisation. 

He says: ‘Recognition is an integral part of responsible internationalisation. Recognition services, such as those offered by UK ENIC, can be viewed as part of the foundation to the approach. 

‘The Lisbon Recognition Convention, which underpins the purpose of an ENIC-NARIC, determines that recognition is based on principles of fairness and transparency. 

‘Recognition can provide solutions where barriers to access may exist, through mutual recognition agreements which ensure students from across the world benefit from opportunities to study overseas, because admitting institutions have an enhanced understanding of their respective education systems. 

‘Through awareness of a student’s home education system, and possible similarities and differences between systems, recognition services can help institutions to understand the extent to which the individual student is equipped academically to succeed on their programme of study.’ 

In his presentation, Chris Lyons also explained that key elements of the approach include:

• A focus on building a diverse international student population; on offering appropriate support; on giving excellent learning and life experiences
• The principle that students are ‘front and centre’ with student voice and student experiences key.

He also stressed that the UK’s International Education Strategy underlines the importance of internationalisation, with targets for both the volume of inbound international students and for the delivery of outbound UK education through transnational education delivery.

‘International student recruitment is really important and relevant socially, culturally, politically and economically to many popular student destination countries and territories,’ Chris Lyons adds.

UK ENIC Interim Managing Director, Tracy Ferrier, and Jodie Duffy, UK ENIC Head of Information Development, attended the 31st Annual Joint Meeting of the ENIC-NARIC Networks, which took place in Naples, Italy, from 23-25 June.

The two-day programme, consisting of plenary and breakout sessions, brought together participants with diverse backgrounds and expertise to discuss and share insights on a range of issues.

Jodie Duffy delivered a presentation on the Tracking Refugee Applications for Study and Employment in the UK (TRASE UK) project.

Funded by the Council of Europe, the project provided valuable insights into how refugee applicants, higher education institutions and employers use the Statement of Comparability, and the challenges refugees face in accessing further study or employment, as well as providing practical recommendations for further support.

Tracy Ferrier said: ‘It was a pleasure representing UK ENIC, and connecting with other ENICS and NARICs from Europe and beyond. It was an excellent opportunity to share knowledge and learning and gain insights into challenges and opportunities for the international recognition of qualifications.’

The event included a keynote address, 'How Artificial Intelligence changes Education and Research and our work as Credential Evaluators' by Prof. Enzo Maria Le Fevre Cervini, Senior Researcher of the Laboratory on Innovation and Artificial Intelligence (IALAB) of the University of Buenos Aires.

A series of workshops covered the following themes:

• Transnational education in the spotlight: discussing the revision of the code of good practice
• National challenges in recognition of undocumented qualifications and the EQPR – new developments
• ENIC-NARICs: Expertise and remits beyond higher education
• Building the capacity of ENICs through the Council of Europe calls for projects
• Transnational education in the spotlight: discussing the revision of the code of good practice
• Qualifications, Refugees and Recognition – ensuring sustainable implementation of LRC Article VII
• ENIC-NARIC centres’ role in implementing the Commission’s 2024 higher education package
• Automatic Recognition: How legal can you go
• PowerSheet: options and opportunities for an annual data report of the international ENIC-NARIC network
• A holistic approach to recognition through digitalisation
• Automatic recognition. (Y)Our frontiers
• Different Methods of Recognition Practices: How to accommodate recognition of skills and qualifications to meet society’s needs?

A UK ENIC delegation delivered training and support for members, as well as attending two major education conferences during a 9-day visit to Canada last month.

Philip Cernik, UK ENIC Head of Business Development, Chris Lyons, Head of External Engagement,  and Jessiel Vasquez, Information Officer, spent time in Halifax, Nova Scotia, before travelling west to Vancouver.

In Halifax, the team delivered two days of training for Edunova, the Nova Scotia cooperative that promotes education in the region to international students. A range of Canadian institutions was represented at sessions covering combating education fraud, evaluating international qualifications, and the education systems of Mexico, Brazil, India and Pakistan.  

They also attended the Atlantic Regional Conference of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), the national body for promoting education to international students.

In Vancouver, the team took part in workshops at the annual conference of the British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE), where Chris Lyons delivered a presentation on ‘Responsible Internationalisation.’ 

During the 9 days of the visit, the UK ENIC team also held a series of positive meetings with a number of members and others. Themes included: fraud and compliance, and micro-credentials requiring industry recognition and acceptance in the UK and in Asia. They also held key meetings with the BCCIE and with the Alberta Bureau of International Education.

Reflecting on the trip, Chris says: 'The visit highlighted how important the UK ENIC service is to international members and stakeholders; and that the solutions we provide nationally have an international reach too.'

Philip adds: 'This hugely positive trip has furthered our understanding of the challenges facing Canadian HEIs, and helped us develop ideas on how we can strengthen the support we provide to the sector. Importantly, it has also cemented existing friendships - and helped us embark upon new ones.’

The Project Co-ordination Group for the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) project met at the Council of Europe’s office in Paris, France.

The EQPR is an international initiative led by the Council of Europe and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Teams of trained credential evaluators from participating ENIC-NARIC centres assess the qualifications and skills of refugees and people in refugee-like situations who are missing or who have only partial qualification documentation, by way of structured questionnaires and interviews.

UK ENIC was one of the EQPR’s founding partners, helping establish the interview-based evaluation processes that underpin the project. Now, more than 20 ENIC-NARIC centres support the initiative. 

At the meeting, group members discussed progress to date, and future plans to ensure the project’s success, as it continues into a new phase. Henry Huggett, UK ENIC Global Partnerships Manager, and Alina Davodova, UK ENIC Senior Information Officer (Refugee Services), attended the Paris meeting. 

More information about the EQPR project can be found on the Council of Europe website. 

Having played a leading role in the project since its inception, UK ENIC continues to support the delivery of the structured interviews with refugee applicants. Individuals who go through the assessment successfully receive an EQPR: a document containing key information on their qualifications, work experience, and language proficiency, potentially allowing them access employment and/or further study.

In addition to its work with the Council of Europe on the EQPR, UK ENIC continues to provide support to refugees and people in refugee-like situations who need advice and information to access further study or employment. We also offer advice and resources to organisations assisting refugees – be those admitting institutions, refugee welfare organisations, or local authorities. 

To find out more about the support we offer, in the first instance please email [email protected].

UK ENIC’s Managing Director, Tracy Ferrier, has shared 6 key ‘takeaways’ from last month’s ENIC NORTH 24 conference in Glasgow:

1. We all have more in common than we think we do

Tracy said: 'ENIC NORTH 2024 brought together different parts of the international education sector and other stakeholders. Despite these differences, it was clear there were many synergies and shared challenges and ideas around internationalisation.'

2. Better together than apart

'There was an encouraging desire from stakeholders to work together with organisations in order to innovate and present the best of the UK to the international arena. Approaches that were discussed included how the Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) sectors could work together to develop international opportunities with a focus on specific industry sectors.' 

3. The international recognition of qualifications is critical to enable international education and mobility

'The recognition of qualifications is quite rightly viewed as important in international student recruitment and admissions processes. However, it’s also relevant to transnational education, mobility and strategic partnerships. When recognition is smooth, international admissions, transnational education, mobility and partnerships all benefit.'

4. Sharing learning and expertise benefits all of us

'Some of the well-received sessions at ENIC NORTH 2024 involved experts from UK ENIC at Ecctis. These sessions were brought to life by also involving external stakeholders, including representatives from the FE and HE sectors. This brought practical experience, as well as diverse and varied perspectives together, and encouraged the sharing of lessons learned.'

5. Qualifications fraud is a reality

'There was a lot of interest in our series of fraud sessions during the conference, with positive and collaborative sharing of experiences across the sector, good practice and ideas about the way forward. Fraud is a reality, and there’s an appetite for more focus on the ways in which fraud can be detected and also deterred.'

6. Boutique conferences have their advantages

'This was my first ENIC NORTH conference and I enjoyed the scale and welcoming nature of the event. It was great to meet so many delegates and to have the opportunity to join various discussions and debates. It may be boutique, but it had a big impact.'

We are pleased to announce that our two-day UKENIC24 annual conference will take place in Central London venue, The Mermaid, on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 November 2024

We are excited to be using The Mermaid, a riverside conference venue that is new to us. It is close to London’s Blackfriars Bridge and Blackfriars tube station, and within easy walking distance of City Thameslink, Waterloo and Cannon Street train stations.

You can be added to the pre-register mailing list to guarantee your place by emailing [email protected] with the names, job titles and email addresses of those who will be attending. You will then be notified when registration has opened.

Full details of speakers and sessions will follow for what will be a packed two days of plenaries, workshops, panel discussions and networking opportunities.

For a taster of what to expect, you can read about our corresponding UKENIC23 conference, which was attended by over 450 delegates from 25 countries.

For information on sponsorship opportunities please email [email protected].

The successful ENIC NORTH 2024 face-to-face conference in Glasgow, Scotland, last month welcomed more than 150 delegates and speakers.

The one-day event, at the University of Strathclyde, focused on the theme of ‘Insights for Internationalisation’.

The conference featured highly topical discussions across multiple areas of interest including fraud, Edtech, student readiness and internationalisation.

We are grateful to all the excellent speakers who contributed. They included Professor James Miller FRSE, Principal and Vice-Chancellor at the University of West Scotland; Nancy Cooke, Director of International Development at the University of Salford; and Dr Suzanna Tomassi, Higher Education Specialist at the Department for Business and Trade. 

Other highlights included sessions on:

• The student voice, and understanding the choices students make
• The impact of the UK’s strategies on international education, mobility and student recruitment in different parts of the UK, and
• Considerations in recruiting and admitting international students.

ENIC NORTH 2024 was presented in partnership with OMPT. 

It was presented in association with Qualification Check, Password English Language Testing and Pearson PTE.

It was also be supported by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Oxford International Digital Institute, Gecko, LanguageCert, AfaraEd, Dialexy, IELTS and Kaplan Test of English.

Representatives from across the UK higher education sector met in London to further explore how UK transnational education (TNE) can most effectively and collaboratively be promoted globally.  

The mid-April roundtable workshop brought together delegates from hosting organisation Universities UK International (UUKi), Advance HE, the British Council, UK ENIC, Ecctis, the Office for Students, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, and the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade and Department for Education.

The first event of its type, organised by UUKi’s Joana Westphal and Annabelle Lee, it provided an introductory exploration into how the sector can work more collaboratively, raising mutual awareness of TNE expertise and interests and identifying the next steps towards collective sectoral engagement. 

Chris Lyons, UK ENIC Head of External Engagement, attended. He said: ‘To some extent, the meeting in London was a continuation of discussions from a month earlier at the three-day ‘Deep Dialogues’ conference in Edinburgh. That event’s focus had been on sustainable and scalable TNE, organised by the British Council in partnership with Ecctis, the company which operates UK ENIC on behalf of the UK Government.

‘TNE creates many recognition challenges, and so UK ENIC takes a strong interest in its delivery. As part of the UK delegation to the Global Recognition Convention Bureau – which partly focuses on worldwide recognition of TNE - we are well-placed to share our recognition expertise, as part of collective work to ensure the success and sustainability of the growing number of TNE activities across the globe.’

Recognition is a key component in the success of TNE, yet it is widely understood that the process can become more complex with TNE engagements, due to the combination of different national legislative and jurisdictional interests involved. 

‘Being a part of these discussions is really important for UK ENIC,’ added Chris Lyons. ‘It provides the opportunity to remind people of the significant role that recognition plays and how, without it, the success and viability of TNE programmes can be very challenging indeed.’

Ecctis was represented by in-house TNE expert, Fabrizio Trifiro, Head of Stakeholder Engagement and International Quality Reviews.

At the March 2024 ‘Deep Dialogues’ event, representatives from Ministries and education providers from more than 30 countries across the world, engaged over three days in focused discussions about TNE, its benefits and strategic priorities.

Representatives from over 30 countries engaged in focused discussions about internationalisation and transnational education (TNE) at the Going Global ‘Deep Dialogues’ conference in Edinburgh last month. 

Delegates representing Ministries and education providers attended this three-day event, organised by the British Council in partnership with Ecctis, the Employee-Owned Trust company which operates UK ENIC on behalf of the UK Government.

Fabrizio Trifiro, Head of Stakeholder Engagement and International Quality Reviews at Ecctis, chaired the keynote address by Professor Hans de Wit, Director of the Center for International Higher Education, Boston College, USA, which called for the international education community to come together and adopt a socially responsible approach to internationalisation. 

Chris Lyons, Head of External Engagement at UK ENIC, chaired a session on the Global Recognition Convention and recognition challenges of TNE. Its key speaker was Borhene Chakroun, Director of the Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems, UNESCO, who spoke about the progress that is being made in terms of signatories, a work programme and implementation of the Convention.

Fabrizio Trifiro said: ‘During the event a consensus emerged among delegates that a socially responsible approach to TNE is essential to make it scalable and sustainable.'

He said that social responsibility in this context will cover a range of factors:

• Academic standards, with implications for quality assurance and recognition
• A serious long-term commitment to each and every TNE operation
• Responsibility for students if things go wrong, exercising a duty of care, and managing their expectations, as well as carefully listening to and responding to their views, and
• Awareness of community responsibilities: complying with local regulations and meeting local education and training needs and, more broadly, our globally interconnected communities, embedding social goals and SDGs in the social mission of education institutions, including TNE.

‘Some form of global higher education governance systems might be needed to support more equitable forms of internationalisation and TNE, including through funding mechanisms,’ Fabrizio added. 

‘The European higher education area provides an example of this. Whether UNESCO will be able to take this vision and model of cooperation at a global level through the Global Recognition Convention remains to be seen. Either way, we all share the responsibility as key players in the international education landscape in our different individual roles. 

‘We can be agents of change individually, but it will be even better if we work together, united by common values. The ‘Deep Dialogues’ conference was very helpful in making us aware of the role we can play individually and collectively, and in contributing to the development of a cross-border community of practice with a common purpose.’

UK ENIC Head of External Engagement, Chris Lyons, delivered an online presentation to the University Council of Jamaica last month, with the theme: ‘What's a good grade?’ 

The session formed part of the Council’s 19th Quality Assurance in Higher Education Week, with the invitation following a presentation delivered late in 2023 by Chris Lyons at annual conference of The Association of International Credential Evaluation Professionals (TAICEP). 

‘Through the presentation, my aim was to help delegates' understanding, and compare achievements in different qualifications, with a focus on local qualifications from within the region', said Chris Lyons. 

‘Delegates were very engaging and asked a lot of insightful questions, which again demonstrated to me how much interest there is in understanding grades, scores and their meaning in context. It also highlighted that the UK ENIC International Grade Comparisons database is an invaluable resource. 

‘I look forward to future collaborations with the Council as it continues its work to assure quality in higher education.’ 

The session focused on four key areas:

• Explore the variety of approaches to grading systems and grading practices that exist
• Examine how setting and determining grade thresholds is important in institution admissions contexts
• Explore what a ‘good grade’ is, and
• Determine whether it is possible to find a fair and transparent means to compare grade performances from one system to another.

UK ENIC provided face-to-face support and advice at a National Health Service (NHS) Careers Fair, attended by over 700 people in Crawley, UK, last month.

Alina Davodova, UK ENIC Senior Information Officer (Refugee Services), and Tom Proffitt, Information Officer, spoke with some 300 attendees, explaining how we can support them with recognition of their qualifications, and providing advice to those with missing or partial documentation.

The event was organised by the NHS, in partnership with the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Indeed, attracting people from many different countries.

‘We spoke to individuals from Afghanistan, Iran and Ukraine, and to job-seekers from Central Asia and West Africa,’ said Alina Davodova.

‘We also took opportunities to engage with our partners in the sector, including organisations and charities such as RefuAid, the Refugee Council, and a variety of NHS trusts which have an interest in supporting applicants and candidates with recognition of their foreign qualifications.

‘Talking with stakeholders served to reinforce our significance in both the domestic and international education environment. It was great for us to use our Arabic and Russian language skills, as well as our country expertise, to offer quality guidance. 

‘Overall, attending the event was incredibly successful in terms of raising awareness of UK ENIC’s work, and how we continue to contribute social value through our refugee services,’ Alina added. 

Members seeking guidance on recognition of refugee qualifications - for example in respect of applicants who have incomplete documentation - can email us on [email protected]. Members with access to our online Member Enquiry Service can use that facility to get advice on a refugee’s overseas qualifications.

UK ENIC is able to assess qualifications, obtained outside of the UK, which are nationally recognised in the country of origin at the time of award, via our Statement of Comparability service. This includes school, vocational and higher education awards. 

We also offer advice and resources to organisations dealing with refugees - admitting institutions, refugee welfare organisations, local authorities etc. The evaluation and verification of qualifications and skills of refugees presents particular challenges, especially if there is missing or incomplete documentation. 

UK ENIC has played a leading role in international initiatives on refugee recognition, such as the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR). We also delivered the year-long ‘Syrians in Jordan’ project, which engaged with over 1,000 refugees. The SIJ scheme provided recognition statements containing information about the levels of qualifications and skills of Syrian refugees living in Jordan, and gave guidance on work and study opportunities available. 

This work has provided insights and experience in how recognition in cases of partial or missing documentation can be practically achieved and managed.

UK ENIC was part of a four-strong UK delegation, as a work programme to implement the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education (GRC) was agreed in Paris. 

A year after the GRC entered into force, the first extraordinary session of the Intergovernmental Conference of the States Parties to the Convention took place at the UNESCO headquarters on 7 March. Delegates unanimously agreed a work programme focusing on:

• Further developing the draft operational guidelines to facilitate the GRC’s implementation
• Developing a draft recommendation on the relationship between the GRC and the other regional conventions
• Research and capacity building activities, and
• Advocacy and communication to promote understanding and awareness of the GRC.

The UK delegation in Paris comprised: Anne Anderson, Chair of the UK National Commission for UNESCO; Maxim Polya-Vitry, UK Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, British Embassy Paris; Pamela Wilkinson, International Education, Department for Education; and Chris Lyons, UK ENIC Head of External Engagement. 

‘Through international agreement and collaboration, the Convention will make it easier for people to use their qualifications to work, live or study around the world,’ said Chris Lyons. ‘The adoption of the work programme at the Paris meeting represents a significant step towards removing barriers to mobility. 

‘There was a very strong sense among our UK delegation of a positive and productive team effort, with UK ENIC providing support, technical expertise and recognition insights on the work programme where it was needed. 

‘Looking ahead, UK delegates were particularly keen to be a part of a proposed open working group that will focus on the draft operational guidelines. It will help shape the GRC’s implementation, with UK ENIC expertise playing a key role as discussions progress more to technical matters around the GRC and recognition in practice,’ Chris Lyons added.

The Global Convention establishes universal principles for fair, transparent and non-discriminatory recognition of higher education qualifications, and qualifications giving access to higher education and offering avenues for further study and employment. With provisions on non-traditional learning modes, the Global Convention also facilitates the recognition of qualifications, prior learning and transnational education. In addition, it promotes the recognition of refugees’ qualifications, even in cases where documentary evidence is lacking. These are all areas in which UK ENIC has been proactive for some time, creating and providing relevant services and quickly responding to developments as they occur. 

By ratifying the Global Convention, countries commit to strengthening international cooperation in higher education, raising its quality at home and worldwide, and helping make academic mobility and the recognition of qualifications a reality for millions around the world. The Global Convention entered into force in March 2023 and, as of March 2024, 28 States have ratified it. 

Attendees at the Paris event included:

• Stig Arne Skjerven, Special Envoy / Deputy Permanent Delegate to UNESCO and President of the Bureau of the Global Recognition Convention
• Borhene Chakroun, Director, Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems, UNESCO Education Sector and Interim Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning
• Simona-Mirela Miculescu, President of UNESCO General Conference
• Ms Stefania Giannini , Assistant Secretary General for Education

In addition, many representatives from across the ENIC-NARIC centres were in attendance, either within the States Parties or as observers.

A seminar on 'Internationalisation of Higher Education', organised jointly by British Council India and the National Institute of Education Planning and Administration (NIEPA), took place in Delhi, India, last month. 

Representatives of some of India’s policy-making bodies and HE institutions engaged in two days of discussions, along with a range of international guests, including senior UK HE representatives.
 
Fabrizio Trifiro, Head of Stakeholder Engagement and International Quality Reviews at Ecctis, (see 'APAIE' story elsewhere in this newsletter) contributed to a session focusing on the quality assurance, accreditation and recognition aspects of internationalisation. It was chaired by Mary Stiasny, PVC International University of London, and including the former Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).  

