Strength in Numbers: creating cross-university international

partnerships

Bob Masterton

Associate Director, International Centre

University of the Arts London

International Higher Education Forum, UUK, April 17, 2013

Who are we?

Who are we?

• The London Universities International Partnership (LUIP) is formed of sixteen of the London

• Showcase London as a world-class study destination

• “A World Class Education in a World Class City”• Working in partnership with other agencies –

including the London Mayor’s Office, London & Partners, London First and UKTI – and with industry

Why are we?

• Early 2011 - the imminent end of the Education UK Partnership leads to uncertainty about the future size and shape of the British Council and the support it will give to international student recruitment

• The value of the leverage resulting from scale to deliver in-country activities

• Collaboration will enable us to undertake activities none of us could create on our own

• The “power” of the London brand

Benefits

• Membership of a regional lobbying force• Putting forward collective stories, reinforcing

key messages and challenging negative press• Increased profile through a London presence in

country at exhibitions, fairs and LUIP events• Bigger impact on key markets and market

influencers through specifically designed campaigns, including PR and visits

• Increased profile through the LUIP and Study London websites

Benefits

• Increased access to London-based partners and sources of funding, including business and large employers and the Mayor’s promotional agency

• Affiliation to Mayor and Lord Mayor, important with client group perceptions

What have we done?• Launch breakfast at the House of

Lords hosted by Baroness Jo Valentine• China Bloggers visit and follow-up• London Ambassadors programme• Employability in India – event and

research• Research and promotion in the USA

China Bloggers visit

Queen’s Jubilee Weekend 2012

Li Na (b.1984)

Microblog: http://t.qq.com/tiaotailina (over 250,000 followers) Blog: http://blog.sina.com.cn/bestlina Olympic Gold Medalist An Olympic Gold Medalist in Sydney 2000, and numerous world and national champions in women’s diving (individual and synchro). Li Na is a torchbearer for Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. http://data.sports.163.com/athlete/home/0005000E0RLf.html

Xu Xiaoping (b.1956)

Microblog: http://www.weibo.com/xuxiaoping (Over 5,500,000 million followers) Blog: http://blog.sina.com.cn/xuxiaoping Household Name in Education In 1996, Xu Xiaoping co-founded New Oriental Education and Technology Group, which is the most successful, highly respected educational group in China. Listed on New York Stock Exchange, New Oriental (NYE:EDU) is worth between US$3billion to US$4billion, pending on stock prices floatation.

He Jiong (b.1974)

Microblog: Sina http://www.weibo.com/hejiong (15,000,000 followers) Tencent http://t.qq.com/hejiong/ (28,557 608 followers) more than Lady Gaga He Jiong is a well-known host, singer, actor and an Arabic teacher in Beijing Foreign Studies University. He has been the host of Happy Camp which is the top entertainment TV programme produced by Hunan TV Station for more than 10 years.

Li Weijia,

Happy Camp presenter with 4.5 million followers

Weijia Li (first name/ surname) Born in 1976 Presenter, actor and singer

Microblog: Sinahttp://www.weibo.com/u/1413971423 (4588953 followers)

Tecent http://t.qq.com/liweijia (10639228 followers)

Weijia Li is a well-known host, actor and dubbing artist. He has been the host of Happy Camp, which is the top1 entertainment TV programme produced by Hunan TV Station for more than 10 years. Moreover, he is also the host of many other popular TV programmes such as Yi Hu Bai Ying, Bai Ke Quan Shuo, etc. He is frequently seen on television as a funny and quick-witted host, well-liked by audiences. He is also successfully released a music album called Happy You Can Understand, it is highly praised among teenagers in China.

Long Mei

Happy Camp Official Weibo: http://www.weibo.com/eastdodo (3,156,664 followers) Chief producer, Director of Happy Camp, Hunan TV Station, as well as a BBC and CCTV correspondent.

Where did they go?

• Central St Martins College of Arts and Design, University of the Arts London

• Goldsmiths, University of London• Kings College, London• City University, Cass Business School• Corinthia Hotel, Royal Garden Hotel, D&D,

Harrods, Fortnum and Mason, Olympic Park, Ghost – the Musical, St Pauls, City Hall for viewing the Queen’s River Procession

China Bloggers visit

Central St Martins College of Arts and Design

Backstage at the BA Fashion catwalk show, May 2102

Leverage through Sponsorship• BA £7,500 flew them to London• Corinthia £13,500 put them up• Royal Garden Hotel £1,500 fed them• Fortnum & Masons £300 fed them• Nido £8,000 fed them at reception• UKVIC £1,500 supported a reception• D&D £ 700 fed them• Harrods £2,800 gave them things• Smartguide cars £8,000 provided transport• Ghost The Musical £1,024 entertained them• St Pauls – entry tickets £224 inspired them• London & Partners £2,400 supported them• Total £47,448• Cost of project to LUIP £13,000 ( not including staff time)• Support was also given through partnership: London First, British Museum, Tower

of London, LOCOG.

