London-based virtual global conference on post-Covid student recruitment to feature live events from three continents

Stellar line-up of speakers based on USA, Australia and the UK will share their views over 12-hour period

A GLOBAL virtual conference which will explore the future of university student recruitment in a post-Covid world is due to be held next month.

The free event, being hosted by London-based edtech pioneers, The Access Platform, will be held over 12 hours and involve three key events, each based on a different continent.

Speakers from the USA, Australia, and the United Kingdom will participate in a number of sessions, as they bid to assess how the university recruitment landscape has been changed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Nik Higgins, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of The Access Platform, said: “There is no doubt the pandemic has had a profound effect on universities, the way they have been able to recruit and the way in which they will recruit students in future.

“This will be the case for all higher education establishments, but especially those which seek to attract a high proportion of overseas students. Early engagement will be so important, and getting that right is likely to be a key component in the recruitment journey.

“With international travel set to be restricted in some form for quite some time, we are looking at a new normal, rather than a return to normality, certainly for the foreseeable future.

“That makes the virtual recruitment space a more valuable commodity than ever and elevates the importance of peer-to-peer recruitment as an engagement tool to new levels.
“Because TAP operates in this space, we are keen to explore the position from the continents on which we have partners. We have a stellar line-up of guests, and I can’t wait for what I am sure will be some lively, thought-provoking and well-informed debates.”

The virtual conference will be held on June 4, starting at 7am BST (2pm Perth, 3.30pm Adelaide, 4pm Canberra/Sydney, 6pm Auckland/Wellington) when the focus will be on the climate in Australia and New Zealand.

The speakers will be Elissa Newall and Sharyn Martin, both partners at higher education industry experts, Edified, and Tom Gifford Assistant Director of International Recruitment at RMIT.

At 1pm BST, activity switches to the UK, for a session entitled "Navigating the 'new normal' in UK recruitment".

For this session, Jo Thompson, the University of Sheffield’s Senior UK Student Recruitment Officer, will deliver a presentation.

The final session in the global line-up will be based out of the USA and held at 5pm BST (9am LA, 11am Chicago, noon New York).

Guest speakers Jimmy Hong (INTO, Assistant Director, Recruitment Operations - North America) & Michael Huckaby (Tidewater 306, Founder) who will present together on the future of student recruitment in North America.

Sessions will be chaired by either Nik Higgins or TAPs director of strategic development, Nick Golding.

Said Nik: “This truly is a global event; wherever you are in the world, at least one of the sessions will be accessible to you without the need for caffeine and a late night.
“So much has changed in the world of student recruitment in a very short period of time. We’ve got some fantastic panellists lined up for our virtual conference and I’m really looking forward to their views and insight.”

While the conference is free, booking is essential. Go here to secure your place.

ENDS