‘Having been involved for the past two decades in debates around internationalisation with a focus on the UK, it was fascinating to take part in this event which looked at internationalisation from the perspective of one of the largest sending countries of international students,’ said Fabrizio Trifiro. ‘India is strategically and proactively considering how to internationalise its HE sector, including by leveraging in-bound transnational education (TNE) to attract more international students to India, as well as working to retain Indian students in the country.

‘The event saw a range of interesting and detailed discussions about the fitness for purpose of the current HE policy environment in India, the main challenges India faces in making progress towards its internationalisation ambitions as set out in the National Education Policy, general trends in international HE, and how cooperation with the UK could be strengthened going forward,’ he added.

The ThinkTNE Forum 2024, the British Council East Asia’s flagship event focusing on quality and excellence in transnational education (TNE), took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

Leading education experts from the UK and East Asia attended the one-day event to discuss top priorities and challenges in the development and delivery of TNE.
 
Fabrizio Trifiro, Head of Stakeholder Engagement and International Quality Reviews at Ecctis, chaired a session entitled ‘Keeping up with the Competitors,’ which reflected on the current state of play of Malaysian HE internationalisation, taking stock of the past and looking at future directions.

‘There were many very interesting reflections on the positive impact of TNE over the years on the development of the Malaysian HE landscape, including through knowledge transfer and capacity development, supporting the establishment of new universities,’ said Fabrizio Trifiro.

The ‘Keeping up with the Competitors’ session considered how the country’s government and institutions might be able to retain the country’s competitive advantage and to achieve its ambition as the regional education hub. 

ThinkTNE comprises research and reports on TNE as well as a number of education policy events, covering a wide range of TNE topics, such as quality assurance, student experience, academic and talent development, employer engagement and country-focused issues. Its aim is to create a platform for TNE providers in the UK and East Asia for continuous strategic engagement and effective collaboration. 

Malaysia was one of the very first countries in the world to open up to transnational education delivery. With a history of over 25 years in TNE, the country has well-developed policies and systems in place for different models of delivery.

As a growing element of international education, transnational education (TNE) creates a number of recognition challenges for many countries, and so UK ENIC takes a strong interest in TNE delivery.

Fabrizio Trifiro, Head of Stakeholder Engagement and International Quality Reviews at Ecctis, the Employee-Owned Trust company which operates UK ENIC on behalf of the UK Government, has attended a number of TNE-focused events in recent weeks which may be of interest to our members. Some are featured in this newsletter.

The Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) conference was held in Perth, Australia, in early March. 

Fabrizio Trifiro facilitated and presented at a session entitled ‘Internationally Local: Ensuring quality transnational education for a strong student experience’, which looked at how to support the growth of quality TNE.

'This is an exciting time for TNE, and it was really interesting to hear perspectives from fellow panellists Chris Bandy (Acumen), Guy Perring (i-graduate) and Hayley Shields (Edified) about the great work they do,’ said Fabrizio Trifiro. Areas of discussion included:

• how the TNE student experience compares to the home campus student experience
• how to differentiate and enhance the experience of TNE students taking full account of the local context of delivery
• the importance of having a good grasp of local regulatory and policy environments to run sustainable TNE, and
• the value of considering exit strategies from the start, with the interests of students at the forefront. 

‘I look forward to continuing to engage with those involved in TNE from across the globe, to help create a cross-border TNE community of practice, benchmarking institutional practice around key areas of TNE activity,’ added Fabrizio. 

‘These include governance arrangements, comparability of academic standards, enabling learning environments, responsiveness to local contexts of delivery, and managing student expectations. 

‘At the conference, I also met with our counterpart agency in Australia, the National Information Centre at the Australian Government Department of Education, to discuss common challenges in TNE, including online learning, and possible areas of co-operation.’ 

APAIE aims to advance education through enabling greater cooperation between institutions; to enrich and support international programs, activities and exchanges; and to promote the value of international education within the Asia-Pacific region. APAIE aims to connect Asia-Pacific higher education organisations with the rest of the world, and devotes itself to the principles of mutual respect, diversity and collective progress. 

The 2025 APAIE conference is due to be held in Delhi, India.

UK ENIC’s close involvement with The Association of International Credential Evaluation Professionals (TAICEP) has taken a further step forward.

