7th UniFair in London was a huge success! This year we had universities, education professionals, UK top universities’ alumni, career advisors and many international students attending. We held the first panel discussion on employability and opportunities in the world for students after their studies.

On 29th October, this fantastic university fair attracted a truly global audience. For the 7th year running, UniFair, held at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel, had more than 90 Universities from the UK, US and Australia, including the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, as well as many other top universities, attracting a total of 3000 students.

Panel Discussion on Global Employability

One of the highlights of this year’s UniFair was the first International Education Panel Discussion – a dialogue on global education and global employability.

The Guest Speakers:

The Lord Clement-Jones - CBE UCL Panel member and co-Chair of the All Party Parliament China Group

Carolina Salinas - Head of Placements, Aston University

Caroline Baldwin - Careers and Professional Development Adviser, University of Bath Business School

Amy Baker - Managing Director of Professionals in International Education (PIE)

Jenna Davies - Employment Consultant, Birkbeck University

Prof Yu Xiong - Chair of Technology and Management, Newcastle Business School of Northumbria University

Martin Barrow - CBE, Jardines

What is GEx?

Combining the two concepts of Global Education and Global Employability, GEx seeks to provide leading dialogue between key industry professionals from these important areas.

Philip Hao, the CEO and founder of ‘myOffer’ – a subsidiary of Learning Without Borders – commented on how difficult it is for many of the Chinese overseas students to find a job with a monthly income of around 10000 RMB. Their predicament may suggest that some of these students are overlooking the importance of a structured career plan – or at least don’t place enough personal emphasis on it.

UVIC is one of the leading providers of consultation in education, seeking to remove the borders that exist between studying overseas and job hunting. Mr Hao also mentioned that studying overseas is at the core of many students’ career plans and, indeed, for those students who are new to the UK, taking part in UniFair could provide a positive boost to their career.

On the Panel Discussion, The Lord Clement- Jones CBE, UCL Panel member and Co-Chair of the All Party Parliament China Group, said: “the international students have a profound influence on the UK education industry and society as a whole”. He also complimented UVIC for its efforts and contributions made over the many years and said that he values their idea of linking tertiary education with employability.

Caroline Baldwin, the Careers and Professional Development Adviser at the University of Bath Business School, also shared her experiences on the efforts she has made to encourage graduate employability via the ‘International Graduates and Volunteers Schemes' for both UK and international businesses. She also said that the University of Bath is well-prepared with providing vocational training before the students find jobs; training that she believes is part of the DNA of the University of Bath.

UniFair London 2016

After the Panel Discussion UniFair 2016 was under way. The doors opened to students at noon. There were more than ninety universities attending this event, including the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University of Exeter, University of Surrey, University of Bath, University of Southampton, Loughborough University, University of Leeds, University of York, University of Sussex, Newcastle University, and Monash University (Australia).

UniFair attracts students from all over the world, who are eager to gain valuable information from University Representatives and experienced UVIC staff.

Another highlight of this year’s UniFair was the attendance of the UVIC ‘Super Mentors’, sharing their learning and work experience with many of the students.

What is a Super Mentor?

UVIC, together with myOffer®, have made created this new communication platform, linking thousands of overseas students with alumni who have graduated from some of the world’s Top Universities. We are forming a team of mentors in various fields from venture capital and entrepreneurs, to many elite and highly educated professionals.

The name of the programme, Super Mentor, was inspired by the “International Overseas Student Day”, celebrated on the 6^th June every year.

We aim to attract the attention of young professionals and encourage them to share their experience of studying abroad and achieving success, and supporting the future Chinese international students in their studies and potential career development abroad.

The Super Mentors who attended the UniFair London were alumni of some of the top universities such as University of Cambridge, London School of Economics and Political Science, University College London, and Central Saint Martins. Many students enjoyed receiving the advice and guidance that Super Mentors provided on the day. Alongside alumni there also was a UVIC career mentor, giving guidance to students and emphasising the importance of employability.

It is worth mentioning that UniFair, together with DouYu ®TV, were providing live coverage of the event for the first time.

The 7^th UniFair finished at 5pm.