“UUKi have an extremely strong track record of delivering outstanding projects on international higher education, so we are delighted and excited to be supporting the Go International: Stand Out campaign,” said UPP Foundation director Richard Brabner.

The Go International: Stand Out campaign was launched in November 2017 and aims to double the percentage of UK students studying, working or volunteering abroad during their time at university.

“International study, work and volunteer placements make a real difference to the lives of students from all backgrounds”

“We are delighted to be partnering with UPP Foundation on this important work. International study, work and volunteer placements make a real difference to the lives of students from all backgrounds. They provide students with skills that employers are looking for – like intercultural awareness, confidence and adaptability,” said UUKi director Vivienne Stern.

“However, few students are aware of the benefits and few are taking up these opportunities.”

The new grant will allow UUKi to support a number of initiatives over the next three years, with a focus on university outreach and support activities for institutions that want to join the campaign.

“In the first year the grant will fund activity around encouraging UK universities to get involved,” UUKi assistant director, partnerships and mobility Celia Partridge told The PIE News.

“The second year activity will be focussed on building networks of mobility champions, and the third year activity will target employers, asking them to articulate the value of international experience and outlook in their organisations.”

The UK lags behind other countries for international mobility: an average of 6.6% of UK students study abroad during their time at university, compared to 19% of Australians and 25% of Germans.

“We have been delighted with the response from the sector to date on Go International: Stand Out”

So far, the response to the campaign has been very positive, Partridge told The PIE.

“We have been delighted with the response from the sector to date on Go International: Stand Out – with the volume, quality and ambition of university pledges demonstrating how much universities value outward student mobility,” she said.

Some 72 institutions have already ‘pledged’ to the campaign, Partridge said, setting goals to increase their outward student mobility.

For example, De Montfort University pledged to create a new PhD mobile research program and offer free classes in 6 languages to all students, while Cardiff University committed to increase its outward mobility rate to 30%.