Chris Lyons, UK ENIC Head of External Engagement, has taken up the role on the TAICEP Board as Vice President for Resources and Knowledge Management. The committee, which he is now helping to oversee, develops new credential evaluation resources, as well as organising and maintaining existing ones. 

Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the TAICEP 2024 annual conference, which will this year take place in Quebec, Canada, with the theme: ‘Fairness & Equity in Credential Assessments: What do these mean, are they important, & how to achieve?’ 

TAICEP brings together credential evaluation professionals from across the world, and the combined expertise reflects the diverse international membership.

UK ENIC provided face-to-face support at a Resettlement Job Fair in Gloucester, UK, last month.

Organised by Gloucestershire County Council, the event - attended by nearly 100 people - aimed to assist Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers. It also attracted many other people living locally who came along to discuss various aspects of potential routes into employment.

Katherine Huang, UK ENIC Head of Migration Services, and Alina Davodova, Senior Information Officer, spoke with over 40 people on the day, explaining how we can support them with qualification recognition, and providing advice to those with missing or partial documentation.

‘Those we spoke with were really interested to hear about what we do and how we can help them,’ said Alina Davodova. ‘They were pleased to learn that there are ways for them to have their qualifications recognised to help them into employment. 

‘Some of those who came along had already had qualifications recognised by UK ENIC, and were asking for advice on how and where they can use our Statements of Comparability.’

A number of other local support organisations were also on hand to offer advice and support, including the Department for Work and Pensions, Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

‘It was a very impressive effort on the part of all the organisations involved. As with similar events we have attended it was clear to all that UK ENIC plays an important role in helping refugees and asylum seekers to convert their qualifications into meaningful career prospects as part of a truly international workforce,’ added Alina.

Members seeking guidance on recognition of refugee qualifications - for example in respect of applicants who have incomplete documentation - can email us on [email protected]. Members with access to our online Member Enquiry Service can use that facility to get advice on a refugee’s overseas qualifications.

UK ENIC is able to assess qualifications, obtained outside of the UK, which are nationally recognised in the country of origin at the time of award, via our Statement of Comparability service. This includes school, vocational and higher education awards. 

We also offer advice and resources to organisations dealing with refugees - admitting institutions, refugee welfare organisations, local authorities etc. The evaluation and verification of qualifications and skills of refugees presents particular challenges, especially missing or incomplete documentation. 

UK ENIC has played a leading role in international initiatives on refugee recognition, such as the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR). We also delivered the year-long ‘Syrians in Jordan’ project, which engaged with over 1,000 refugees. The SIJ scheme provided recognition statements containing information about the levels of qualifications and skills of Syrian refugees living in Jordan, and gave guidance on work and study opportunities available. 

This work has provided insights and experience in how recognition in cases of partial or missing documentation can be practically achieved and managed.

We know that some members find it helpful to have information relating to our individual statement services, especially if they are advising people about applying for statements. 

The latest data, which forms part of our managed customer satisfaction programme, shows that in the final quarter of 2023, 94% of our individual applicants were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the level of evaluation or assessment they received.

Our overall NetPromoter score consistently averaged 74, which is considered ‘world-class service’. Reflecting on sector benchmarks, it is notable that other organisations within Professional Services scored 51 on average, while those in Education scored 50, so our satisfaction ratings far exceeded those of others operating in sectors in which we work.

‘These figures are very positive, but we are actively guarding against complacency,’ said Andy Barnfield, UK ENIC Head of Individual Services. ‘We continue to work hard to maintain and improve the service we provide to individual applicants and to our members. 

‘For example, we recently improved guidance and clarity of information on our website and FAQs, and have enabled additional chat functionality directly from applicants’ accounts. This allows applicants to quickly access our customer service team to ask any questions they have, minimising the number of times they need to contact us to resolve any issues.  

‘We also work proactively with organisations which signpost applicants to us, so they always have up-to-date information and clarity about the range of services we offer,’ Andy added. 

The British Council and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) School Education Conference took place in New Delhi, India last month. 

Rebeca Cruz, K-12 Education & Development Manager, and Eleftheria Iakovidou, Senior Analyst, attended and presented at the two-day event, which focused on four strands:

• Teaching, learning and assessment methods
• Curriculum pedagogy and assessment for 21st Century skills
• Enhancing computational skills and digital technology in the classroom, and
• Integrating environment and climate change education, sustainability and mindfulness across all subjects. 

