UEL gains Turing funding to support study abroad

The University has been granted £96,500 in funding from the Department for Education, which will allow students to link up with partner institutions across the world and experience "life changing education."

As part of its Turing bid, UEL pledged to support students who typically struggle to access opportunities beyond their home locality and who may struggle with self-confidence as a result. These includes those from ethnic minority, or low-income backgrounds and those with special educational needs.

"The Turing grant is great news. Embedded in the university's strategy is the quest to ensure our students have experiences that will not only change their outlook and broaden their horizons but, on a practical level, make them more attractive to employers.

"We have identified that the future of work will be governed by artificial intelligence and automation. It follows that the very human skills - of empathy, relationship building and communication - will be highly regarded and in-demand. Few activities assist in re-enforcing those soft skills as much as eye-opening foreign travel,"

Dr Gulnara Stover BBA MBA PhD, Director of The Talent Gateway at UEL, said

Dr Stover continued, "It is particularly rewarding that the DfE has supported our commitment to ensure that students from under-represented backgrounds will gain opportunities that might otherwise have passed them by. They will build international networks and increase their mobility in future jobs markets.

"The Turing grant is yet more tangible proof of our commitment to diversity in the talent pipeline."

In 2021/22, 40 selected students will take part, with that number doubling the following year; 40 per cent of students selected will be from under-represented backgrounds. They will study at academic partner institutions, part of UEL's growing "Global Family," and seek internships and projects from international employers.

By learning soft skills, such as new languages and a better understanding of different cultures, students will be better prepared for the jobs for the future - a key aim of UEL's 10-year Vision 2028 transformation strategy.

Target countries for the scheme include India, Germany, Egypt, Canada and China, building on UEL's already strong bond of friendship with institutions across the global community.

The Turing Scheme is a successor to Erasmus+, the EU's programme to support international education and training. It is named after Alan Turing, the mathematical genius who laid the philosophical and practical groundwork for modern computers in the years following the second world war.