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Read our latest news and latest announcements:

Individual qualification comparison services enjoy record satisfaction rating

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The most recent survey of applicants to our comparability statement services for individuals showed record ratings of customer satisfaction, with 96% of applicants saying they had a positive experience of the service.

This is a considerable achievement in the face of the challenges of our teams' remote working due to COVID-19 restrictions and historically very high numbers of applications for qualification comparison statements. Despite these challenges, operations and service levels are being sustained and enhanced.

The survey showed that among our individual applicants, our services have a 'Net Promoter Score' of 75. This is well ahead of the typical average score of 44 and ahead of the scores for a number of prominent brands.

Applicants said that they were particularly pleased with the new website, the simplicity of the application process, and the speed of service.

We conduct regular surveys of our individual applicants and actively seek feedback from them, to continuously improve and develop our services.

19/01/2021 15:14:00
Need for TNE cooperation discussed at Westminster Higher Education Forum

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UK NARIC took part in a recent Westminster Higher Education Forum (WHEF) conference alongside other leading sector bodies and experts to discuss the current challenges and opportunities for transnational education (TNE).

Participants shared views on the current landscape for UK TNE, recent trends, institutional and sector-wide strategies for growth, and possible post-COVID scenarios.

UK NARIC’s representative at the event, Head of Quality Benchmark Services Dr Fabrizio Trifiro, delivered a presentation outlining the work UK NARIC is doing to improve the international recognition climate for TNE qualifications through the TNE Quality Benchmark (TNE QB) service.

'There is a pressing need to work together with the international community to develop global solutions capable of transcending and bridging existing national ideas for the quality assurance and recognition of TNE qualifications', he said.

'The TNE QB service is designed to provide a solution and help improve international understanding of, and confidence in, TNE qualifications.'

The conference also discussed the relationships between TNE and international student mobility, and the extent to which COVID-19 is challenging the sustainability of the predominant model based on international student mobility. These aspects will be discussed at a forthcoming free UK TNE webinar on 4 February with leading experts Janet Ilieva and Prof Nigel Healey, who also presented at the WHEF conference.

19/01/2021 15:13:00
Brexit changes: UK participation in ECVET and ReferNet to end

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Following the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020, the UK will now no longer participate in the European ECVET programme - the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training - or the ReferNet programme.

Archived information and resources will continue to be available in the meantime via the existing websites, ecvet.ecctis.com and refernet.ecctis.com.

Information on UK ReferNet publications from 2020 and earlier can also be found on the Cedefop website for the time being.

UK NARIC has been the home to the ECVET National Contact Point for England since 2010 and the UK ReferNet agency since 2012.

ECVET is an EU-wide tool supporting the accumulation and transfer of credits gained through the recognition of learning outcomes in vocational education and training (VET) across Europe. The ECVET National Contact Point offered advice and guidance on using ECVET.

ReferNet is a network of centres across Europe providing reports and comparative information on national vocational education and training systems. The UK ReferNet agency published country reports, news items and in-depth articles on developments in the UK vocational education and training system, feeding into analysis and European policy making on vocational education and training.

19/01/2021 15:13:00
Upcoming training webinars on UK education and the new Student visa

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Upcoming training: new online sessions on the UK education system and the new UK Student visa system that was implemented recently.

These webinars will take place on 10 and 24 February, respectively, and can be be booked through the training schedule web page.

Members may use their pre-paid places for this online training; contact your account manager for details. Non-members can email [email protected] to book places.

The session on UK education will provide participants with information on how to use key resources to determine qualification accreditation and institution recognition. It will also look to provide advice on what to do when qualifications are not listed by an official regulator.

This session is primarily designed for admissions staff but will also prove useful to people working for professional bodies and immigration services.

February’s other new session will look at the recent changes to the UK visas system, which has seen Tier 4 visas replaced by Student visasThis webinar will provide information and practical advice on how institutions can ensure compliance with the new system and safeguard their sponsor licence.

We will be continuing to offer webinars on this subject area in March with a new three-part Admissions Series, in partnership with Fragomen. This will provide a thorough introduction to all the major aspects of the international admissions officer role, and coverage of relevant and recent updates. The series will also include contributions from Pearson and Cambridge English. More information about these can be found on our training schedule.

In addition to the online events mentioned above, we will be hosting a free webinar on transnational education and international student mobility on 4 February. This webinar will particularly focus on whether COVID-19 will have a lasting impact on international student recruitment.

If you are unable to make February’s sessions, you will have the option to purchase recordings after the live events.

The full list of recorded webinars (paid-for and free) in our library is as follows - Briefing on Hong Kong school education; Briefing on the Saudi Arabia education system; Briefing on Indonesian education: high school exams, institutional status and university rankings - an interactive webinar; Briefing on the upper secondary and higher education system in Nigeria - an interactive webinar; Clearing special: how to get the most out of UK NARIC's services; Pakistan: when is a Bachelor a Bachelor, and when is a Master's a Master's?; Briefing on higher education in China; Combating education fraud: how to spot fake qualifications giving access to undergraduate programmes – an interactive webinar; The online learning regulatory landscape in Malaysia and Dubai; Briefing on standardised test in the USA education system; Briefing on the long-cycle programmes in the French education system; TNE Models of online learning delivery: Arizona State University and University of London Worldwide; English for Admissions - the current landscape; Evaluating international qualifications; Combating education fraud; Briefing on the non-traditional qualifications used for entry in higher education in the UK; Briefing on the Indian secondary education system; Briefing on the upper secondary and higher education system in Ghana; Briefing on Chinese upper secondary educationMaking the most of your UK NARIC membership and Charting the impact of COVID-19 on education internationally - an interactive Q&A with UK NARIC experts.

19/01/2021 15:12:00
COVID-19: January lockdowns lead to new wave of school and university closures

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The introduction of lockdowns in January has had a dramatic impact on education across the world, with 31 countries having now closed their schools and universities at a national level, representing the highest number since September.

It is possible this number could increase further, as many countries, particularly in South America, are currently on a break but may not re-open afterwards.

Our research team continues to track developments and regularly publishes information updates on our blog.

A large proportion of the closures have occurred in Europe, including in the UK, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Romania.

A number of European nations have also restructured and rearranged their exams. For example, French Baccalauréat students will only sit final examinations in their two specialisation subjects, and première and terminale (penultimate and final years) exams have been cancelled. The Austrian government have also confirmed that 2021 Matura exams have been pushed back by two weeks to 20 May.

Several countries, however, are yet to make a final decision on summer exams, including Estonia, Denmark, Ireland, and Italy.

Outside of Europe, in India, the Central Board of Secondary Education has announced exams will go ahead in 2021 but have been postponed from March and April until May.

In Bangladesh it has been confirmed that the 2020 cohort of students will be awarded grades for the Higher School Certificate based on previous performance. The exams were initially postponed indefinitely but towards the end of the year it was decided to cancel them.

In addition to the updates above, we have published a special report: The Effects of COVID-19 on International Secondary Assessment [PDF]. The report looks at postponements and cancellations in selected key countries in more detail.

For more details country-by-country, and for the latest up-to-date information, visit our blog page Charting the impact of COVID-19.

We are gathering more information on each country and exam boards on an ongoing basis and will continue to do so in 2021. So, check our blog regularly, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to be notified when we post new updates.

If you have any queries or would like to contribute information about a country, please contact us at [email protected]

19/01/2021 15:11:00