Outcomes

• 28 Million Chinese followers saw the “This is London Showcase” on Weibo

• 40 Million followers saw the event on QQ• 104,058 followers of the LUIP site on Weibo• Extensive blogging and liking, tweeting and re-

tweeting• Press coverage in China and London• TV coverage on UK and China news• Feature item on Happy Camp (100M viewers)• Follow up meeting with Xu Xiaoping

Practical help

• Xu Xiaoping is an “angel investor” who sponsors companies started in China by returning alumni

• Presentation to Chinese students in London this spring

… and now?

• Build on experience to arrange similar events for other journalists, TV crews and bloggers from China

• Extend to other countries too as support for other activities – India, USA

The great mortar board throwCity Hall, May 2012

London Ambassadors• Two Ambassadors from each institution – one

Indian and one American• Training session on using Social Media• Provide a programme of events and visits which

they would not normally experience as a student – TFL, entrepreneurship, backstage at a fashion show, etc.

• Encourage blogging about these events and their life and studies in London

Launching London Ambassadors

Outcomes

• 48,000 hits on the blogs on the LUIP site• Excellent new copy for individual university sites• Research shows that 70% of students say the

main influence on their choice of study destination is word of mouth from peers and family

• Follow up the Ambassadors after they graduate and encourage them to continue blogging about London

• Agreement to repeat next year but with one Ambassador per institution

India - Employability

• Employability is a key issue for all LUIP members• Impact on Indian students of changes to the PSWV with a

major effect on recruitment (9000 in London in 2010/11 – 6900 in 2012/3)

• LUIP members we are teaching the majority of the Indian students in London

• We want to help them find employment• Most of us have strong careers services for employment in

the UK• We believe that together we can deliver some of those

services in India in a way which none of us could do on our own

Contextual issue

• Concern in India about the changes to the UK visa system

• Negative press coverage• Positive story is not believed• L&P invited journalists from The Times of India and

the Economic Times• Briefing with UUK and LUIP on visa issues• Visits to City and Central St Martins and meetings

with current Indian students• £100,000 estimated value of resulting coverage

How are we doing it?

• The two challenges are:

1. How to make employers aware of the London universities as a source of highly employable graduates?

2. How to demonstrate the value to employers of graduates from the London universities?

The LUIP edge = collaboration• Info Edge (India) Ltd has “a bouquet” of

websites• Naukri.com

– the largest Indian jobs website – 40,000 employers registered, 30M résumés posted

• Firstnaukri.com– links employers to campuses and new graduates to jobs –

“virtual milk round”

• Shiksha.com– a student recruitment portal

• Contract with Naukri– to build a portal featuring London institutions and graduates – promote the London universities to their employer database

Launch Event

• Collaboration with UKTI and L&P led to the opportunity to hold an event featuring the London Mayor during his visit to India in November 2012

• Reception in the garden of the High Commissioner’s Residence in Delhi

• 300 guests, half from the Indian business community, plus LUIP institution staff and alumni

…. and now

• Research with the 150 companies which attended the event

• Collaboration with the British Business Group to identify internships in India

• Widening Indian linkages to MonsterIndia.com and Monster College

• Widening UK linkage to other jobs sites• Increasing the coverage of successful alumni on the

LUIP site and institution sites• Arranging a jobs fair and “speed dating” event linked

to the BC student recruitment fair in February 2014

…. and next

• Institutions which attended the event built new relationships with Indian companies

• Emphasise the feedback linkage between successful alumni, employment and recruitment

• Presentation to conference of 250 School Counsellors and follow up events

• Through the link with Monster extend activity to other markets – Monster manage their work from the Gulf to the Philippines from India

What’s next in China?

• Repeat the employability project in 2013/14• Mayor of London visit Beijing in Oct/Nov

2013 may enable a similar event to Delhi• “London Showcase” – extend beyond art

and design to other subjects• Possible link to Beijing Design Week• Agent’s event• “London” alumni event

USA

• Focus on School and College Counsellors• Email survey and promotional campaign• Parallel email “blast” to 14,000 US students

who have shown an interest in studying abroad• Web advertising on Gradschools.com,

Studyportals.eu and Princeton Review with tracking

• Participate in Idealist exhibitions• Participate in UCAS sponsored visit to London

by School Counsellors

The future

• LUIP to become a company limited by guarantee

• Engage other London institutions• Strengthen professional support• Extend activity to other markets – e.g.

Brazil in view of the 2016 Olympics

Thank you

Contact details:

Bob Masterton

E: rwm48@btopenworld.com

T: +44 779 377 7048