UEL shortlisted for award at this year's "Oscars" of Higher Education

Widely recognised as the 'Oscars' of higher education, THE Awards celebrate outstanding work and achievement across a wide range of activity in UK higher education.

More than 70 institutions and teams are in the running for the honours, the standouts from more than 550 entries from all corners of the UK and ­Ireland. The 20 categories in the awards cover the full range of univer­sity activity - both academic and professional services, from front-line staff through all levels of leadership and ­management.

In compiling the submission for International Collaboration of the Year, the university showcased its Open Learning Initiative (OLive), a transformative project that helps refugees, and the team and individuals who are making an impact not just here at the University, but in the community and globally as part of the University's ambitious Vision 2028 strategy.

Open Learning Initiative

In 2015, 1.3 million refugees flooded into Europe. It was the largest migration of refugees and asylum seekers to Europe in a single year since WWII. The refugee crisis, which has been ignited once again in Ukraine, presented countries with an immense humanitarian, social and political emergency. For many of the young adults forced to flee, hopes of embarking on or completing their Higher Education (HE) journey seemed dashed.

The Open Learning Initiative (OLIve) programmes were conceived by the University of East London and a consortium of universities from the EU. The programmes give refugee students a way to meet friends and reconnect to educational homes in their new countries.

The university helped a record-breaking number of students. Seventy per cent of OLIve students were admitted to graduate degree programmes, while 85 per cent achieved language exam results which made them eligible for admittance to HE or employment. Of the students who completed their degrees, 80 per cent found employment within six months of graduating.

Equally important, the University's expertise gathered from the programmes allowed the organisation to advise other institutions on refugee inclusion strategies. With the latest refugee crisis playing out across Europe, this is important now more than ever.

Executive Director of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs Scott Williams said:

To be shortlisted for this Times Higher Education Award as we enter our 125th anniversary year is a true reflection of our consistent drive to rethink and reframe all our practices to provide our students with a meaningful student experience, careers-first education and enabling our goal of pioneering futures. Our work is being recognised by our peers as ground-breaking, creating a positive impact in our community and globally and sector-leading."

This year's awards will be presented at the Hilton London Metropole on 17 November.

For a full list of those shortlisted for this year's Times Higher Education (THE) Awards, visit the THE Awards website.

Picture credit: Mirko Fabian for Unsplash