Keele pledges to Go International: Stand Out!
Keele University has signed the Universities UK International (UUKi) pledge to increase opportunities for students to study, work or volunteer overseas.
UUKi has today launched ‘Go International: Stand Out’ - a three-year campaign to increase the number of UK-domiciled undergraduate students who study, work or volunteer overseas for two or more weeks during their studies.
Universities signing the UUKi pledge are committing to the four guiding principles of the campaign charter:
- Increase the percentage of UK students who study, work or volunteer abroad as part of their higher education programme
- Promote the value of study, work and volunteering abroad
- Enhance the accessibility of studying, working and volunteering abroad
- Improve the collection and reporting of data on study, work and volunteering abroad
Keele University has a strong focus on internationalisation, and this pledge will boost and broaden outward student mobility.
As part of its commitment to the campaign, Keele University will provide additional financial support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds to encourage participation in opportunities to study and work abroad during their degree.
Pat Power, Associate Director of International Development at Keele University commented:
“Keele University is a strong believer in the benefits of studying abroad to students' personal and career development, and we are determined to make the wealth of opportunities that we provide accessible to all of our students.”
Jo Johnson MP, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, has endorsed the campaign, saying:
“We know that students who have experience of studying, working and volunteering abroad have better educational and employment outcomes. Employers value the skills that students develop through these placements, including language skills and cultural awareness. At the same time universities can build partnerships with other institutions around the world, facilitating the exchange of research and teaching.
“That’s why we’re working with the higher education sector to promote outward mobility and the benefits it brings young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“I thoroughly support the Go International: Stand Out campaign to get more young people interested in an overseas placement and would encourage universities and employers to get involved.”
Currently just 6.6% of students in the UK complete a placement of this kind. This is despite evidence that outward student mobility can improve both academic and employability outcomes. In April 2017, UUKi launched the national strategy for outward student mobility to double this figure to 13% by 2020. Via this campaign, UUKi aims to galvanise the higher education sector to act collectively to achieve this vision.
