About The Northern Consortium and NCUK he Northern Consortium is a charity founded in 1987 to facilitate access to British education for international T students. It was established by a group of forward thinking universities in the north of England. The group, keen to share their knowledge and experience, established one of the earliest examples of transnational education. As a result, tens of thousands of students have benefitted from access to international education over the last thirty years. They choose from thousands of different courses, and earn good undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in a huge range of subjects. In 2003, the Northern Consortium, established its wholly-owned subsidiary, NCUK, to continue to create opportunities internationally that improve access to higher education for students globally. NCUK qualifications are recognised by our own universities and by most others across the UK, as well as by universities internationally. Far more than other qualifications, they prepare students to hit the ground running at university. Students can study in their own country or at one of our Study Centres in the UK or Europe, taught by quality assured partners whose standards are as high as our own. Our qualifications are backed by fantastic levels of service and support, and an outstanding 30-year track record. NCUK is here to make sure that international students get in and get Ken Gill: Chief Executive Officer, on. We help them find their perfect place at a UK university. Northern Consortium and NCUK 2 Developed by UK universities for UK universities, providing a guaranteed choice of programmes “International students are an essential community in any UK university. They bring their own viewpoint to the classroom, allow our UK students to gain valuable experience of other cultures and ensure that we have a truly global learning community. NCUK fulfils the aim of attracting students from around the world who are intellectually and socially well-prepared for their time at university and therefore will succeed in their chosen subject, contribute to the intellectual and cultural life of the University and become ambassadors for the University during their subsequent successful careers. We have always found the preparation that the NCUK qualification gives our students enables them to perform at a consistently good level. The close relationship the member universities have with NCUK allows us to alert them to changes in requirements so that the NCUK curriculum is continuously adapting to improve student preparation. My expectation is that over the next 30 years, NCUK will have greater global presence, with larger programmes in a wider range of developing countries, particularly across Africa and Asia. This will allow a wider group of students to access a quality UK education in an economical way, and some of these programmes could allow students to obtain their degrees as a collaboration between NCUK and member universities without having to leave their own “Studying the NCUK country.” qualification before coming to the UK prepared me for Jo Purves: Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Salford independent learning. I got and Chair, The Northern Consortium advice for my dissertation and support with my application” Yumi Nakadai BEO Tokyo (Japan) The University of Salford 3 he Northern Consortium and later NCUK came into being One of the first students to take up the offer was Redza Rafiq Abdul after the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Razak. He shares his story here: T Technology (UMIST) was approached by the Malaysian government to find a way of developing the skills of its own university “My first impressions of my NCUK Study Centre were students. As the story goes, UMIST thought they might be talking quite foreboding. However, over time, I realized that first about 20 or so students. It turned out they were thinking in the impressions can be wrong. NCUK was definitely the right place thousands. A call went out to other universities based in the north to be with the holistic experience combining lectures, tutorials, around the M62 corridor. The result was the start of the only assignments and exams definitely preparing me for university known university collaboration to produce a series of pathway and life in the UK. preparation programmes for international students. Professors were drafted in from 12 universities to produce the first syllabus that I remember my NCUK teacher Ms. Sheila Tilly (if my memory would be delivered in Malaysia. Students would be awarded credit and serves me right), who was relentless in providing with words transfer over to a range of degrees at the UK universities. From the of encouragement and would drop us bits and pieces of UK early days, the Consortium ensured quality assurance was central to culture in the course of our engagement with her. the offer. Academics would regularly visit the operation in Malaysia, including flying out each year to mark and moderate the exams. This While the NCUK experience did not really enhance my might all be done in the UK now but the same high academic principles English Language skills much (this was actually something are applied. I had acquired through reading comics from England), its day-to-day rigours definitely helped my abilities to multi-task The Northern Consortium is established. 1987 Liverpool John Moores recognises Liverpool-based businessman, Sir John Moores for his outstanding contribution to the region’s 4 business and community life by making him its first Honorary Fellow. Redza Rafiq Abdul Razak. NCUK Malaysia The University of Hull (Economics & Business) If I could give my younger self some advice it would be to study more; and a lot less monkeying around. If I could advise anyone to study in the UK I would put it simply: Do It – the experience and the exposure will be your greatest assets. I later went on to study an Honorary Doctorate in Economics from Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UNIMAP). and compartmentalise. My NCUK experience was an eye- opener for me as it prepared me for student life in the UK.” I haven’t stayed in the same industry that I started in after graduation but the changes were due to external factors and After studying his NCUK qualification in Malaysia, Redza Rafiq managed decisions from third parties. The roles I have assumed between to gain a place at The University of Hull studying Economics and Business. graduating and now include being the Chief Operations Officer and (eventually) Managing Director of the company that was “During my time at university, I had immersed myself in tasked to rejuvenate Cyberjaya; and as the Chief Executive of football and culture as well; and this was something that the organization that has been mandated to spearhead economic had stood me in good stead in subsequent years. University development in the North of Malaysia. life gave me the freedom and the ability to test out individual judgement calls, albeit in the relatively micro environment. The UK education has absolutely been an asset to my career, I believe experience, exposures and the networking were huge benefits that there is no substitute for good education; and UK education to studying at university in the UK. fits the bill. In retrospect, studying in the UK was absolutely the right My current job as Chief Executive at the Northern Corridor decision for me, because being in the UK meant that I was Implementation Authority (NCIA) and the revitalisation of able to attend an interview for the biggest conglomerate in Cyberjaya with definitely be my two greatest achievements Malaysia (at that time); and this led me to my first job. so far. NCUK provided me with the foundation to prepare me accordingly”. NCUK open up in Kenya 1990 1995 1996 Sir Harry Kroto, FRS, who studied BSc Chemistry 1961, The University of Birmingham offers and PhD 1964 at The University of Sheffield awarded Britain’s first ever course in Playwriting. the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. 5 30 years later, Malaysian students continue to benefit from studying with NCUK. Now though, they have a choice of over 50 Study Centres worldwide, including the UK and Ireland. Soon Kiat Ker chose to complete his studies at the INTO Manchester centre. As he explains, NCUK remains a top choice for Malaysian students… It seems fitting that in NCUK’s 30th Anniversary year, we also announced our new Study Centre in Malaysia, in partnership with Fairview School, Kuala Lumpur. “We are delighted to be working with NCUK, the International Foundation Year is written by universities, specifically for international students and the quality of the qualification is exceptional. NCUK will enable Fairview to provide our students with Soon Kiat Ker a much-needed faster and guaranteed Malaysia INTO Manchester route to university. At Fairview we are The University of Manchester committed to each and every student’s success and we are excited to bring this new opportunity to Malaysian students.” Daniel Chian, Chairman Fairview School Kuala Lumpur The NCUK Pathway established. 1997 The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft is launched towards Saturn with expertise from Queen Mary University of London Professor Carl Murray. 6 High quality education that helps students reach their goal of studying successfully in an overseas university heldon Smith is Centre Principal year means more pressure at Guangzhou, OnCourse Ltd for students, but also more Sand explains how the NCUK rapid gains than if the same International Foundation Year learning is stretched across qualification has benefitted two years (as with A level). The students and Oncourse itself: EAP module focuses on core academic English skills, rather “The College Counselling than those which can readily be department rely on the tests (as with IELTS). support of NCUK for student admissions, especially the I like the fact that it offers an difficult cases, and we are very opportunity to a wide spectrum thankful for that.