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OFS CHALLENGE COMPETITION

You may have already seen the recent publication from the OfS regarding the Challenge Competition: Higher education short course trial to fund innovative projects delivering short courses in higher education – forming part of the government’s approach to delivering its new Lifelong Learning Entitlement.

We are aware that partners may well be interested in taking part but having reviewed the information in the Webinar there is still some uncertainty around whether providers without Degree Awarding Powers can apply in their own right. Further guidance is due in August, and following its publication we will be in touch again to explore the opportunities to work together with you in applying.

In the meantime if you hear or see any useful updates on this, please do let us know.
OFS CONSULTATION ON QUALITY AND STANDARDS CONDITIONS 

The OfS have recently published a consultation on their approach to regulating HE quality and standards. The consultation sets out proposals for how the OfS will change their regulatory approach. Among the proposals are new conditions of registration covering academic experience, resources, support and student engagement.

UEA will be responding the consultation and we would encourage our partners to do the same. The consultation can be found here and the deadline for responses is 27 September.
60 SECONDS WITH ANTONIA MARSH, PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER 
 
Tell us about your role at UEA 
I am one of a team of Partnership Managers working with partner institutions. My primary partner is Colchester Institute and I help support the Royal Marsden School, alongside various project work throughout the year.

How has your role changed as a result of COVID-19? 
I started on maternity leave a couple of weeks before COVID ‘hit’ and on my return to work in May 2021 everything was virtual and I was working from home, however my colleagues had done all the hard work in figuring out how things needed to work! I feel like I dodged the worst of it and things were pretty calm on my return and looking very hopeful we would soon be returning to campus and visiting partners. Returning to work was different than I imagined and a little less exciting but I was soon in the swing of it. My ever-supportive colleagues gave me the top tips on working from home and patiently helped me navigate Teams! 

What would surprise people to know about you? 
Maybe not a surprise but interesting…My maternal grandmother was a German Jew and has a fascinating story about escaping Nazi Germany, alone, to India (which was under British rule) then eventually emigrating to Palestine where she met my grandfather who was serving in the British Army! My cousin, aunt and I have done a lot of research into our family tree and especially her life and found the existence of some amazing documents in the archives of India. These included her letter and subsequent correspondence to a British member of the India Office in Whitehall, asking for support in getting a visa in 1938 as she felt a favourable reference from him would help: at this time she did not have a passport as Jews were not permitted such things. I should note she was in her early 20’s at the time and she had met this person once at an international conference held in Geneva, where she was studying at University! Prior to this, none of us knew how she managed to leave Germany so these discoveries have answered so many questions about her life between being forced out of Germany and her life in Britain after the war. I am amazed at the documents that can be found 80/90 years on….makes you think about what a trail we all leave! She is inspirational in her determination in the face of such horrific circumstances. 

 
What’s your favourite film of all time and why? 
I’m no good with favourites – I like too many different things and depends on my mood! I’ll choose Moana as it has great songs, the sea and I love frangipani/plumeria flowers which Moana wears in her hair. We jokingly call our daughter (Freya) Moana, as she always runs to the sea on the beach! Great fun…except she is one and hates being taken away from it!!

What’s your favourite place to visit? 
Again…no good with favourites! The beach…handy as I live really close, but I also like the beach in Puerto Pollenca, Majorca! The top of the mountains in Bulgaria during ski season is also very high on my favourites list. 

Tell us your favourite joke 
Man walks into a bar….ouch it was an iron one!! A classic joke!
SPOTLIGHT ON - INTO UEA AND SOUTH ESSEX COLLEGE

This month we have a second double helping of our popular 'Spotlight On' section. Our first piece focuses on INTO UEA, while our second looks at placement activity at South Essex College.
INTO UEA is a joint venture partnership between the University of East Anglia and INTO University Partnerships. Located in a self-contained building on the University campus we teach international students recruited through our global recruitment network. Our courses, which range from Foundation and A levels, to International Year One (which replicates year one of various undergraduate degrees) and Graduate Diploma, combine subject specialisms, English language, and study skills.

The INTO group, now numbering 23 Centres across the UK and US, was first established at UEA in 2006 to support the internationalisation goals of the University, namely, to increase the number of high-quality international students, to broaden its global presence and to invest in world class facilities.  

Student success is at the heart of everything we do: 

“INTO UEA helped me to develop my communication and presentation skills, as well as giving me the opportunity to practise my essay and report-writing skills – all of which are essential for study at UEA.”  Kelly, China P.R 

Kelly studied International Foundation in Pharmacy, Health and Life Sciences here at INTO UEA, graduated with a 1st in BSc Molecular Biology and Genetics from UEA in 2021, and will begin studying MSc Human Molecular Genetics at Imperial College London later this year.

Since inception, the University has grown international undergraduate student enrolments at three times the UK average and more than 3,700 international students have progressed to further study at the University from just our pathway programmes alone. The presence of these students generates an estimated £60million annually for the University and wider community.

Ten highly successful years of operation and partnership culminated in INTO UEA winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise (International Trade) – the United Kingdom’s highest honour for any business.

More recent INTO developments include the creation of a careers programme through INTO Careers First and new offices for use by Universities and education counsellors in some of the world’s major cities.
Placement activity within the Faculty of HE at SEC has always been pinnacle to the development and enhancement of our programmes. With a dedicated Practice Learning Team who work closely alongside programme staff, students and stakeholders of the College, placements become more than just ‘work experience’.

Together we have built up an extensive database of placements for students to choose from, including charitable organisations, schools, counselling agencies, policing departments and hospitals (just to name a few). 

Placements enable students to relate the theories they have learnt to practice and develop the skills necessary to form and reflect on their own ‘good practice’. Students are also given the opportunity to network and engage with professionals from industry; many of our students go on to gain employment within their previous placement organisations.

From speaking with Placement Supervisors, it is apparent that our students are an asset to both themselves and the College within placement settings. We hold regular KTP meetings for each programme, where stakeholders advise on curriculum development based on the needs of the workplace and guide us on current workplace policies and practices. This ensures our programmes meet the requirements of the future workforce and that our students are industry ready by the time they graduate. 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, placement activity over the past academic year has looked remarkably different to prior years. We have seen students adapt to online learning as well as excelling within remote placements. Considering the added pressures that the pandemic has put on students and many of our placement organisations, we have been so impressed by the extra effort and cooperation of all involved. 

Strategies and methods of placement activity may have changed rapidly in such unprecedented times, but one thing is for certain: SEC is committed to producing graduates who are not only academically prepared, but also possess the skill sets required by industry which enable them to flourish.

Hayley Warner
Practice Learning Co-ordinator 
FEEDBACK / SUGGESTIONS
Do you have any feedback on our newsletter, good or bad? Do you have suggestions for future topics? If yes, we'd love to hear from you! Please click on the button below to submit your thoughts anonymously; if you'd prefer a response, please email your thoughts to academic.partnerships@uea.ac.uk
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NEXT EDITION

Due to annual leave both here and at our partners. our next edition will be circulated in September. We wish you all a wonderful summer and hope you're able to find some time to rest and recuperate.
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