During the conference, Rebeca and Eleftheria held discussions with a range of stakeholders, including representatives from educational state boards from across India, teachers, headteachers and other school leaders, as well as representatives from various India- and UK-based organisations focusing on education, technology, climate change and sustainability education. 

‘The conference provided a terrific opportunity to meet and hear from various stakeholders in India, and to discuss how we can continue to provide expert support to the country’s ongoing education reform process,’ said Rebeca Cruz.

The British Council and the CBSE have been working together to jointly create programmes and resources that support institutional and systemic development across schools in India. This collaboration has helped create and build a wide range of educational tools and resources, including those that drew on the expertise of UK and Indian professionals and agencies.

The aim of the December conference was to encourage positive conversations, learn from each other, share knowledge, expertise, and skills with educators, school administrators, policy and decision-makers from the Government in India and other South Asian countries.

UK ENIC has published a new resource to support members with the verification of qualifications from key markets to help counter education fraud. 

Links to verification services, and options for over 850 higher education institutions in Australia, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Romania, South Africa and Zimbabwe, are included in the Directory of Verification Sources. [PDF; login required]

The publication includes a range of online resources such as databases, lists and repositories, and contact methods including online forms, email enquiries and postal enquiries. It also includes details of third parties responsible for verification, in cases where responding to verification requests has been delegated to an external organisation. 

The ability to confirm authenticity of qualifications has become an increasingly important counter-fraud measure. However, verification services vary between countries and institutions, and are not always widely promoted. This publication is the result of an initial research project carried out by UK ENIC to identify and catalogue verification resources from key countries.

We took part in a 'Supporting Professional Migrants’ virtual conference, which discussed the role of professional bodies in supporting professional migrants to enter employment in the UK. 

UK ENIC's Zara Green presented at the event, hosted by Professional Associations Research Network (PARN). She outlined our Statement of Comparability and the services provided for refugees, and how professional bodies can shape their guidance to support refugees through the recognition and registration process. 

Professor John Willott, Leeds Beckett University, and Will Pritchard, Services Manager, PARN, also presented at the conference, which was chaired by PARN’s Robert Pitts. The event also included presentations on research carried out into the support currently provided to refugees by professional bodies, and how further guidance could be provided. This led to a wide-ranging open discussion about the issues raised by speakers.

PARN is a not-for-profit membership organisation for professional bodies. Offering expertise, experience and perspective on key issues in the sector, PARN develops research, provides bespoke services, networking opportunities, events and training for the professional body sector.

In addition, it also promotes professional bodies’ contributions to society and supports professional bodies with bespoke consultancy in areas such as strategy, governance and CPD.

We are pleased to introduce Tracy Ferrier, who joined us this month as UK ENIC Interim Managing Director. 

Tracy previously oversaw the delivery of the Skills for Prosperity programme in nine countries, on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). She has a wealth of relevant experience spanning international education, qualifications and standards, including a decade at the British Council as the Global Head of Skills.

‘I am delighted to take up the challenge of leading UK ENIC, with the aim of further strengthening the excellent services we provide, and lifting the ways in which we serve our members to even greater heights,’ she said. 

‘I’ve already set about the task of engaging with my new colleagues, members and other UK ENIC service users to listen to their thoughts and reflections.’

Colleagues from Ecctis, the Employee-Ownership Trust (EOT) which operates and manages UK ENIC, have this year supported more than 1,200 people living in and around its UK headquarters in Cheltenham, thanks to its charity work.

Earlier in 2023, the global organisation enhanced its corporate social responsibility work by providing staff with paid time off throughout the year to volunteer at three local charities and non-profit organisations.

Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees, Caring for Communities and People, and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust were chosen after a company-wide vote, fitting in with Ecctis’ ethos as an EOT – which means staff have a meaningful say in how the business is run and operated.

Up to the end of November, Ecctis colleagues had undertaken 56 volunteering sessions, totalling 138.5 hours and reaching 1,217 individuals living in the community.

Most recently, staff have supported events including painting a community pantry, as well as supporting a drive for donations of food and other items in the run-up to the festive season. 

Ecctis is also donating in kind, providing for free its specialist expertise to further support the development of the charities, alongside financial donations and grants.