International Education Strategy and Marketing
International Education Strategy and Marketing
This page summarises recent projects undertaken by Vicky Lewis Consulting, describing the nature of the assignment as well as project outputs and impact.
Most of the highlighted projects were for UK HE providers but, if you scroll down a little, you will find an overview of projects undertaken for non-UK institutions.
A Russell Group university asked Vicky Lewis Consulting to undertake a review of the infrastructure for international mobility and short courses, charting an approach which would align with the new institutional strategy. The report drew on external developments and good practice, as well as internal documents and staff interviews, to advocate a refreshed infrastructure.
Recommendations included:
A regular client institution asked me to provide a briefing on good practice in the area of international employability, with a particular focus on the national context and what other HEIs are putting in place to support international graduate outcomes. I also conducted a review of relevant sections of the university’s own website and provided recommendations for it to highlight more effectively this strand of activity.
Outputs included:
A Russell Group university client was seeking to improve the processes around international partnership development and management. Following a stakeholder survey, a series of interviews and a review of documentation, it became evident that a clear, contextualising policy was required as well as guidelines for a new, streamlined process. Working on a virtual basis with an internal Task and Finish group, I produced a set of documentation which was endorsed and adopted by the university’s International Executive Group.
Outputs included:
A Russell Group university client asked me to develop a three-year institutional strategy for international student recruitment. This involved 50 stakeholder interviews, alongside desk research and analysis of internal and external data. The resulting strategy, which incorporated revisions in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, was approved and strongly supported by the University Executive Group.
Outputs included:
A client university required some desk research to inform both the international theme within its new Strategic Plan and the supporting institutional International Strategy. The research included a review of fifteen comparator HEI international strategies, exploring content, themes and priorities and highlighting examples of good practice.
Outputs included:
I completed a review of the infrastructure for international student recruitment for a leading modern university. This involved consultation with 30 internal and external stakeholders and a review of internal and external documents. The resulting report supplied an analysis of current context, identified five broad areas for attention and provided clear recommendations for action.
Outputs included:
Following a competitive tender process, I was appointed by a London university to undertake an audit of their wide-ranging international summer school portfolio and to develop a framework for future developments in this area. This involved collecting feedback via a survey instrument and around 30 individual interviews.
Outputs included:
A specialist, online-only university college in the UK was highly reliant on a single international market and needed a strategy to broaden its international appeal. A new strategic approach was and target market selection framework were developed.
Outputs included:
I advised a prestigious French Business School on how to diversify the source countries for key Master’s programmes where certain nationalities had started to dominate. The advice took the form of a report proposing a strategy and target markets, as well a recommendations relating to the student experience, scholarships, communications and promotional tactics.
A long-established German university required advice on appropriate marketing strategies to increase international student enrolments over the coming three years. This was provided in the form of a strategic international marketing plan. The plan covered overarching goals, product portfolio expansion, subject area focus, geographical market focus, building a foundation for growth, brand messaging and promotion.
I have also undertaken projects with institutions and organisations in Israel, Sweden and the USA.
Following on from an earlier review of their international recruitment strategy, the University of Gloucestershire asked me to guide them through the process of developing an Internationalisation Strategy (their first one) to support their new Strategic Plan.
Outputs included:
(Joint project with Julie Vincent, Vincent Consulting Ltd)
Following a competitive tender process, we undertook a significant piece of market research to help inform Liverpool John Moores University's strategy for increasing international postgraduate enrolments.
Outputs included:
A well-regarded modern university in England asked me to review proposed measures to enhance international marketing and student recruitment and, based on this review, to develop an institution-wide action plan.
Outputs included:
A modern university in Scotland invited me to present my research findings on transnational education (TNE) marketing to a group of key staff, lead a discussion-based workshop on the topic, then prepare a short report outlining recommended next steps.
Outputs included:
In support of its ambitious internationalisation strategy, the University of East Anglia appointed Vicky Lewis Consulting to gather and analyse internal and external intelligence in order to propose and evaluate options for developing the University’s profile and activities in a specific region of the world.
Outputs included:
Hereford College of Arts, a specialist art and design institution with a strong interdisciplinary ethos and a growing higher education portfolio, asked Vicky Lewis Consulting to develop a tailored plan to build up its international student numbers. The College wanted to raise its international profile and attract a more diverse student body, particularly to its flagship degree courses.
Outputs included:
If your own institution is in a similar situation, download this pdf Information Sheet for tips on how to develop a really practical international student recruitment plan.
June 2013 – October 2013Having enrolled the first students on its Malaysia campus in 2012, the University of Southampton engaged Vicky Lewis Consulting to provide a roadmap for growing student numbers over the coming years.
Outputs included:
If your institution is considering establishing an international campus, download this pdf Information Sheet which highlights the marketing questions you should be asking at key stages of the project.
A well-regarded traditional university commissioned Vicky Lewis Consulting to undertake some research into opportunities to support its internationalisation strategy via a public-private partnership. The objective was to provide a preliminary outline of opportunities and evaluation of the options available.
Outputs included:
A UK Film School, a specialist postgraduate-only institution which has been described by the Observer newspaper as ‘the best film school in the world’, commissioned Vicky Lewis Consulting to develop a tailored plan to increase high-calibre international applications and enrolments – with a specific focus on two of its niche Masters programmes.
Outputs included:
The University of East Anglia appointed Vicky Lewis Consulting to review its extensive portfolio of scholarships (and other financial incentives and support). The objective was to develop a scholarships and awards portfolio which reinforces agreed strategic priorities in a clearly targeted, measurable and cost-effective manner.
Outputs included:
